Jump to content

So I wrote this to post on FB


Darth Ender
 Share

Recommended Posts

So I wrote this today and I am thinking about posting it on FB bc I am sick and tired of seeing these dumb stupid memes. I would like some feedback. Should I post the whole text and post the pdf? Should I set it up as a link to my google drive?

 

I want to go through and clean this up tomorrow. Any ideas around flow?

Institutional Racism and White Privilege(1).pdf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

White privilege does not mean you did not work hard, are racist, have rough times, *did not* earn what

you have, your ancestors werent persecuted at some point, or you didnt just get a shitty hand

in life.

 

Looks good otherwise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only thing I might include is other people of color in that conversation. My fiance is Native American, so she could tell you about the racism she suffered. Many of my friends are Latino or Latina, who's families lived in the Southwest even before the Mexican American war, and suffered racism to this day. Asian Americans have also suffered racism, especially during WW2 and the Viet Nam wars, and still to this day. Same with Middle Eastern Americans (especially right after 9/11). LGBTQ, also have never experienced equality.

 

The conversation right now is how the police treat African Americans, and rightly so because there has never been true equality for African Americans, but we should also remember the other folks who never experienced true equality, and also experience institutionalized racism.

 

We need to push for true equality for all because life is too short, and we can't rely on politicians to do it for us. I'd argue they want a status quo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem with that approach is that it turns people off. Otherwise you get the Im upset about George Floyd too, but gay rights has absolutely nothing to do with this. This is just another liberal power grab trying to use black people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No need to apologize, and it absolutely isnt how you meant it, but I was just pointing out how the most important segment would take it. Most important because theyre the ones that need convincing,

 

But that also doesnt mean that there cant be concurrent movements, like the anti-Columbus movement. It picked up a lot of steam piggybacking off of the realization that we dont treat minorities well. But I think thats different from combining them into one thing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree. I guess that is a sign that I don't fully comprehend how it is to be black in America. Ignorance on my part, though well intentions notwithstanding. I suppose if I were black I would feel like someone was trying to steal the spotlight. After all, this movement was sparked because of the murders and institutional racism that perhaps African Americans feel daily.

 

But yeah, concurrent movements would be a good alternative. Perhaps an entirely new civil rights movement can happen with concurrent movements, that don't take away from the spotlight of BLM. Not sure how that would happen TBH, though. It would be tricky to do without disrespecting the BLM message.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm black and I don't feel any institutional racism. I grew up poor in a rough neighborhood. My mother and father (even though they weren't married) pounded education into me all the friggin time. Do you know who picked on me the most? The black kids in my neighborhood that said I was trying to be white for being an honor student. Some of them didn't make it out if high school before they ended up in jail. My mother and father went to segregated schools in GA and WV respectively. They saw real racism. There were places they couldn't go because of the Law. They were called the N word. I've never had a person brave enough to call me that. So sure it was no picnic, but I got myself out of there and into the middle class.

 

Understand that blacks that come from middle class to upper class families succeed at a rate similar to their white counterparts. Also whites that come from poor conditions succeed at a rate only slightly higher than blacks.

 

Don't worry about what it is like being black. Be a good person. Maybe you'll have an impact on the guy that isn't, but it's not that likely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm black and I don't feel any institutional racism. I grew up poor in a rough neighborhood. My mother and father (even though they weren't married) pounded education into me all the friggin time. Do you know who picked on me the most? The black kids in my neighborhood that said I was trying to be white for being an honor student. Some of them didn't make it out if high school before they ended up in jail. My mother and father went to segregated schools in GA and WV respectively. They saw real racism. There were places they couldn't go because of the Law. They were called the N word. I've never had a person brave enough to call me that. So sure it was no picnic, but I got myself out of there and into the middle class.

 

Understand that blacks that come from middle class to upper class families succeed at a rate similar to their white counterparts. Also whites that come from poor conditions succeed at a rate only slightly higher than blacks.

 

Don't worry about what it is like being black. Be a good person. Maybe you'll have an impact on the guy that isn't, but it's not that likely.

I've always said (very quietly to myself as a white guy) that it's not POC/gays/women that the country is designed to hate on, but poor people. To some extent they go hand in hand, because most minorities began in this country as slaves or manual labor, or weren't allowed the privileges white men were. I think that imbalance has created racism, but the wealth disparity in this country is, and the wealthy trying to keep it that way, are at the core of a lot of our problems.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm black and I don't feel any institutional racism. I grew up poor in a rough neighborhood. My mother and father (even though they weren't married) pounded education into me all the friggin time. Do you know who picked on me the most? The black kids in my neighborhood that said I was trying to be white for being an honor student. Some of them didn't make it out if high school before they ended up in jail. My mother and father went to segregated schools in GA and WV respectively. They saw real racism. There were places they couldn't go because of the Law. They were called the N word. I've never had a person brave enough to call me that. So sure it was no picnic, but I got myself out of there and into the middle class.

 

Understand that blacks that come from middle class to upper class families succeed at a rate similar to their white counterparts. Also whites that come from poor conditions succeed at a rate only slightly higher than blacks.

 

Don't worry about what it is like being black. Be a good person. Maybe you'll have an impact on the guy that isn't, but it's not that likely.

I don't have anything to add, but thank you for sharing that with us all, Met. It is a very thoughtful post, as are most of your posts. Being a good person should always be the goal of everyone. Thank you sir.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree. I guess that is a sign that I don't fully comprehend how it is to be black in America. Ignorance on my part, though well intentions notwithstanding. I suppose if I were black I would feel like someone was trying to steal the spotlight. After all, this movement was sparked because of the murders and institutional racism that perhaps African Americans feel daily.

 

But yeah, concurrent movements would be a good alternative. Perhaps an entirely new civil rights movement can happen with concurrent movements, that don't take away from the spotlight of BLM. Not sure how that would happen TBH, though. It would be tricky to do without disrespecting the BLM message.

Back in 2016, I really got into the Standing Rock movement. I think most non-natives focused on the environmentalist opposition to the pipeline and capitalism and native rights when they followed the story, but the main focus of the opposition is the belief that water is a sacred, life sustaining element. In native culture, just the act of drinking water is considered a sacred rite. And women are the caretakers of the water, which is why you saw so many women in the protest imagery. The cause is as spiritual as it is environmentalist and anti-capitalist, which is what drew me to it. Everyone needs water - even that soda and coffee you drink is mostly water. My work in the movement focused on the 65+yo pipeline in the Great Lakes, which is my area. My tap water comes from a watershed threatened by that pipeline leaking. That is how you can fight for minority rights while making it apply to everyone. Highlight the structural inequities built into the system itself that need to be fixed as part of the solution, but make the focus something universal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting post, Iceheart. I'm glad that recently Standing Rock won their lawsuit. Not all that long ago, I read this book.

It covers not just the DAPL, but also explores why many Natives are environmentalists as you describe, as well as the idea of environmental racism Natives have faced throughout the history of the United States. You might like to give it a read.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the recommendation. You may have seen my post over in the George Floyd thread that Im still dealing with the psychological repercussions of my time as a Water Protector, so Im avoiding the subject to give my mind some space to heal right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.