>>MOD WARNING>>'White privilege' essay contest ruffles upscale coastal town

Discussion in 'Race Relations' started by Brewskier, Jan 31, 2017.

  1. a better world

    a better world Well-Known Member

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    It certainly does exist, as many other posters here accept.

    Note the conclusion in the OP:

    The key sentence is


    Now, regardless of the reality of privilege, whether white, black or Asian, etc, the opposite is also true, ie, social and economic disadvantage also exist.

    So the debate should be, how can we promote reduction in both privilege and disadvantage

    An inheritance tax is one obvious answer, if the money is spent thus:

    1. improve the quality of education among disadvantaged groups

    to assist in overcoming the poor performance and behaviour, identified by you, and

    2. ensuring that jobs are available

    to overcome "inability to integrate or participate in a modern society".

    This requires public sector input, since the private sector alone cannot supply sufficient jobs that pay above poverty-level wages, which is the minimum requirement for a just society.
     
  2. After Hours

    After Hours Well-Known Member

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    Did you ever think that they are "freaking out" because Trump is a piece of garbage? Hell, your own political party did EVERYTHING in their power to stop him from winning the nomination, and are undoubtedly hoping something happens to cause him to step down, so one of their own (Pence) can take over. Trump is so bloody awful that I can see the two major political parties possibly putting aside their partisan differences for a moment just to try and get him out of the oval office.
     
  3. rayznack

    rayznack Well-Known Member

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    White privilege doesn't exist; whites are disadvaged from black diversity while blacks are uplifted by living amongst whites.

    White banks are more likely than black owned banks to loan to blacks, black children perform better in white than black schools after adjusting for other variables, white cops are less likely to shoot blacks than are Hispanic and black cops, and blacks are a fiscal deficit in white majority nations while whites pay the welfare blacks require to survive.

    There's no benefit to whites to have black diversity, but blacks benefit from whites.

    Black privilege exists; white privilege is a myth.
     
  4. a better world

    a better world Well-Known Member

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    Generally sound presentation, but with some inconsistencies.

    .

    And yet privilege is most definitely a reality, as is disadvantage; at this stage I am trying to understand what you mean by "a generally attributable situation"

    [I have purposely omitted the reference to race at this stage].

    But as you hint at the end of your post, the off-spring of wealthy parents might certainly be considered to be privileged, in comparison to children raised in poverty.

    It seems self-evident that, in the race to achieve success, the former have an advantage, which imo ought to be considered as having consequences, both for indivduals and the society in which they live, if we wish to promote an increasingly upwardly mobile society, while simultaneously working to reduce poverty levels.

    I like your nine point plan to achieve success.

    Unfortunately, the fourth step, ie "get a job", is one in which the associated economic circumstances can play havoc with the individual's efforts, and may well determine that the individual's progress out of poverty is markedly hindered.

    Even entire cities can be threatened by circumstances; consider Detroit, in 1960 a fine city of 1.8 million people enjoying well-paying middle class jobs, by 2008, the city - with pop. reduced to 700,000 and poverty rates soaring - suffered the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history.

    Which shows that success of the individual is related to the health of the local environment. (The idea that the city should have simply been abandoned is ridiculous)

    ----------

    Of course, if society's goal is the elimination of poverty (which I believe it should be), then reform of the entire national and global economic system is needed.

    [Note: the resources, technology and know-how in fact exist to employ the world's c.4 billion people of working age, at above poverty level wages, the minimum requirement for a 'just' economic system, thereby eliminating poverty forever].
     
  5. a better world

    a better world Well-Known Member

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    I agree it's a non-sequitur.

    However, privilege (of whatever colour) certainly does exist.

    (In this thread, I don't mind straying from the OP)
     
  6. QLB

    QLB Well-Known Member

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    Life is not fair. Get over it. White privilege is just another excuse for poor performance, sloth and a defective culture. I could care less what you leftists "accept." Go ahead and try to take just a little more. Day of reckoning is coming.
     
  7. Lil Mike

    Lil Mike Well-Known Member

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    The freak out, at least as it's being expressed on cable TV, newspapers, social media, comment sections, and this forum, is that Trump is a crazed Nazi out to bring an era of fascism to America. I doubt, considering the record of past Democratic politicians, if it was just a matter of him being " a piece of garbage." Bill Clinton was one, as was his wife. Garbage doesn't seem to be the issue.
     
  8. a better world

    a better world Well-Known Member

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    Yes, that's an aspect of reality that's not subject to change; we all have to accept that.

    .

    Those are all amenable to change, and none of us have to accept them.


    see my post #229; the discussion about white privilege is a diversion.
     
  9. Marcus Moon

    Marcus Moon New Member

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    By generally attributable, I mean "attributable or identifiable by generalization".

    Particular individuals (specifically attributable) are privileged, undeniably, just as particular individuals are lazy, racist or criminal.

    Groups, e.g. races, sexes, etc. (generally attributable) cannot supportably be described as privileged, or as lazy, racist, or criminal.

    Basically, racial and sexual stereotypes just do not work as foundations for accurate statements.
    True, but the reasons for the parental poverty or wealth, (e.g. the family culture and behaviors) seem to make a bigger difference than the wealth or poverty, as is evidenced in the common and iconic immigrant success story. Money is no substitute for a family culture that values family cohesiveness, education, and hard work. Regardless of money, privilege is implicit in growing up in a 2-parent household with people who enforce school attendance, homework compliance, and legal standards of behavior.

    Going the other direction, a bad drug habit or criminal activity can completely negate any amount of wealth, or any other home/family advantages. How do you think families lose fortunes and businesses?

    There are other factors, too, such as family violence & abuse. It would never occur to me to describe the Menendez brothers as privileged. Regardless of all their financial and educational advantages, those two kids were almost destined for dismal personal failure.
    Absolutely true.

    Even so, the fact that the individual may not always have control of a factor does not change how important the factor is. Some people raise their kids in single parent homes because the other parent died, but that does not change how that affects the likelihood of success.

    Consider also, that many of the factors can make up for others if one magnifies them. Ben Carson, grew up in a one-parent home, but his concentration on school helped to make up for that.
     
  10. QLB

    QLB Well-Known Member

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    No it's not. There will always be losers in the world. In the ag world it's called crop failure. Propping up a defective culture just makes the problem worse.
     
  11. a better world

    a better world Well-Known Member

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    Thanks. Re the other comments, I would say we we agree.

    One point:

    Ofcourse - in fact, getting a job is vital.

    My point was: individuals must operate in a community, and that therefore the often heard claim that individuals are 100% responsible for their own success, cannot be substantiated. (Hence my remarks on Detroit)

    ie, the community can, if it chooses, introduce policies designed to ameliate poverty for which the individual is not necessarily entirely responsible as well as working to reduce the incidence of poverty rates in the community.
     
  12. Marcus Moon

    Marcus Moon New Member

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    Obviously, we are speaking in generalizations. Adding processes designed to move outliers toward the center of the bell curve will tend to make the generalization more likely to be true.

    Generally speaking.:)
     

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