Black History Month: An Alternative

[Vlad]

(02-14-2016, 05:25 PM)Matt_Crimson Wrote: Well no, white privilege isn’t a form of oppression. White privilege is white privilege. People can be oppressive towards those who they perceive to have white privilege, but white privilege in itself is not oppressive. White privilege is privileges given to whites based on their skin color, just as black privilege is privileges given to blacks based on the fact that they’re black or how homosexual privileges are privileges given to individuals based on the fact that they’re homosexual.





Again you seem to be acting as if I’m making the argument that black people are always being called thugs by white people. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that a black man is more likely to be considered a “thug” than a white guy. A black guy is more likely to be followed through the store than a white guy. A black guy is more likely to be considered “dangerous” than a white guy. This is part of what white privilege is, where white people are given the benefit of the doubt more than black people.

Why do you think that is Matt? I can't imagine how this could be.

So I have to be white to know how white people get treated in this country? Again, if this is true, why then are you even arguing with me? You just contradicted yourself by saying that we both have to be a part of each other’s races to know how our races are treated. If that’s true then this argument is pointless.



And what gave you this conclusion? The fact that I’m talking more about white privilege than black privilege? Well of course I am, is that not the main topic we’re discussing here? What I’ve really noticed here is that you’re good at assuming things about your opposition that aren’t true and making arguments for them they never made. I could talk more about black privilege but the argument here has been about white privilege so that’s what I’ve focused on. Just because I’m focusing on white privilege does not mean I don’t “see the black privilege I have”. As a matter of fact I do see that and if I can recall, I even mentioned in my first post and acknowledged that black privilege does exist just as privileges exist for everyone in different ways. So how you came to the conclusion that I don’t “see my black privilege” is beyond me.




Because youtube videos are the holy grail of academic research. Give me a break man. Here you go again saying “This is probably one of your videos that proves racial profiling right?” Nope not really. I would rather get more context as to what happened in this particular instance because there isn’t much proof of anything here other than “what the cop said” and “what the black guy said”. However you somehow concluded that this cop wasn’t harassing this man even though you really have no clue what happened other than what the video portrays, leaving the viewer to interpret the matter. And then you go on to complain about how the black man was being “non-compliant and argumentative”. Maybe if you stopped and think that for a second maybe this cop did do something wrong, then you could understand this man’s possible reason for being “non-compliant”. I find it strange that whenever it comes to “black-compliance” people like you always want to say that black people shouldn’t be arguing with the cops and instead be complying with their requests and not back talk. Why? Because cops are always right and the citizen is always wrong? If you believe that then you are a very delusional man.



In addition to this, what I find ridiculous is that you somehow expected me to take you seriously when you posted a 15 minute video that specifically picks bits and pieces from various news stories that show “black on white crimes” and tried to compare it to a video that is not even 2 minutes long that shows a questionable confrontation between a black man and a white cop as if these 2 videos are even comparable and somehow account for years of social experience and represent a wholesome collective of analytical data. I mean really?


You’re going to seriously sit here and act like the N word and the C word carry the same weight? The N word has been used as a way to perpetuate the idea that black people are a bunch of lazy, welfare ridden, uneducated thugs. That is not even close to what the C word means for white people. When a black guy calls a white guy the C word it is the equivalent of saying that they’re “Just another white guy that hates/is racist towards black people.” Those two words have never carried the same weight and to act like they do is ridiculous. Blacks are seen as no good low lifes and whites are seen as a bunch of racists in the contexts of these words.  Neither of the words should be used, but they’re definitely not the same.
 



What world do you live in? That is not reality. You say that if I want equality I would be equally outraged at white slurs as I am with black slurs, but that is not how the human brain works. Human emotion is not a matter of picking and choosing what and what not to get mad at. Emotions are spontaneous reactions of the brain. People are naturally offended by certain things based on their race, religion, upbringing etc…

I don't think black people should be insulting white people in that way either, but to act like I'm somehow supposed to be "equally outraged" in order to get equality is devoid of any realistic notion.



Um no Matt. A normal human brain would be equally outraged at slurs directed at any human regardless of race/color.


Nor has that been my objective.

Do you not see the ignorance in what you just said? You’re essentially saying that unless blacks experience something that whites haven’t then there is nothing that black people can complain about experiencing because whites have experienced those things too. So then if tomorrow a bunch of black people rose up and started enslaving a bunch of whites and hanging them on trees you wouldn’t see much to complain about because blacks already experienced those things? Get real.



You again are missing the point. It is not about what blacks have experienced and what whites haven’t. It’s about who experiences those things more.
I will say this. I feel that in order for there to be equality there needs to be equal treatment of everyone. Clearly that will never happen because that in itself is an impossible feat to achieve due to our human nature and inability to be perfect.

I will tell you right now that I am not on the black side and I am not on the white side either. I think both sides are wrong for different reasons. As long as there are people like you who want to believe that black people are just a bunch of complainers and as long as there are black people who want to feel like the white man is always out to get them then the world will never be any closer to an equal state.

Got it.