Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 44 replies, 40 voices, and was last updated 21 years, 3 months ago by
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- Are white people just happy to be white? I don't want to be white, but if I were, I'd sure be happy. If I were white, no one would ask me questions like how come all of you people are in gangs and afraid of water. I would not have to hear my mother cry about how she can't hail a cab. I would not have to see people clutch their purses or grab their children as I went to get a bite to eat. Overall, I would not be a victim of harsh discrimination unless I was old, paralyzed or underdressed. Of course, these are just microcosms of American minority life, but we do go through a lot worse, and the white American seemingly never does. We all have family, relationship and money issues, but aside from that, shouldn't white people just be happy to be white?
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Name : Seymour, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 21, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,From the 'injustices'(!) you perceive yourself to have 'suffered', you conclude that whites lead charmed lives??User Detail :
Name : Mike20442, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Chapel Hill, State : NC Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Oh yeah, being white makes life so much easier. I wake up on gold sheets, go to a job that pays me a lot for doing little, have constant offers to the best colleges for little else than being white, don't have to pay rent (landlords just love white tenants), have twenty cabs dart towards me if i so much as scratch my head, have banks send me money for loans I didn't even apply for, never have security follow me around stores, and am treated wonderfully by everyone I encounter, including retail staff and fellow subway travellors.User Detail :
Name : Tina24620, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States,I think you're delusional.User Detail :
Name : H21616, Gender : M, City : n/a, State : CT Country : United States, Social class : Middle class,We are only happy to be white when we compare the way we live our lives to the way so many black people live theirs. I am not speaking of things that you cannot control, I am speaking of choices you make and can control: The whole baby mama, baby daddy thing. The embracing of things criminal. The booty shake. Equating being educated with acting white. As much as we are to blame for some of your problems, you must realize in your heart of hearts that you bring many of these problems on yourselves.User Detail :
Name : William, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 39, City : Columbia, State : SC Country : United States, Occupation : Sales, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,This has been a message I have tried to get across through questions and answers on Y? Forum: everyone has difficulties in life. Just because I am white doesn't mean people are nice to me. I am greeted by disgruntled people all the time. At work, I am constantly trying to keep my job from overachievers who want everything. I meet mean people from my own race, your race and every other race. A difference I do note is that white people don't blame someone else, because they realize life is sometimes a pile of crap and just move on. It seems from your question that you just want a monopoly on suffering. Well, if that is what you want, go look for it. I, on the other had, keep my head down, take care of the people I love, keep my job so I can pay my way through this life and in my spare time try to have safe fun. So I caution you on your 'racist' view that ALL white people have to do is get up and think about what minority to oppress.User Detail :
Name : Matthew, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 45, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States,I am happy to have graduated from school, joined the military, served my country, obtained my degree, have a good job, a good home, land that is my own, a good wife and children, all of which I have worked for and earned. I am white, but I am not what I am because of my race, it is because of my ethics and morals, however my ethics and morals reflect on my race, as does yours. The problems you speak of were not given to you by the white race, they were earned by the black race. To fix your problems you may try going to the source, oh yeah, and to quit blaming others would be a good start.User Detail :
Name : Mark22116, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Humanist, Age : 40, City : Kalamazoo, State : MI Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Implicit in your posting is the assumption that whites never face discrimination. Sorry to disillusion you, but that just isn't so. Try being overweight. Try having acne. Try being something other than a size-0 cover-girl in a big city. I have been treated differently in upscale stores simply by virtue of what I'm wearing. I don't assume that all African-Americans are in a gang or afraid of water any more than I would hope you assume all whites are dirty corporate executives who can't dance.User Detail :
Name : C., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 40ish, City : Galveston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : attorney, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I didn't blame white people for oppression, nor did I call them racists. I just asked - because they are not victims of racism - whether they are happy. By asking this question I was hoping people such as William and Matthew would empathize in order to understand my anxieties. The Afro-American has been stratified to the bottom of American society, and in many people's eyes (not just whites), we are seen as sub-human simply because of the color of our skin. On the other hand, the Euro-American is seen as the diametric opposite, which is precisely why I posed the question "Are you happy to be white?"Knowing that you, your family, your friends, and other white people throughout the nation will never be oppressed for an arbitrary and stupid reason such as skin color, shouldn't you be happy? Shouldn't you be happy that overachievment is a 'problem' in your workplace instead of fear of being tortured or murdered by the police? Seemingly, what you (Matthew) have failed to understand is that when you experience racism every month of the year, you don't just view it as crap that you can move on from. And how does the 'baby daddy thing' or the 'booty shake' have ANY relevance to my question?
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Name : Seymour, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 21, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I am a white (European descent) middle-aged man, the group most despised by minorities. I am happy to be who and what I am, although I wish I were thinner. I'm from the 'whitest' state but work for a corporation where I have been exposed to people of all walks of life, many races, cultures, etc. If there is any discomfort around people 'different' from me, it is when I am reminded of how my race or gender or whatever has failed others. I hear what you are saying, but I do not have an answer for you. I will ask this of you: What are you doing to make the situation better for blacks? As a young, intelligent black man, you can be a motivator for change.User Detail :
Name : Bill, Gender : M, City : n/a, State : NA Country : United States,All the white people I know - my friends, my family, myself - usually take whiteness for granted. We don't associate it with any privileges, just with normal life, therefore we don't see it as some remarkable event. Some of us, if we think about it, realize it would be hard to be a minority, but mostly we don't feel any particular joy at being white. We see being white as being normal. Maybe that's why minorities can have such a hard time, because they might be considered 'not normal' by comparison.User Detail :
Name : Jamie-D, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 21, City : Lincoln, State : NE Country : United States, Occupation : Student,Did it ever occur to you that people move bags or kids out of the way because they're exercising good manners? Whenever I use public transportation, I always hold my bags close to me so that the edges are not sticking into someone's ribs or scratching their arms. There's nothing more annoying than getting on a train or bus and having to tell someone to move their bags off the seat so that you can sit, or having the content of their bags jabbing you in the leg. And in regard to people moving their kids, when I was a child, my mother would always move me out of the way around people 'so they can get by.' I'm grateful that people move their kids out of my way, as often you can't see them, and you don't want to be tripping over kids. Try to open your mind and think of why people may be doing something instead of the default response of 'it's 'cause I'm black' - or, you'll become a bitter person.User Detail :
Name : Jake21074, Gender : M, City : n/a, State : OH Country : United States,I am very glad to read your response Jaime. It clearly shows how we as black and white americans should respond to talks of race... with honesty. I should be able to ask questions with out attacking you and you should be able to answer without being offended. Unlike the other responses you really understood what was being ask.User Detail :
Name : Aaron, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 31, City : Palo Alto, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Customer Service Rep, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Thank you Jarrett for opening my eyes. I should have realized long ago how good my white ass has it. Everything I have was given to me because of it. Right know I am going to kneel and thank my god for giving me such a blessing. I really think that you believe that The Brady Bunch existance is reality for us. I will admit that I sometimes thank that the Good Times existance is more a reality for blacks than the Cosby existance. And yes, I know that I watch to much tv.User Detail :
Name : William, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 39, City : Columbia, State : SC Country : United States, Occupation : Sales, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I don't go through life thinking 'how wonderful it is to be white' but it has sometimes occurred to me that I am lucky to avoid the prejudice that is often associated with being non-white. That makes me happy, but then I think that I shouldn't need to feel happy/lucky for taking for granted people not abusing me. I suppose everyone wants an easy life-yeah, i'm happy for having that. However, people are rude to white people too-there are plenty of jerks out there, and sometimes I get tired of thinking I have to be extra-nice to minorities when I get annoyed just because it is likely they will think I am annoyed with them for their race rather than simply their personality/actions.User Detail :
Name : Anna, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 19, City : London, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,
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