Yes, here in America it's nuts. Our cops have just...gone mad. I was actually fairly blind to inequality - in the 'white privilege' sense of the word until I started dating my boyfriend (Dominican American, but in a bi-lingual Dominican family). I really truly used to believe poverty and opportunity was something that was easily changed.
I didn't necessarily think racism was systemic, or that your skin color impacted how authorities treat you (example, hanging outside my boyfriend's family's NYC building - the East Village of NYC - once a poor and drug addled neighborhood, now as hipster as you can get) When a group of white frat boys is loud and drunk at 1 am- banging on walls in the street and grabbing people, it's boys will be boys. When my boyfriend's family and friends are simply standing outside on the stoop, in broad daylight - people make comments or one time even, a random new
white uppity neighbor poked her head out the window and threatened to call the cops if we didn't leave stoop of the building- a cop car drove by, even after my bf told the lady he lived there - and came to 'check things out' cause he 'smelled weed'. (all of downtown nyc smells like weed lol)
The town you grew up in was clearly multi cultural - and that's interesting too, and really where getting 'white privilege ' thrown at you can be upsetting. I'm sure the non white friends you had were from similar socio economic backgrounds, maybe you (and they) felt 'more in this together' than anything - or didn't even really think about racial aspects.
Sometimes these 'intellectual' dialogues just start shit lol. And - talk about privilege and arrogance - it's usually the most privileged coming up with these narratives - used to 'defend minorities' - but that in and of itself is insulting and condescending - I call it armchair activism. To assume a group needs them - a white savior - to be the voice of their community.
Your post really made me think. Thanks for that. You're right. It isn't black and white - and while I don't know what the solution is - I know creating more divides isn't it. :-)
You've also opened my eyes to a different world there. Before I moved in with the wife I had Eastern European neighbours that played loud music until all evening, and that was just accepted I guess. Not tolerated, but accepted that a group of young lads would get up to shit. I'd often hear my direct neighbour banging on the roof with her broom handle yelling at those boys to "shut the fuck up" and those neighbours were Jehovas Witnesses and as white as you can get.
I get the white saviour on a throne thing. I see a lot of that, and it's usually from someone that wants to be known as such. It also feeds into the same ideology, that an underprivileged society was squashed by their white masters, are now being 'saved' by their white masters. It's stupid really. The real groundwork is done out of the public eye when no-one is paying attention and through a collective of people from all walks of life. That's true activism.
Racism is bad in America, I understand that. You guys have a sort of privileged white culture that I probably wouldn't understand even if I tried to. Some of the shit I see is unreal.
I speak in idealist terms. Whilst I say that we all need to work together I know through practical experience that not everyone is at the same mindset as me, but like everything, the solution will always present itself when someone takes the initiative and the other group weilds. Hope it does soon :)
Absolutely. And yeah, America was quite literally built on racism. All that said - even if we were all the same color, society would find ways to divide us (obviously - there was no bonding over being white in my home town - it was class and last name).
I think, at a certain level, racism starts to disappear and is replaced by classism. In that sense - everyone who isn't the 1% is slaves to them, and it's one thing more have in common than don't.
More people need a mind set like you! I'd love to come back and visit earth (if it's still here) and like...500 years. I wonder if it will be a post racial society - and if it is, what will the new 'ism be?
As Jehovah's witness as you can get LOL. Two randomly showed up at my door the other day - My boyfriend engaged them in a conversation and then tried to convert THEM to Buddhism. Funniest thing ever. Needless to say...they haven't come back.
You open up a whole new discussion. It's something that I wonder. If we were all the same what would we find to compare ourselves to one another. At my school when we all had the same uniform and free school meals were hidden it was the type of shoes you wore. Kids were bullied for their shoes and how they acted on the playground.
All in all I think it boils down to if you're happy or not. Those of us that are unhappy, angry or sad, usually tend to focus on something that's different to them to point out, fix or even humiliate. It's so much easier than facing the broken that is inside.
Those of us that are truly happy, I'd say I was, look to create more happiness and unison in the world, and those of us that have been trying to do it for a very long time, like me, understand that universal happiness is, for now, an idealism. Yet I think it could be achieved! Maybe in a billion years, if we haven't wiped ourselve sout hahaha
Truer words never spoken! You're so right - blind hatred, intolerance, oppression, prejudice - all reflections of how people feel about themselves. Misery creates more misery, and needs a scapegoat.
<3 it. Here's hoping we don't have to wait a billion years to solutions lol
Ps- had to creep on your profile and website...bookmarked :-)
Thanks! Lots of good things happening with my website because of the money I'm earning here! Stay tuned. I'm not one for putting all of my eggs in one basket haha.
It's always the way isn't it? Have an interesting discussion, creep on their profile and follow the person.
It's so much easier than taking the discussion away from the original article, saying, duuh, I wrote something similar, check it out. Um, no! lol
Yes! Wow. Perfect example of how an interaction leads to the desired end result - no blatant self promotion required. Be interesting. Have stuff to say. (leave a discrete web link in your bio, and they will come !) :-)
Exactly how it should be :) - Oh, and I forgot to tell you that I had already creeped on your too. Your first comment was a sure fire way to get me to follow you! ;)