White Privilege and White Guilt

At my wife’s college, an email was sent around containing this link that contains a heavy-handed exercise in white guilt.

I read the first two pages, but I have to wonder. Most of these items would work perfectly well (with minor changes) on Egyptian Muslims in relation to the Copts. Do you think the writer would accept that? I bet not.

Incidentally, I have to comment on item 8. Throughout my schooling, I was certainly given materials that testified to the existence of whites, but what I was not given were materials that testified to the existence of my ethnic background. This is a little strange, but it is true. I grew up in Minnesota, a state that has many residents of Scandinavian descent. I myself am of Scandinavian descent, yet I never learned about this in any of my schooling. In learning about Minnesota’s history, we somehow never got around to learning about the waves of Scandinavian immigrants who arrived a little over a century ago. I remember reading a lot of boring stuff on French fur traders, but nothing on Scandinavian immigrants.

Did this hurt me? Not at all. What I learned in school made it easy for me to research this sort of thing on my own, once I got interested.

Comments

[Thabo Mophiring (@Thabo99)]

And do you believe Copts suffer no inequality in Egypt. Peggy McIntosh the original writer was no fool, she would clearly see the situation.

And oh, yes - you have an opinion based on only one of the however many points. It is not white guilt. it is quiet denial that operates in your response.

Hopefully this will not be the New Left, it will be a cruel joke on the rest of us

[John Pepple]

Yes, I do believe Copts suffer inequality in Egypt. That was the point I was trying to make. And if the original writer sees this, I say hurray. However, too often people on the left look at Third World Christians and think that they are privileged, simply because they are Christian and the First World is Christian; therefore, they must be associated with the First World and not the Third World. I haven't heard much from leftists regarding the plight of the Copts, but if I'm mistaken about this, I'll be happy to hear otherwise.

As for the alleged denial you impute to me, no, I'm not in denial. What I object to is the heavy-handed insistence on this sort of thing, without any counterbalancing of what else is going on. For example, everyone tells me I would have a job in academia if I were black. But what's even more outrageous is the many times I filled out affirmative-action forms when applying for academic jobs, for I was required to mention my race and gender, but not my class background.

Isn't it an example of denial that a system designed for "fairness" can't manage to do this right?

[John Pepple]

Let me clarify what this blog is about. I am against privileging of all kinds. What I object to in the left today is that some privileges are dwelt on and hammered to death, while others are totally ignored, or even denied. When I have pointed out these other privileges to leftists, instead of saying as they should, “You’re right. That’s a privilege we need to eliminate,” they say, “It’s not important to eliminate that privilege.”

If you’ve suffered from not having that privilege, that response doesn’t go down very well. Moreover, it looks reactionary. I point out frequently that conservatives don’t want change, and leftists don’t want change in their agenda.

To give an example of a privilege that the left ignores, as I pointed out in my first response, affirmative action is used for race and gender, but not class. Are you willing to have it extended to include class? I bet not.

I could go on and on about this, but either what I’ve said should spur you to become a better leftist, or else you’re a hopeless case and further talk will simply waste my time.

[Thabo99]

You are against what does not benefit you. That is the problem with your rant. You are only outraged about attempts to reduce systemic unearned advantages that reduce your individual privilege.

So again if self-centeredness and perpetuation of privilege through self-centered privilege blindness is your new left - you can keep it or join Newt Gingrich. He agrees with you.

[John Pepple]

You say that I'm against what doesn't benefit me, and I say that that is more true of you than of me. Let me put it to you: Do you accept the extension of affirmative action to include class? If not, why not?

And let me point out that I am against the COMBINATION of a principle that is always used to hurt me while never being used to help me.

Do you understand that? No, probably not. But let me reiterate what I said above.

1. I'm against privileging of all kinds.
2. That means I'm also against the privileging of class that inadvertently occurs in affirmative action.
3. I didn't mention other privileging in my original post, but I certainly could. For example, the privileging of the big and tall in our public schools that comes as a result of the emphasis on football and basketball.

Give up your reactionary ways.

[Thabo99]

Amazing how your reactionary approach to White Privilege is acceptable.

1) 1. I'm against privileging of all kinds.
That is beautifully laudable in a society without privilege, otherwise it amounts to accepting privilege because it benefits you.

2) "while never being used to help me."
This is the crux of your argument, is it not - all about me.

3) I am still considering adding class to affirmative action - research like this is http://globalsociology.com/2011/07/18/downplaying-and-explaining-the-racial-unemployment-gap/ which shows high white privilege actually works by the way invisibly, has me thinking that White Privilege already assists White poor.
I am still thinking.

Give your Me, Me, Me, first politics or just vote Romney and be happy. He is what you have been waiting for all your life, it seems

[John Pepple]

Just for the record, for years beginning in the 1960s I supported all the liberation movements. Then the day came when I realized I needed liberating myself. I asked all the different groups I had supported to support my liberation. They all told me to go to hell.

So, yes, my friend, I suppose it looks to you like it's all about me, but from my perspective, you're just the latest in a long line of people who think that certain privileges need to be eliminated while others can be retained.

And that's why I say that you're a reactionary.