Oh man, sorry you’re in a bad mood. I hope your day goes awesomely and your mood improves!
I appreciate that, Brian. I hope so too.
Indeed, and it’s a bizarre claim coming from people who claim to resent dehumanization, but just seem to want their turn at doing some.
It’s brain poison to sort every human interaction in the world into one between an oppressor and a victim. Someone who subscribes to this philosophy has convinced themselves that it’s simply not possible to sin against someone they can characterize in their mind as a member of oppressor group. Collective guilt is a terrible thing until it’s your turn to weaponize it, then it’s liberating and awesome.
I don’t talk about this much on the net (and I don’t need to in person), but I’m not white. I’ve been reminded of that several times growing up in Oklahoma and while I was living on the East Coast. Ladies locking their car doors as I walked close, the occasional redneck classmate indulging in some name-calling, etc (but not a lot of etc.).
Being mixed race, I grew up loving both sides of my family and I have no interest in universally condemning either. Both sides have caused eye-rolls over the years. I don’t have any “white guilt,” nor do I find ANY claims of collective guilt for any group to be appealing in the least. I loathe anything like cultural marxism that’s intended to pit one social or racial group against another.
A person has a choice, and my choice is to forgive, move on, and not let it define me. Because the vast majority of people in this country are indeed fair, or at least try to be polite.
So you’re saying to be more welcoming we just need more cat videos. We can put that on the list. Be careful of what you ask for.
I for one welcome our new cat gif overlords.
In all seriousness, it does surprise me that so many people don’t get the concept of privilege, and why that makes it “fair” to complain about men, but not to complain about women (or any other historically marginalized group).
It’s the old invisible backpack…
https://nationalseedproject.org/white-privilege-unpacking-the-invisible-knapsack
(sorry “knapsack”, what, is this person British? oh wait there it is, “After studying English at Radcliffe College and at University College, London” sigh)
Or the easiest difficulty level…
Or “punching up, not down”
What if instead of “privilege” it was “advantage”. Sure people would still hate the idea but it wouldn’t sound s damn uppity. Privilege makes it sound like before we were born we were allowed to check a yes or no box and being douchebags we chose yes.
Yeah, I can’t stand the term either. I cringe every time I hear it. And I’m not even white, and it’s not being applied to me. But I still think it just sounds so condescending. Well, maybe condescending is not the right word, but there’s definitely something very icky about it. It just sounds mean. Advantage is a great word Scuzz. I hadn’t thought of that one before. I think if they used that word instead, you’d get a lot less pushback on the idea.
Coming to terms with the fact that you may be privileged by events beyond your control can take a thick skin.
Doesn’t bother me, as a straight white professional guy I know damn well I’m privileged every time I catch a taxicab. It’s good to be the default.
That is a good idea. Advantage somehow gets my back up less than privilege as well. I think its because “advantage” is relative so i can parse the idea I have an advantage in life over someone else due to my skin colour or place of birth. “Privilege” implies to me the notion I somehow have had it great and a silver spoon kind of life. Which rubs me the wrong way a tad considering I feel I had to work pretty hard in life.
Oh look, the thread’s active again!
looks in
Yup, toilet is filled with shit again.
Brian, I love you man, but these drive by shit posts are not your thing. Share your own opinions with us if you want to improve the thread.
Identifying and understanding privilege can be difficult, and obviously that’s especially challenging when it’s your own privilege that you’re examining.
Working through how you act in light of your own privilege and what someone else’s privilege means about how you should treat them is even more complicated, and lumping the two together as if it’s a single simple thing and why can’t we all just see it your way is a bad approach.
If we were going to turn this thread into a discussion of privilege and how to respond to it, this would be a terrible start.
Not sure that’s possible, but I’ll respect your wishes.
Not just any cat videos, but truly adorable cat videos. That gyra and rusty spotted cat are pretty much 11/10.
Well maybe, but expressing it as “how dare you say I can’t use the word shrill whenever I want to!” seems… like a really profoundly terrible hill to die on. Much less gay, retarded, gyp, etcetera.
And I say that as a connoisseur of hills to die on.
Small requests should be easy, shouldn’t they? Don’t we have a zillion words to choose from?