I can use AirBnB instead of hotels when I travel.
I can drive around wherever I want without fear of getting pulled over for no reason.
I can shop in stores without being followed by employees or security.
My culture is always the dominant culture surrounding me.
I never have to assimilate to or accommodate another culture.
Almost all movie characters look like me.
Almost all of the Disney characters look like me.
Almost all of the characters in the kids’ books I read my children look like us.
My skin tone and culture are normal.
It’s great to be white.
My point to this list is not to point out every aspect of white privilege (you can find that list here if you’re interested). It’s to point out:
1. Some of the micro-aggressions of racism that people of color feel every single day
This is not the article for white people to leave comments about how they grew up poor too and had nothing and that there’s no such thing as white privilege. This is not the article about poverty, redlining, Jim Crow laws, or America’s past. This article is about the modern day slaps to the face that people of color endure under America’s red, white and blue every single day of their lives. Something that white people never experience but that pile up as psychological trash for people of color, causing frustration as messages of inferiority are continually poured over them.
2. That we definitely do not live in an “equal” society and people are definitely not treated as “equal” in our society
How can a white person possibly argue against this point? How can we act as if we know what it’s like to be a person of color and in knowing what that’s like, declare that society is equal and that whites and people of color are treated equally? Unless you are a person of color, you don’t know what it’s like to be a person of color. So when people of color talk about their experiences, we need to listen and believe them.
“Oh but so many play the race card!”
So you should stop listening?????
If 5 out of 10 children who claim to be molested actually weren’t, will you stop listening to all 10?
What a cop out for compassion, sacrifice and love.
The reality is, most whites who have a problem with this 2nd point, or with this article in general, have little to no actual friends of color outside of possible work acquaintances. They have no primary source information so they just make things up based on their own white experience and believe it as truth.
3. It’s NOT to make white people feel guilty or ashamed of being white, it IS to make white people become aware of reality, a reality that weighs heavy on our brothers and sisters of color every single second of every single day. A psychological and emotional burden. A burden we perpetuate when we deny or ignore it. It’s to raise an awareness that will lead to intentional, proactive resistance, community, alliances, and lifestyle changes.
It’s ok to be proud of your heritage. Mine is Polish. I’m proud of that. My mom makes great pierogis, same ones my grandma used to make (a little less butter…). I don’t feel guilt about being white. Guilt is not the emotion to be associated with racism, righteous anger is. Righteous anger that turns over tables, acts justly, loves mercy, and walks humbly.
Why do I write articles like these? I hate fakeness. I hate pretending. None of this was a problem to me when I was growing up in suburban Ohio around all white people. The older I get, the more people of color I know and am friends with and in community with. The more I realize how much better white people are treated than people of color. The more I realize how easy it is as a white person to simply ride the escalator that people of color were forced to build for me: saying nothing about it, doing nothing about it.
The older I get, the more it irritates me how we think if we convince ourselves there’s not a problem, that there actually isn’t a problem!
If I’m not mistreated, it must mean that no one is mistreated.
It should not be great to be white. It should be great to be human.
Related posts:
- Ep. 107: Mark & Beth Denison on Betrayal Trauma - November 4, 2024
- When “I follow the Lamb, not the Donkey or the Elephant” falls short - October 31, 2024
- Why We Can’t Merge Jesus With Our Political Party - October 24, 2024
R Buckley says
I am white. I lived in a community of color when very young. I was physically beat up at age 6,7,8 and 9. I did not understand why this was happening. My family was terrorized, not even my dog was safe. My Dad had to move us out of this area for our safety. For me being white was not great.
Noah Filipiak says
Hi R Buckley, that’s a tough situation for sure. Even with that very tough situation, everything in this article would still apply to you as things you don’t have to deal with that people of color do. For some, sadly, because they are under this sort of oppression, they resort to acting out / reacting sinfully against white people. That is wrong and those people are accountable for their actions. But it also doesn’t negate the reality of the things I listed in this article. I think acknowledging the things in this article, and working against them as white people, is some of what is needed to heal race relations. Race relations that obviously need a lot of healing, as your testimony points out.
the_ogre says
Your article is relevant to his situation but Mrs Mcintosh’s list seems geared toward the stereotypical “average” white suburban upbringing and has around 20 points on her list that are an inaccurate description of individuals like R Buckley.
Anyway, I appreciate your article as this continues to be a tough area for me. The child molestation example is probably a bit of sensationalism but I agree with the point you are making. It seems like a lot of white people will ignore racial incidents and point to a case in the past where someone incorrectly used the infamous race card as a reason to dismiss ALL future incidents. Its incredibly frustrating to hear people use incidents like the Tawana Brawnley and Duke lacrosse cases as reasons to ignore future racism complaints and on the other extreme there are those who will rush to judgement to side with any minority claiming racism. Whats wrong with taking a moderate approach?
Noah Filipiak says
You are a very deep thinker for an ogre.
I agree about the sensationalism point you make about the child molestation, though I’d go with the word hyperbole, but I see your point. Though honestly the oppression people of color face does induce trauma over a lifetime, it just builds up slowly over time, rather than the acute nature of child molestation. But yes on the moderate view. People are GOING to use the race card, that happens all the time. But how, logically, could that possibly dismiss all of the extremely legitimate stories from people of color about the oppression they endure? And to just throw out the baby with the bathwater like that is so lazy, unloving and seriously a travesty.
Big rabbit trail here, this reminds me of the sermon I did this morning at Crossroads about false teachers who teach false gospels. (Gospel simply meaning “the good news of Jesus”) Satan’s tactic to stop faith in Jesus was to create a bunch of false versions of this, so that way people just throw out the baby with the bathwater and reject the true gospel along with the fakes. And frankly it’s worked pretty well for many. That’s sort of a similar analogy to what we’re talking about here. (Not at all equating the gospel with race relations, just making an analogy to how logic and deception works)
the_ogre says
Air bnb hosts, taxi cab drivers and security guards show racial tendencies, I don’t think that’s surprising to anyone. (we can probably add waiters, police, real estate agents any many other examples to that list) What can we do about it though? Why are all of these people showing racial tendencies in your opinion? The unfortunate truth is most racists have had several negative experiences with black people in comparison with other races or base their racism on violent crime and homicide statistics.
I spoke with an air bnb host who said it is getting difficult to NOT be racist due to the overwhelming amount of issues he has had with black guests. What do you say to these people? Every racist i’ve ever known realizes its unfair to stereotype but bases their racism on logical (albeit unfair) statistical probabilities. It just seems like there are loads of people raising awareness of racial disparities while very few offer any real solutions. Its certainly better than nothing too often feels like they easy way out.
Somewhat related story that you’ll appreciate. My “aha!” moment on racism came back when I was still playing a lot of sports. Every time I would dunk a basketball, break a long TD run or blow past you in a 5k (inside joke, noah is slow), I’d hear “wow you’re deceptively athletic!” or “you can really jump for a white guy”. Originally it made me angry until i thought a little more about it, my concerns of being stereotyped on the basketball court are nothing compared to the stereotypes other races face on a day to day basis. A black friend of mine who recently graduated from law school put it best, he said would you rather be the last one picked for a rec basketball league or be more likely to be pulled over by police, less likely to be hired for a job or be followed by security constantly everywhere you go?
Absolutely ridiculous! says
You’ve basically codified a normative attitude toward people who believe in a concept of “white privilege” rather than trying to enforce of standard for all of humanity! God isn’t white; but he isn’t “black,” either! God is spirit! And those who would come to Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth! Dealing with the horizontal-plane of relationships (between one another here on Earth) should be little different as it relates to respect: you get out of people what you’ve put into them. It’s sort of like a bank account: you cannot expect to receive wonderful things from people who you keep disrespecting. This is what the black community (in some respects) is doing, and then they have the unmitigated temerity to look at the white community with their hands out expecting – if not demanding – reparations from slavery, when neither they nor their parents have ever been slaves in this country. Nor has a white person had a slave in this country since just after the Civil War. If it’s SO BAD here, why don’t they leave back to an African country where they feel as though they might be treated better?!? This isn’t about privilege or race, it’s about respect: for oneself and others! “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!” – this is the FOUNDATION of respect. So-called “white privilege” is a cop-out for those that don’t have because they haven’t done what was necessary in our society to reap the rewards they would’ve liked! After the obvious minute after meeting someone, no one (of any substance/worth) could possibly care less about another’s race. They DO care about being treated fairly, with respect, and fairly. Almost all people – including white people – do this! I don’t have “white privilege;” I do have self-respect, an education, and a work-ethic to match the amount of success I wish to experience. As can anyone/everyone else. White privilege… give me a break! I was punched in the mouth when I was in my 20s in Detroit simply for being in the wrong place at the right time… probably a gang initiation: don’t know, don’t care. But the only real violence my friends, family, and I have received have come from NON-white people, and mostly black. That’s not a coincidence; that’s a HARD fact! That’s NOT “racism,” it’s called probabilities and statistics. Show me an urban center and I’ll show you rampant crime of all types, where the racial majorities are NOT white!!! Again, this is NOT racism, it’s a statistical fact. If I actually had “white privilege” my life certainly would’ve been a LOT easier. It has not been; I’ve had to work ridiculously hard for everything I’ve been able to acquire: not complaining, just a fact. There IS a privileged class in this culture, and it has little to do with a white skin!!! If “white privilege” is so prevalent, explain to me why there are more white people below the poverty line than black in this country! It’s not the color of one’s skin; it’s the content of one’s character… and those are the cold, hard truth and facts of the argument! “White privilege…” you’ve got to be kidding me! WE HAVE A BLACK PRESIDENT, for crying out loud! Oprah Winfrey is one of the wealthiest people in the world, not to mention how many athletes and actors/actresses that are black earning MILLIONS, and in some cases black entrepreneurs who are earning billions. I don’t begrudge them; in fact: GOOD FOR THEM!! TRULY! Do you want to know how many times a white man is painted in a negative light on TV or in a movie? It’s as though we’re all in the Clan, all stupidly wealthy, and thinking every other people group just needs to mow our lawns and clean our toilets! Sorry, I’m not buying into the whole “white privilege” thing. I’ve lived too much and see too much to know the truth of the matter! You’re entitled to your opinion(s) on the matter; you’re just not entitled to being correct!
Absolutely ridiculous! says
Serena Williams (tennis) is the highest paid female athlete at present, for crying out loud!
Absolutely ridiculous! says
“White privilege” is about as prevalent as the Do-Do bird… it simply just doesn’t exist… except in certain people’s imaginations. Kinda like unicorns, UFOs, and “global warming.” It’s a doctrine created by non-whites to try to shame whites into thinking they’re somehow living a special or privileged life. (As if the rules are different for others! RIDICULOUS!)
Alan says
You have been a consistent voice raising awareness about racial inequality and injustice. It’s been really helpful. I was really lazy about it, kinda acknowledging it without realizing the depth and extent of the issues. Thanks for the push that it will take more that just being aware to move toward true equality.
I think I read on your blog that Crossroads is intentionally trying to be multi-racial. How’s that going? And good on you. If church can’t be a place of true equality – racial, ethnic, economic, educational, social – then we don’t have much to offer the world other than empty pious platitudes. The churches I’ve been to here in Jersey don’t seem to have much diversity at all. Larger mostly white churches might have some blacks and hispanics, but smaller white churches along with black and hispanic churches have little or no diversity. I’ve been fortunate to be able to visit lots of churches to speak on behalf of the persecuted church. Fortunate in being able to see different expressions of Christian worship and fellowship. My sense is that we’re missing out on experiencing what is our greatest strength, that in Christ we are truly one. Not just with brothers and sisters who are persecuted, but here, across all the things that divide. For those in Christ whose hearts love Him, “Here there is not. . . , but Christ is all, and in all.”
I had no idea you were Polish. In the same spirit of lazy lack of awareness, I was thinking Filipiak might be Filipino cause the words are so close, even tho your pic looks totally unFilipino. Yeah, I know.
Noah Filipiak says
Transforming Crossroads into a multi-racial church has been a marathon, not a sprint, that is for sure. Became aware of the need and calling in 2008 and it’s been baby steps ever since. But the good news is that we have definitely made some progress, though we still have a long way to go.
Not sure if you have a home church that you’re deeply settled into or not, but for those who have accepted the calling to multi-racial church, the easiest and quickest way to make this happen as a white person is to start attending a black or Hispanic church. This only works for non-pastors of course! I’m sort of stuck where I am, lol.
That’s awesome though that God is speaking to you in this way Alan, that is so encouraging to me and I praise him for it!
Absolutely ridiculous! says
OR…… some black people could start attending a “white” church! Why should _I_ (or any white person) need to go to a black church? I’m sorry if I sound a little antagonistic with this, but I’m sick of the presumption that it’s white people that need to do the “going” “changing” “modifying” “seeking” etc. We are Americans, let’s treat each other equally: in ALL manners! And, yeah, most people DO do that! Er go, “white privilege” is only something others (non-whites) say to excuse their deficiencies in society of being able to get along, meet the requirements, do what’s necessary, try to “live with others” peaceably, etc. Most likely, many will see me as a jerk, but that’s because the doctrine of “white privilege” is seen as a legitimate thing, when it’s just a cop-out! Life is hard, and anyone that says differently is selling something – a line from the movie The Princess Bride, yet is SO true!! People don’t like the truth, because it lets them know where they miss the mark. Which is sad, for how will any of us know how to learn what TO DO if we don’t know, and how can we know if we’re too busy being offended to hear the truth how to correct our attitude(s), behavior(s), thinking, etc.? “White privilege” is as a real topic as “political correctness” – both are just distractions from common sense thinking and behavior, and speaking the Truth… in love!
Alan says
Experiencing the diversity that is the body of Christ creates a hunger for more of that real thing. It’s just better and healthier. Glad it’s happening at Crossroads. I’ve been a part of a Calvary Chapel for about 4 years and it’s been the most diverse church I’ve been a part of. It’s about 100-120 people but there’s 5 black families, 2 Indian families and 3 hispanic families. The church I was at before CC of 700-800 wasn’t intentionally white, but there were 2 black families and no Hispanic ones. Where I am now feels like the UN. But we can do better, we’re still mainly white. I want to be at a church so diverse that it’s not possible to characterize it as mainly one race or ethnicity because that’s the reality.
BTW, props to you on how quickly you commented.
Noah Filipiak says
That’s awesome about your church’s diversity. Yes keep pushing in that direction. What city are you in? Our former youth pastor had gone to a Calvary Chapel in Philly and one in LA that he spoke very highly of.
And thank you; it’s amazing what a little accountability can do!!
Alan says
The church is in Middlesex in central Jersey. The church was a plant 25ish years ago by the same man who pastors now. It’s moved from place to place till about 2 years ago when a Reformed Church down, to 6 members, passed the building on to us at half its value. It’s a spiritually healthy place where the word is allowed to do its work.
You’ll appreciate more than most the church I was speaking at yesterday. It’s a black church in downtown Newark. 20some years ago, the city forced them and others to relocate against their will to make room for development. It seemed so unfair and typical. The man who led them thru that is still the pastor. He said it worked out for better. The building they’re in now, they’ve been able to purchase. Not only that, they’ve invited Portuguese/Brazilian believers to meet to worship in the building, as well as Nigerian believers who were meeting upstairs during the service. The Portuguese in return offered & built a stage and kitchen in the building at no cost. They’re beautiful. . . the Portuguese are the best craftsman. What’s awesome about the whole thing is even tho they all worship in different dialects and styles, all three come together regularly to worship together. Sometimes great things happen in Jersey.
Noah Filipiak says
I love how God does so much amazing work “under the radar” from how we would expect it or from the places we normally look. Praise God!
Absolutely ridiculous! says
Diversity? You’ve gotta be kidding me! Usually, when people use the word “diversity” what they REALLY mean is “not white.” You never hear a black church saying, “We need more diversity!” 🙂 But, BOY! Get into an all-white church and everyone starts feeling weird when they start seeing a non-white person in the sanctuary. (Why?!?) I don’t get it!?! I couldn’t POSSIBLY care less about one’s skin color or ethnicity of ANY kind/type! Do you love Jesus?!? Yes or no. If yes, GREAT! …me, too! If not, you really ought to get to know Him; after all, He’s the ONLY way to the Father!
Alan says
Hey crazy man, what’s up with taking an hour to leave 7 comments of hundreds of words? Just kidding, it’s actually impressive that you can do that. I do appreciate the irony of your name tho. I’m just addressing your comment directed at me, but suggest that you check out Noah’s other really excellent posts on privilege. You can find links to some of them above at the end of his post.
When I’m speaking of diversity, I mean it in the broadest way possible. Revelations 5 says, “…and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on earth.” For me, the experience of worshiping with others of all races and ethnicities is a little bit of heaven now. It’s a concrete example of how wide and deep is the love of God. Maybe in being color blind that way, we aren’t that far apart after all.
But this world isn’t heaven. I’m white too and until too recently was blind to the extent of the advantages that are inherent in living in America as a white guy. And it’s not advantage in the sense of making life easy, just easier than if I was another race. I heard about this high school teacher who wanted to give an example of privilege. She had everyone try to toss a balled-up sheet of paper from their desk into a waste basket she put at the front of the room. The kids in the front row didn’t have too hard a time sinking it being only a few feet away. But it wasn’t surprising that kids further back, in the 4th and 5th rows complained that it was unfair. What was surprising was how little the kids in the front row even acknowledged or recognized the difficulty for the kids sitting in the rows behind them. It may not hit you the same way, but it resonated with me when I remember that it was only 50 years ago that blacks literally were forced to sit at the back of the bus.
It really hit home a few years ago when I had to go to court. I was driving thru one of our many less than diverse suburbs here in Jersey on a late December afternoon. I was cruising on this road but as I was making this curve, I got blinded by the low sun in the sky and rear-ended this car that was waiting to turn left. It was a true accident but the lady got taken away to check her neck pain. It would have been bad enough but I had forgotten to send in my insurance renewal due that week and had no coverage. When I went to court in this suburb, I was really nervous expecting to get fined or lose my license which would be the worst being self-employed. Thankfully, someone at church paid for their very good attorney who I couldn’t afford represent me, at no cost to me. At court, what made me more nervous was one of the cases before mine was this black guy. I forget what he was there for but it was something really minor like jaywalking and the judge gave him a hard time. I mean a really hard time, it wasn’t just the lecture but some crazy fine. I thought I was toast for causing an accident and not having insurance. But there was nothing. No loss of license, no points, no fine, no lecture. It was like it never happened, except for the car repairs. The lady turned out to have no injuries. I came out really grateful and attributed it all to the grace of God. But it hit me later that if I was black in that court that day I would have come out much worse. I probably deserved to come out worse, certainly more than that black guy who jaywalked.
You still have to work hard to get good grades if you’re sitting in the front row at class, but this country will be a better place when those in the front acknowledge the reality for those in the back. The crazy thing is, those in the front row didn’t earn their seats as much as they were there first and had an in with the teacher. I don’t even think anyone’s calling for them to lose their seats as much as asking for a longer front row with more seats for those in the back.
Noah Filipiak says
“Absolutely ridiculous!”, your tone in these comments makes them difficult / impossible to write back to. Are you interested in a real, mature conversation, or are you just trolling? For real, let me know. You might not realize how off-putting how you wrote is and if that’s the case, I’m definitely interested in engaging conversation with you. But I don’t/won’t do the trolling thing as it just wastes everyone’s time involved.
Jason says
I was literally just thinking this today. How my culture, mannerisms, vocabulary, musical tastes, fashion choices, are generally considered “normal” and I generally don’t want to overcome those differences with others, and certainly don’t want to be expected to adjust those things.
While white privilege is incredibly important to bring up (which I fully acknowledge was likely your goal), stories like Buckley’s do fall between the cracks. They make me long for a time when we can stop framing things as “white against black” and address the sin of racism as a whole. I understand the difference is that his experience was local, while the black experience is systemic, nationwide, and generational.
Absolutely ridiculous! says
What about the sin of racism of black against white? Or, is that going where we don’t want to go as a church?!?
You see, my “whiteness” pretty much stops after you look at me for about a minute. Start talking to me and you’ll realize I’m just a “normal Joe.” (but NOT a “normal Jerome”!) 🙂 There was a time when we could laugh about our differences; now we’re afraid to even address them. Or, if we do address them, people with MY skin color are expected to apologize of feel shame for having been brought up as a white person… whatever THAT means?!?!
A white cop shoots a black criminal, it makes the national news, Al Sharpton finds the nearest microphone and starts screaming epithets about “white people.” If a black person shoots a white person… CRICKETS! You don’t hear ANYTHING! A white woman was gang-raped by five – count them FIVE – black men. How much air-time did that get on the news channels on TV? Not one word! Where was Al Sharpton then? It’s so blatantly one-sided it’s beyond ridiculous! “White privilege”… you’ve gotta be kidding me?!? How much did that woman’s “white privilege” help her?!? We don’t have a “white privilege” problem, we have an “us and against them” problem… on BOTH sides to a degree, but it does seem to be more prevalent with blacks really hating whites… which is RACISM!!!!!! Until we start talking about racism for what it is then we aren’t communicating, and “white privilege” is just black-speak for me to shut-up and that my opinions are not wanted with respect to ANYTHING! READ: blacks are always right, whites are always wrong. THAT is not a “white privilege” issue; that’s blatant racism. Who will the “Martin Luther King, Jr.” be for the white people?!?!? That’s my question!
Noah Filipiak says
Thanks for the comment, Jason. I don’t think anyone that I’m familiar with would say that black against white racism doesn’t exist. It definitely definitely exists. But it is different. What’s important to bring up is how we got to this point, which was whites oppressing blacks, and before that, whites oppressing Native Americans. Whites created the racially unjust system and whites continue to benefit from it and perpetuate it. This doesn’t excuse racism against whites, but it is apples and oranges. You do a good job of pointing that out in your last sentence Jason, I appreciate you seeing that while also bringing up the legitimate part of the conversation that I often neglect, which is that the backlash against whites is also a sin. As a white writer, I don’t feel I have the authority to speak about that, especially because we have been the oppressor for so long. But I do know of black authors and leaders who will speak out against that, which I think holds a lot more weight.
Absolutely ridiculous! says
I am a white, heterosexual, Christian, male. Which basically means I have absolutely ZERO credibility to speak about anything regarding a so-called minority. When I was young, we used to be “Americans,” now we’re “hypenated” Americans. I don’t think God looks at us as “red and yellow, black, and white…” – I think He looks at us as His (potential) kids! I see human beings as human beings, not in terms of their sex (male/female), race (human?), etc. It is the “sociology” departments of universities that like to use “demographics” to divide humanity by gender, race, age, etc. (It is interesting to me that the root words are the same for “sociology” and “socialist.”) 🙂 Truly, there are people groups on a mission to DIVIDE this country and not see it unified.
I, for one, am SO SICK AND TIRED of people looking at me as though I should have an easy life simply because I’m white, and/or male, and/or heterosexual, and/or Christian. It is such a cop-out to use any/all of these as points for division. I don’t believe God is inclusive, for Jesus said that NONE shall get to the Father except through Him; thus, Christianity is exclusive, not inclusive. Having said that, he also wishes that ALL would come to repentance and believe. Thus, God is equal-opportunity (wishes for all to choose Him), but NOT inclusive (you MUST come by way of His Son, Jesus… and no other). The standards we should be trying to focus on as a local church is Jesus, not how white or how much presumed “privilege” I have or don’t have! I am QUITE persona non grata when it comes to ANYTHING in demographic groups; which basically means I have absolutely zero to offer because of my presumed privilege. After all, why would anyone want to listen to me? I’m everything that is supposedly what’s “wrong” with my (our?) society! It’s as though I’m expected to APOLOGIZE for being who I am. I am proud of who I am, sincerely. However, how many white, heterosexual, Christian men are out there who do not feel comfortable saying that they’re “proud” to be who God made them to be!? TOO MANY!!!!
I don’t expect anyone to feel ashamed for who God made them to be – SINCERELY! Why should anyone expect that of me!?!? This is absurd. It used to be a GOOD thing to be a white, heterosexual, Christian guy… not so anymore. We’ve been relegated to the dustbins of society, with presumably nothing to add to any conversation except to apologize for being who God made us to be. I refuse! I don’t expect anyone to do that to/for me, nor will I do it to/for them. This is called “self-respect.” If one says they’re “proud” of who they are and they’re black, everyone’s cool with it. Should someone WHITE say that others instantly are relegated to believe that they must be part of the “Clan!” Give me a break!!
Let God be God and everyone else a liar; I am blessed to be who God made me. I do NOT have “white privilege,” and I will NOT apologize for being anything God made me to be! This isn’t arrogance, it’s countering the “white privilege” argument, and calling said argument out to be an asinine “message.” It’s a message that’s been birthed by any/all who think that it’s somehow special to be white. Patently ridiculous! Should someone not want to be followed all around a store, perhaps they shouldn’t be dressed as though they just stepped out of a car decked-out as though it was from the ‘hood, dress in baggy pants that are at least 3 sizes too big, not wearing a belt to keep their pants up, weary a hooded-jacket, etc. Listen, I don’t know of ANY “black” person (or of another race) that has ever been followed in a store because they were wearing a nice shirt, appropriate pants, CLEAN, well-shaved/groomed, etc.! This so-called “stereotype” is self-made. They refuse to speak like an intelligent human being, using non-words like aks, instead of ask; a-ight, instead of alright, etc. If you think you’re deserving of respect you need to be and act in a respectable/respectful manner! It’s that simple. Yes, there are people who don’t like white people; they’re mostly black people who are jealous, hung-up on “acting white” rather on acting decently! Getting an education and getting a respectable job to make a respectable wage is considering “acting white.” Which explains why most drop-out of school or do so horribly in school, don’t do anything to get ahead in life in a legal/lawful, respectful/respectable manner. If you don’t like what you have, change YOURSELF (attitude, behavior, education, etc.) in order to secure those things which you think you lack.
The presumption of “white privilege” is ASININE! This is tantamount to any white person getting off a boat on the shore of any part of Africa and thinking it was because of the color of their skin (being white now) as to the reason why they aren’t doing what was necessary to live according to the rules of that society! Patently asinine and ridiculous! If you don’t like what you’ve become… change! But, if what you’ve become isn’t getting the results you want(-ed), then a “re-evaluation” might be in order. Blaming it on how different you look only suggests that you should maybe start thinking about moving to where you might feel as though you’d fit in; NOT expecting that an entire people-group should feel guilty for who they are and what they’ve become!
Not to worry, though. Barrack Hussein Obama will make certain that he does “his part” in stealing enough money and resources for those whom he thinks is more deserving of said money and resources. Many will refer to him as a type-and-shadow Robin Hood, when he’s little better than a thief with the pretense of the law behind him to help push his redistribution of the wealth policies!
I’m a white, heterosexual, Christian man. I’m also an American… no hyphens needed. For I have the self-respect to not need to think I need anyone/anything else to lessen my value as a human being made in the image of Almighty God… just like everyone else should!