The truth about White privilege

[Harmonious Emptiness]

This video does not attack anyone, but simply brings much needed awareness to the total unawareness that exists in regards to the differences in social privileges between European and African descendents in the West.

 

How can our Black brothers and sisters be unburdened of this under-privilege so long as the lack of information on it allows the rest of society to comfortably deny it?

 

If you don't believe this privilege exists, find out what you don't know here:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN8pmhQwcnY

 

(start at 2:45 to skip the introduction if you want)

 

 

 

Note, this is not a topic on the rules of ttb. If you would like to discuss the rules of ttb, please start a new thread. Thank you.

 

And remember, if you want to start a counter thread on minority-privilege, that you must not try to justify oppressive discrimination. While this is showing "how hard it is for Black people," if you want to try and show "how hard it is for White people," be my guest, but I hope you'll watch this first:

 

[GrandmasterP]

Isn't this potentially contentious thread more "Off Topic" than " General"?

General being 'generally' about cultivation and such.

Edited August 30, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[soaring crane]

Isn't this potentially contentious thread more "Off Topic" than " General"?

General being 'generally' about cultivation and such.

 

absolutely

[Marblehead]

I might make an honest attempt to get it pitted. We'll see.

[skydog]

.for sure lots of racism exists in the world.

 

I dont agree with it.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Isn't this potentially contentious thread more "Off Topic" than " General"?

General being 'generally' about cultivation and such.

 

Do you not think that being aware of the prevalence of ignorance and systemic unfairness in society is an important issue in one's spiritual relationship with it? Especially when obliviousness to that ignorance and systemic unfairness is so much the norm that it may in fact be a social pathology?

 

Again, this video was made, and posted, in order to inform. There are no attacks in it.

 

I hope you will all give it some of your time and consideration so that, at the very least, you understand why it has been posted here, and why it is important that people watch this, in order to understand more about the immediate world in which we all live.

[GrandmasterP]

It's not 'General' Taoism or related is my point.

It's more of a political subject and therefore ' Off Topic' IMO.

( prior to MH getting it Pitted).

Race threads generally end up as either shouting matches or sounding boards for bigotry from all and every side.

Time will tell with this one.

 

Ooops.

Just noticed that this has been moved to ' Off Topic"

 

Kudos Mods.

 

Edited August 30, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[GrandmasterP]

OK now it's found a home I'll have a go.

OP asks...

"Do you not think that being aware of the prevalence of ignorance and systemic unfairness in society is an important issue in one's spiritual relationship with it? Especially when obliviousness to that ignorance and systemic unfairness is so much the norm that it may in fact be a social pathology?"

 

Before embarking upon meaningful debate we must first carefully define, in order to be able to agree upon; the terminology under discussion.

 

Hence and for starters...

 

1: Define 'systemic unfairness' please.

2: Using that definition , define and describe what you consider that a 'spiritual relationship' with ' systemic unfairness' (as defined by you)....would look like.

3: Cite your references in support of the claim that " obliviousness to (that) ignorance and systemic unfairness is ( so much) the NORM."

 

Many thanks.

Edited August 30, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[dust]

Race threads generally end up as either shouting matches or sounding boards for bigotry from all and every side.

 

Does that happen here too? I was kind of assuming/hoping that this might be a 'place' free of all that nonsense...

[Marblehead]

Does that happen here too? I was kind of assuming/hoping that this might be a 'place' free of all that nonsense...

You know, I don't look at the color of a person's skin when I read their post here at Tao Bums. I rarely even look at a member's profile to see if they are a boy, a girl, or a whatever.

 

To constantly talk about our differences only amplifies our differences.

 

Yes, that happens here too. Sad, you know. And yes, this should be a place that is beyond talking about things like that.

 

I will never feel quilty for having been born with lighter colored skin. On the other hand, I have never criticized anyone for being born with darker colored skin.

 

I mean, it's wonderful that we can see the various colors of the rainbow but sometimes we need to be color blind.

 

I am proud of what essence I was born into. Others should feel the same way, I think. And no, I have never owned a slave of any colored skin and when I was in positions of recommending promotion I never considered the color of a person's skin but rather I considered how well of a job they could do in the advanced position.

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Please watch the video before asking questions about the topic. The questions posed are mostly all answered in the video. Thanks.

[Chang]

Does that happen here too? I was kind of assuming/hoping that this might be a 'place' free of all that nonsense...

 

If only that were so, but

 

[dust]

Please watch the video before asking questions about the topic. The questions posed are mostly all answered in the video. Thanks.

 

Yes, if you mean me, sorry. My question was about TTB rather than society as a whole. A little off-topic.

 

I did watch the first half of the video. None of what he says surprises me. Looking at the USA from here (UK), it's fairly obvious that racism and racial privilege are rampant. Without even knowing statistics about police searches vs actual drug crime or anything else, one just needs to look at popular culture (television, movies, music, etc) to see that the young "white" person has far and away the most opportunity and preferential treatment. I don't just mean the portrayal of different "races"; I mean the kind of roles people of different "colours" get cast in, and the shows with non-"white" leads that actually become popular.

 

Just looking at the first list I come across of most popular TV shows this week:

 

New Girl

Pretty Little Liars

The Vampire Diaries

Grey's Anatomy

Outlander

America's Next Top Model

Suits

 

The titular New Girl is a young white female, albeit with some non-white friends. Pretty Little Liars are all young white women. The Vampire Diaries: the lead is a young white girl. Grey from Grey's Anatomy is white. The Outlander leads are white. The leads of Suits? White men.

 

In fact, in all of these shows (except Next Top Model), there are often non-white characters, but all are cast in supporting roles. All are there to augment the position of the white lead, to show us that white people can get along with non-whites...but in the end, if the leads were "black", or "hispanic", or "asian", people wouldn't watch.

 

_{(I put words like "white", "black", "hispanic", and "race" in quotation marks because really, the idea of race is a bizarre illusion. An abstract, entirely man-made construct that aids us in our desire to break the world down into manageable bits, but that serves no real purpose. Yes, different people have different colour skin, and we can identify individuals based on individual traits like skin or eye colour, but I challenge anyone to come up with a universally applicable definition of "race".)}

 

I don't want to speak to white privilege in my own country, because I don't feel like I can see the situation impartially. I'm not a patriot by any means, but I'd like to believe that my friends and family aren't racist. But I think we all are.

[GrandmasterP]

@ Harmonious Emptiness...

 

1: Define 'systemic unfairness' please.

2: Using that definition , define and describe what you consider that a 'spiritual relationship' with ' systemic unfairness' (as defined by you)....would look like.

3: Cite your references in support of the claim that " obliviousness to (that) ignorance and systemic unfairness is ( so much) the NORM."

 

Polite request and feel free to ignore it but I was interested in what you yourself thought.

Many thanks.

Edited August 31, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[Harmonious Emptiness]

db - it wasn't directed to your question, but thanks for your reply in any case.

 

Gmp, I meant "and your spiritual relationship with that society." By that I mean, that how you interact with society plays a large part in one's spirituality whether they acknowledge it or not.

 

The other two questions are quite obviously answered in the video, which is essentially the OP of this thread, so you'll have to give it a watch if you want to know my answers, since my personal thoughts on that are in agreement with the video.

[GrandmasterP]

Thanks for the reply Harmonious Emptiness.

 

[Aetherous]

Looking at the USA from here (UK), it's fairly obvious that racism and racial privilege are rampant.

 

While I think it's pretty ignorant to say that it's "obvious" from across an ocean, I have been surprised to see more diversity of race in UK tv shows. I personally think that the black culture here in the US separates itself. For instance, if you ever see any black comedy tv shows, most of the talk (97% of it) is regarding racial issues...when in reality, there might be some injustice against blacks that we should be seeking to eliminate, but there isn't actually a huge racial divide. There is only the one you assume is there, and thus, create. And no whites are assuming it and creating it...well, apart from the KKK or something.

 

Half of the time these black comedy tv shows are ripping on white guilt...whites are portrayed as apologetic and weak.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHXwY1_n_cY

 

I haven't been exposed to such a thing in UK tv shows...from what I've seen, all races are treated equally (and consider themselves equally) over there. But I can't be certain from across the ocean.

Edited August 31, 2014 by Aetherous

[GrandmasterP]

Yep that's pretty much the case.

Odd times they have tried airing all black ( African heritage) actors comedy shows those haven't really caught on with anyone and they seldom got a second series.

All Asian ( Indian heritage) actors comedy shows though seem to go down well.

We've had

Goodness Gracious Me which was a super funny comedy sketch show also The Kumars at Number 43 which was a spoof chat show with real celebrities ( usually white) as guests.

Indian Dad clip from Goodness Gracious Me here...

Edited August 31, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[dust]

While I think it's pretty ignorant to say that it's "obvious" from across an ocean, I have been surprised to see more diversity of race in UK tv shows.

It's not that there's more diversity, per se, but that there are perhaps a few popular shows here that have had leading black actors (Luther, Hustle) when most shows are really predominantly white.

 

I've been known to be ignorant, but in this case, I stand by my comment. Many things nowadays are more obvious from across an ocean than on the scene itself -- standing apart, one sees a bigger picture. And even if we agreed that relying on popular television shows to illustrate the point is not very scientific, and that it was an ignorant comment, the statistics and news stories -- and the OP video -- speak for themselves, don't they?

 

And good lord, I'm not trying to suggest that all white Americans are racist and everyone else is perfect. Everyone's racist. "Race" is and always has been a huge issue in the US. And because of that, white people do still seem to be more privileged.

 

 

 

I personally think that the black culture here in the US separates itself. For instance, if you ever see any black comedy tv shows, most of the talk (97% of it) is regarding racial issues...when in reality, there might be some injustice against blacks that we should be seeking to eliminate, but there isn't actually a huge racial divide. There is only the one you assume is there, and thus, create. And no whites are assuming it and creating it...well, apart from the KKK or something.

 

There is a tendency for racial humour among non-white people. I've certainly noticed that. But could that also be because they are very much more aware of these racial issues, being faced with them on a day-to-day basis?

 

 

I haven't been exposed to such a thing in UK tv shows...from what I've seen, all races are treated equally (and consider themselves equally) over there. But I can't be certain from across the ocean.

 

There is still some sort of class divide here. In my opinion it's not about race as much as education*. But access to education is linked to race, so in the end it's the same. White privilege.

 

_{*19 Prime Ministers were educated at Eton. And, except for 2 who didn't attend a university at all, every elected PM since WW2 has been an Oxford graduate. Yes, Oxford is full of exceptionally gifted people, but it still strikes me as slightly odd.}

[jhana]

Half of the time these black comedy tv shows are ripping on white guilt...whites are portrayed as apologetic and weak.

 

I haven't been exposed to such a thing in UK tv shows...from what I've seen, all races are treated equally (and consider themselves equally) over there. But I can't be certain from across the ocean.

SNL is not a black comedy tv show. And it looks like they are ripping on black anger too. Whites are apologetic and feel bad for the past injustices that made their lots in life better (I wouldn't say they are weak) and black people are angry and scary and intimidating and hate whites. No one really looks good in the skit.

 

In the UK and a lot of Europe, one big issue is Islam and immigration, and that ends up being divided up along racial lines. I don't know about other Eurpoean nations, but I doubt the UK is a racially harmonious paradise.

 

 

Yep that's pretty much the case.

Odd times they have tried airing all black ( African heritage) actors comedy shows those haven't really caught on with anyone and they seldom got a second series.

All Asian ( Indian heritage) actors comedy shows though seem to go down well.

We've had

Goodness Gracious Me which was a super funny comedy sketch show also The Kumars at Number 43 which was a spoof chat show with real celebrities ( usually white) as guests.

Indian Dad clip from Goodness Gracious Me here...

I'm not aware of any all black actors comedy shows, at least sketch comedy. But for sitcoms there are plenty. In terms of sketch comedy, Chappelle's Show was very popular and caught on though it wasn't all black people all the time. Key and Peele also comes to mind.

Edited August 31, 2014 by jhana

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Btw, I just posted this at the time I did because it was looking there was going to be a total black-out on discussing systemic social inequalities regarding race. This would be unacceptable - for ttb to be a place where "we just don't talk about racism. We can't upset the comfortable denial of the privileged class," so I posted it right away. It was then moved out of the General Discussion because some think racial injustice has nothing to do with one's spiritual realities, only proving how far from reality they are in regards to the suffering in the world that is not theirs.

 

Anyways, we'll see if my fight against this type of thing gets me banned or suspended, for being "too controversial." That's right, being against racism and racists is "controversial" here. smfh.

[Spotless]

Btw, I just posted this at the time I did because it was looking there was going to be a total black-out on discussing systemic social inequalities regarding race. This would be unacceptable - for ttb to be a place where "we just don't talk about racism. We can't upset the comfortable denial of the privileged class," so I posted it right away. It was then moved out of the General Discussion because some think racial injustice has nothing to do with one's spiritual realities, only proving how far from reality they are in regards to the suffering in the world that is not theirs.

 

Anyways, we'll see if my fight against this type of thing gets me banned or suspended, for being "too controversial." That's right, being against racism and racists is "controversial" here. smfh.

 

I think you should end it right there.

 

This childish and goading pissing you sprayed out above is precisely why it gets out of control.

 

Now would be a great time to lock this thread and go no further for the thousandth time.

[Apech]

--- Moderator Message ---

 

I agree it's getting out of hand. Locking thread.

 

--- Message Ends ---