White Privilege - Whte Entitlement - A Critica BuzzFlash Commentary

[autorank]

Link: http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/1755

White Privilege, White Entitlement and the 2008 Election

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by Tim Wise

For those who still can't grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because "every family has challenges," even as black and Latino families with similar "challenges" are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a "fuckin' redneck," like Bristol Palin's boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll "kick their fuckin' ass," and talk about how you like to "shoot shit" for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug. Snip

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren't sure about that whole "change" thing. Ya know, it's just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.

White privilege is, in short, the problem.

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Tim Wise is the author of "White Like Me' (Soft Skull, 2005, revised 2008), and of 'Speaking Treason Fluently," publishing this month, also by Soft Skull.

More at BuzzFlash: Link: http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/1755

[autorank]

1. Kick for the truth

:kick:

[truedelphi]

2. Not quite sure that the reason for McCain is white privilege.

It came out in an interview with Michelle Obama on Larry King that the reason (hinted at by King and Mrs Obama) that Colin Powell would never run for the Presidency was Mrs Powell fears of assassination.

Of course maybe that IS an indication of white privilege - we white honkeys can run for office and not worry that the motiviation for killing us would be the color of our skin.

[autorank]

3. It's all rigged in McCain's favor, but he made a critical error

There are two standards. The Republicans are able to characterize Obama's experience as 'just a
community organizer,' leaving out lawyer and law professor at the University of Chicago.

What would happen, in the media, if the Democrats characterized McCain as 'just a pilot.' The media
would hit the roof.

I do think that the Palin thing has so frightened a big faction of "management" they're realizing
that they have no choice but to open up on McCain.

We'll see.

:hi:

[truedelphi]

5. LOL McCain is not JUST a pilot, he's a pilot

Who loses his plane!!

And if he ends up piloting this country, we're more doomed than ever.

[ihavenobias]

4. BuzzFlash always has an interesting perspective n/t

[tbyg52]

6. Dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=384703&mesg_id=384703