Do you believe in privilege? White privilege, etc?
- Thread starter Jenesis
- Start date
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Knowing systemic racism exists is real but saying systemic racism exists is racist? Sorry but that makes no sense.
It’s a racist mindset to believe that there would be no chance a black pregnant teen would not receive any help. It demonstrates a downward view just based on skin color. That’s racist.
Again, I didn’t say a black teen would receive no help. I said a black teen would not have received the help that I was personally given. There is a difference. The reason why others chose to help me and would choose me over a black teen is racist. I don’t deny that. That is what I’m explaining about my white privilege, but I’m not denying that a black teen would not get help in the world. That is stupid considering how many of all races are helped on a daily basis.
I can just tell you that the people who helped me, would not have helped a black teen. Would not have given her the chance or opportunity that they personally gave me. This was not institutional help. This was private personal help.
Wait, are you saying there are no rich people of colour who would have ignored the spoiled little white girl who was "choosing" to live on the street but who would have happily helped the poor little coloured girl who was hard done by her evil parents?
You are colouring your experience through the lens that you look through. As anyone would. However, hard work will always pay off. If you didn't work hard, even with the help you received, would you have succeeded the way that you have?
The only way you can know that a black teen would not have received the same help is if there was a black homeless teen within sight of you that didn't receive the help you did. Also, you mentioned that it was the parents of a friend who helped you. Who are you to say that they wouldn't have helped a homeless black teen if that teen also happened to be a friend of their daughter? I get that you like to share your experiences but don't try to change the narrative. You were helped out of a tough spot by caring people. Full stop. I think you do them a disservice by painting them as racists.
I never said I was spoiled. I was being hit at home. But I was an asshole kid as well to a mother with mental health issues. I didn’t know that then though. I didn’t know how I could have changed the situation for myself. I was a teen and didn’t have the knowledge and experience I do now. I didn’t have the empathy for what my mother was going through as well and at the time of my teenage years, she was “evil”.
I didn’t choose to live on the streets either - I was kicked out. You don’t know the whole story because I have not posted every single detail. Why would I?
Again, this is my experience. You don’t have to like it, believe it or agree with it. You can add your own twist to it or your own interpretation of the limited information on what was a long and tough time in life. I know the truth. I lived it.
Ok. If you say so but I know them and you don’t so I may just know a little more about them then you.
My apologies. I didn't mean you were a spoiled kid. I meant that someone could have seen you living on the street and imposed that view on you internally. I was just trying to flip the script.
You say you know them and I don't, which is obvious. By your response I take it that they were unabashed racists and made their view known to you? Again, I don't mean to sound as if I'm prying as I personally don't really care. My intention was to get you to step back and realize that the way you view it isn't necessarily the only way it could play out. Again, it seems as if you are doubling down on them being racist POS', in which case I suppose you did benefit from white privilege. But that was the luck of the draw. A racist black family would have ignored your plight, as would a racist family from any other ethnic background.
When I was younger I did a lot of work through temp agencies and whenever I found myself in a factory in concord I was routinely given the dirtiest jobs they could find as the only white person in the building. They would deliberately converse in their native tongue so I couldn't understand them and the only time they bothered to speak in English was to instruct me on my next task. Racism is alive and well in all cultures but society seems to have a big spotlight directed at Caucasians.
So you get it then. I wasn’t lying when I said I benefited from white privilege and that it was personally given. I believe those who helped me were racist. I didn’t see it then, they didn’t come out and directly say it, there were no nazi symbols on the wall, etc but when you look back with the life experience you have now, you can look at things with new glasses and see what you missed before. It is clear now what I missed then.
It's statistically true that she would be less likely to. The only racism in that statement is the systemic racism that causes those stats.
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You mean the stats on reports funded and fudged by political groups.
There is racism in Canada but no way is it systemic, no matter how the data is fudged and presented to stir and sway political opinion.
If you are brought up in a poor community, irrelevant of skin colour, life is far more challenging. Wealth is the real privilege.
