09-29-2016, 11:55 AM
(09-28-2016, 03:20 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: This idea of white privilege is so overstated and such a waste of time.
No it isn't. It is very real. And you can't tell minorities they can't complain about racial profiling just because you never did it.
The white race has benefited greatly from the color of their skin, and that continues today. The fact that some white people have failed does not mean that there is not a big white privilege in this country.
Here is a perfect example from my own life. I went to college in Knoxville less than 30 years ago. When the University of Tennessee hired Wade Houston as the first black head basketball coach in the SEC the Cherokee Country Club who had provided a membership to every head coach of every sport at the University for decades, refused to offer him a membership because they did not allow black members. This was not a bunch of ignorant red necks with rebel flags on their pick up trucks. This was the power elite of Knoxville who controlled business decisions on hiring, promotions, business contracts. Basically they controlled the economy of Knoxville and they were all such huge racists that they would not allow a wealthy, successful, college educated man join their social club just because of the color of his skin.
Now, if you are going to argue that there is on evidence that these racists were racists in their business dealings then I am not even going to respond. Everyone knows that in the city of Knoxville white people had an advantage when applying for a job, trying to get a promotion, trying to borrow money, trying to gets contracts to supply or work with the larger businesses, etc etc. All of these advantages increase wealth. And because of this increased wealth the children of these people went to better schools, had access to more education resources (computers, tutors, summer camps), and continued to have more connections to people who can get them better jobs.
And this was not just isolated in Knoxville. For example I know that Augusta National Country Club (where they play The Masters) did not have a white member until the early 90's. I am pretty sure that most of the elite country clubs across the south reflected the deep racist beliefs held by the white power elite.
Racial profiling by law enforcement also continues to have a strong economic impact on the minority community. I'll admit that the African american community has a problem with violent crime, but that does not justify racial profiling. That is another argument that I would appreciate you keeping out of this thread.
Racial profiling by law enforcement has been proven and even admitted to. It is not a myth, and it does not just take place in bad neighborhoods. And because of racial profiling many more minorities are charged with drug possession even though the same percentage of white people use illegal drugs as blacks. The criminal justice system is a huge money sponge, and people with criminal charges have harder time getting decent jobs. So the minority community is having more money and jobs being sucked away due to racial profiling. This leads to more kids with fewer education resources which makes it harder for the community to compete.
So you can stomp your feet and cry all you want about how some white people still failed, but the fact is that the white race continues to reap the benefits of institutional systematic racism. Minorities have made some great strides over the last 50 years, but that does not mean everything is suddenly equal.
BTW don't try to sidetrack this with talk of reparations. I also agree that payments to individuals would be impossible to manage and probably not nearly as effective as pumping money onto education or social programs to help them work their way to equality and make the system more balanced.
