Why I support Affirmative Action..

[Americas_top_trial_lawyer]

http://whiteprivilege.com/definition/

Also, it should be noted that affirmative action is a sorry excuse for reperations if this the compensation people of color receive for slavery, lynchings, jim crow and all the other crap they had to deal with.  But until they get organized...


ATTA

[ColdBlue]

I want reparations for what the Mongols, Huns, Turks and Moors did to my European (white) people.

[Ilovecheese]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b714Wi4CDsQ

xoxo?

[philibusters]

http://whiteprivilege.com/definition/

Also, it should be noted that affirmative action is a sorry excuse for reperations if this the compensation people of color receive for slavery, lynchings, jim crow and all the other crap they had to deal with.  But until they get organized...


ATTA

You support AA because somebody made a blog 5 years ago about white privilege?   There a lot of good reasons to support AA, but that makes no sense.

[Lindbergh]

http://whiteprivilege.com/definition/

Also, it should be noted that affirmative action is a sorry excuse for reperations if this the compensation people of color receive for slavery, lynchings, jim crow and all the other crap they had to deal with.  But until they get organized...

ATTA

I'm confused, though.  How many black people do you know who actually experienced slavery, lyinchings, and Jim Crow? 

The very concept of white privilege is an illusion, and an insult to the vast majority of non-privileged whites.  Just as whites would likely benefit from living in the shoes of a black person, people like you desperately need to live in the shoes of a white person to see it's not all peaches and cream either.

[H4CS]

Just as whites would likely benefit from living in the shoes of a black person, people like you desperately need to live in the shoes of a white person to see it's not all peaches and cream either.

I'm white and my life is all peaches and cream.  In fact, my shoes are full of them and anyone who puts on my shoes will see exactly how many peaches and how much cream can fit into those shoes.  Just the other day I was saying "oh lordy, it sure is rough being white," but not today; today I have peaches and cream in my shoes.  Fact.

[Lindbergh]

Just as whites would likely benefit from living in the shoes of a black person, people like you desperately need to live in the shoes of a white person to see it's not all peaches and cream either.

I'm white and my life is all peaches and cream.  In fact, my shoes are full of them and anyone who puts on my shoes will see exactly how many peaches and how much cream can fit into those shoes.  Just the other day I was saying "oh lordy, it sure is rough being white," but not today; today I have peaches and cream in my shoes.  Fact.

*lol*

[Letsgo]

http://whiteprivilege.com/definition/

Also, it should be noted that affirmative action is a sorry excuse for reperations if this the compensation people of color receive for slavery, lynchings, jim crow and all the other crap they had to deal with.  But until they get organized...

ATTA

I'm confused, though.  How many black people do you know who actually experienced slavery, lyinchings, and Jim Crow? 

The very concept of white privilege is an illusion, and an insult to the vast majority of non-privileged whites.  Just as whites would likely benefit from living in the shoes of a black person, people like you desperately need to live in the shoes of a white person to see it's not all peaches and cream either.

A lot.  I know many black people who were alive before 1964 that are still alive today.  Do you think that the second the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 was signed everything changed?  I mean look around man.  You have to be ignorant to think the two races are treated the same.  If Katrina happened in a rich white neighborhood, do you think the government response would have been as slow as it was?  Open up Time Magazine and you'll see the infant mortality rate for black babies in Alabama is 3 times as high as it is for white babies.  Read McLesky v. Kemp and you see the death penalty is much more likely to be applied to a black murderer than a white murderer.  New Jersey just had huge racial profiling issues.  You probably feel comfortable everywhere you go, because everyone is white.  Imagine being the only black person in a class full of white people.  Can you even imagine how uncomfortable that would feel?  These examples are only the tip of the iceberg.

You feel the way you do because you're white.  How can you conclude that there is not white privilege if you haven't experienced the other side.  How can you possibly know what it is like to be black in this country?  I'm not asking you to agree with me, but just to realize that there is another side that you have not experienced.  How can you understand what it is like not knowing your ancestry and that your relatives were forcefully taken from their homeland and given European names.  How disgusting.   

[Lindbergh]

A lot. 

Where do you meet them?  They would have to be over 140 to have experienced slavery, and I doubt many have experienced lynchings.  Even those that that can really remember Jim Crow are a relatively small minority, and I don't really see how being segregated with other blacks compares to the first two, or merits reparations.

Do you think that the second the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 was signed everything changed?  I mean look around man.  You have to be ignorant to think the two races are treated the same.  If Katrina happened in a rich white neighborhood, do you think the government response would have been as slow as it was? 

Um, Katrina did happen in a "rich white neighborhood."  All of New Orleans (and the entire Gulf Coast) was affected, including millions of prosperous whites.  Blacks just happened to be around for it more, partly due to an incompetent local government.  

Open up Time Magazine and you'll see the infant mortality rate for black babies in Alabama is 3 times as high as it is for white babies. 

Is this because blacks are treated differently, though, or maybe for other cultural reasons, like the ones that produce infant mortality in Africa as well?

Read McLesky v. Kemp and you see the death penalty is much more likely to be applied to a black murderer than a white murderer.  New Jersey just had huge racial profiling issues.  You probably feel comfortable everywhere you go, because everyone is white.  Imagine being the only black person in a class full of white people.  Can you even imagine how uncomfortable that would feel? 

Yes, because I've been in all-black contexts.  You really think whites feel comfortable in all-black neighborhoods?

You feel the way you do because you're white.

Maybe (if you consider everyone who's non-black white).  And maybe blacks feel the way they do because they're black. Who's to say who has a more accurate vision?  Aren't both claims equally presumptuous?

How can you conclude that there is not white privilege if you haven't experienced the other side. 

See above.  How can anyone claim there IS white privilege if they haven't experienced the other side?

How can you possibly know what it is like to be black in this country? 

I don't, but again, I don't think blacks should make assumptions about what it's like to be "white" until they've also tried it.  From what I've seen, most white people bust their ass for everything they have, and earn everything they have.  (This coming from a first-generation immigrant-family urm.)

I'm not asking you to agree with me, but just to realize that there is another side that you have not experienced. 

That's all I'm saying -- this is true of everyone, and we should stop making goofy assumptions about sides we haven't experienced.

How can you understand what it is like not knowing your ancestry

Most people don't know their ancestry.  I only know about 100 years back.

and that your relatives were forcefully taken from their homeland and given European names.  How disgusting.   

Slavery was in fact disgusting.  What's even more disgusting is that it was practiced in Africa for thousands of years, and continues to to be practiced there today.  It's also disgusting that most slaves were in fact enslaved by other Africans.  (I'm not sure, however, how being given an european name is such a burden.)  However, I don't see many blacks clamoring to go back to Africa today.  

The truth is that no one living today actually experienced slavery, which makes reparations an inherently flawed concept.  I would, however, support free passage back to Africa for anyone who desires it -- to the extent any descendant has a desire to return to their ancestral homeland, that would appear an appropriate remedy.

[Lindbergh]

Finally, there is in fact inequality and poverty in this country, among all groups.  Certain minorities, including blacks, have below-average incomes, but millions also earn more than most whites.  Race based reparations (as opposed to quality public education, food stamps, etc.) therefore don't really make much sense, especially when there is also significant poverty amongst other groups. Programs designed to generally alleviate poverty and create opportunity do.