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Pondering privilege.
Jul. 23rd, 2010 05:58 pmThis concerns recent activities in the US. You can use Bing to search for Shirley Sherrod to learn more.
What does it mean to have white privilege?
Well, here's the deal. An organization says that the Tea Parties should condemn racism within their ranks. This organization - the NAACP - was formed to combat discrimination, and that's still their job today. And what do they say? They say "We've all seen some racist crap there, and we'd like to hear you say that you agree that it's massively uncool."
This is so horriblyuppity mean spirited - to suggest that there might be *racism* in the Tea Parties - that it required a counter attack.
That in itself is white privilege. You get to decide when you've been attacked. And being asked to condemn racism can be declared to be an attack.
The good news is, it sounds like the Right Wing is now willing to drop the farce that the Tea Parties are a "grass roots activist movement composed of people concerned about the future of our country." No, attacking the Tea Parties is attacking the right wing, and it's okay if one of their smear merchants let loose.
So Andrew Breitbart releases a doctored video showing a black woman saying that, when a white farmer asked her for help, she wasn't sure how much help she wanted to give him.
And when people get scornful of Breitbart attacking her, he says that, oh, no, he was attacking the NAACP - because *listen* to them, while they let her tell her story. There are sounds of laughter when she says she's not sure how much she wants to help this white farmer!
Here's what makes me sick.
In this talk she's giving, she's describing how her father was murdered, in front of witnesses. And she said, in a kind of matter of fact tone, that, of course, the white grand jury didn't indict the murderer.
And, when she says that a white farmer seemed to be talking down to her, she wasn't sure how much she wants to help him - because, remember, her father was gunned down and the white folks responsible for administering the law just didn't give a crap - and people sound like "oh, yeah, I know what that's like" - this is racism. That's the real racism, after all... thinking you know what it's like to have someone treat you like you're inferior, and to show recognition of the "how much do I want to help this person?" feelings that are natural.
This... this just makes me sick.
Her father was murdered in front of witnesses, his murderer walked, not even having to defend himself against criminal charges, and *she's* the racist. Or the people who just heard about that story, they're the racists.
People who lived in a time when their very *lives* weren't protected by the law, if some white person decided to murder them.
There are people who are defending the use of this doctored video to go on the attack. And there's a lot of people who still don't seem to comprehend the story being told - like having a parent murdered, and having the murderer walk, just because he had the right skin color, was something that you could just walk away from.
And they're still acting like black people - the people who lived through these injustices - should just get over it, and stop being so racially sensitive, and stop making trouble.
That... that's what white privilege is. To know that you can scorn people who grew past unjust, hateful treatment, and call them racist, without any likelihood of having it hurt you.
What does it mean to have white privilege?
Well, here's the deal. An organization says that the Tea Parties should condemn racism within their ranks. This organization - the NAACP - was formed to combat discrimination, and that's still their job today. And what do they say? They say "We've all seen some racist crap there, and we'd like to hear you say that you agree that it's massively uncool."
This is so horribly
That in itself is white privilege. You get to decide when you've been attacked. And being asked to condemn racism can be declared to be an attack.
The good news is, it sounds like the Right Wing is now willing to drop the farce that the Tea Parties are a "grass roots activist movement composed of people concerned about the future of our country." No, attacking the Tea Parties is attacking the right wing, and it's okay if one of their smear merchants let loose.
So Andrew Breitbart releases a doctored video showing a black woman saying that, when a white farmer asked her for help, she wasn't sure how much help she wanted to give him.
And when people get scornful of Breitbart attacking her, he says that, oh, no, he was attacking the NAACP - because *listen* to them, while they let her tell her story. There are sounds of laughter when she says she's not sure how much she wants to help this white farmer!
Here's what makes me sick.
In this talk she's giving, she's describing how her father was murdered, in front of witnesses. And she said, in a kind of matter of fact tone, that, of course, the white grand jury didn't indict the murderer.
And, when she says that a white farmer seemed to be talking down to her, she wasn't sure how much she wants to help him - because, remember, her father was gunned down and the white folks responsible for administering the law just didn't give a crap - and people sound like "oh, yeah, I know what that's like" - this is racism. That's the real racism, after all... thinking you know what it's like to have someone treat you like you're inferior, and to show recognition of the "how much do I want to help this person?" feelings that are natural.
This... this just makes me sick.
Her father was murdered in front of witnesses, his murderer walked, not even having to defend himself against criminal charges, and *she's* the racist. Or the people who just heard about that story, they're the racists.
People who lived in a time when their very *lives* weren't protected by the law, if some white person decided to murder them.
There are people who are defending the use of this doctored video to go on the attack. And there's a lot of people who still don't seem to comprehend the story being told - like having a parent murdered, and having the murderer walk, just because he had the right skin color, was something that you could just walk away from.
And they're still acting like black people - the people who lived through these injustices - should just get over it, and stop being so racially sensitive, and stop making trouble.
That... that's what white privilege is. To know that you can scorn people who grew past unjust, hateful treatment, and call them racist, without any likelihood of having it hurt you.
