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Forum nameOkay Activist Archives
Topic subjectRE: see -- this is problematic.
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=22&topic_id=31965&mesg_id=32019
32019, RE: see -- this is problematic.
Posted by BarTek, Sun Dec-04-05 06:46 PM
Well, let me provide you with an example... I travel across North America, and I speak to high school kids about standing up for what they believe in. My partner and I speak about Sierra Leone, or the Apartheid in South Africa, and we make it very clear that corrupt, white politicians, have oppressed large groups of black folks. That is one example of how I use my white privelege. I don't ask white folks to reject their white privelege, I ask them to use it to fight against oppressive forces. As I mentioned, white folks can walk through certain doors that you have to fight your way through. Think of Che, what was he interested in? Independence and peace, correct? What was his method? Militant force... It would seem that he was a hypocrite, as he was standing up for peace, how could he possibly use militant force? Yet he did, and he has been embraced as a hero. I would certainly say that he had to use some of the force which he was trying to destroy. Many great thinkers conclude that force can be used to defeat oppression, as long as it's dismantled immediatley after.

You raise an interesting point about only wolves remaining. I am not saying I am a wolf, I am saying... I see, from the point of view of a white man, how white privelege is used in order to oppress groups of people. I see the formula, whether in media, social dynamic, politics, etc... Let us begin with media... it takes thousands of people to provide us with news and entertainment... If some of us can rise to a position of influence in the media, we can start to dismantle certain agents which threaten peace and equality. You cannot win this fight without money. So, many of us have to play the game, and many of us have to rise in the system, in order to take control of it. That is what I mean by, "in order to beat the wolf, you have to become the wolf..." Do you think anyone would allow me to walk through a door if I wore a t-shirt stating my true intentions. ha! Doubtful... I have to put on a nice shirt, a nice pair of pants, a nice smile, and meet and greet people which I am trying to educate or take power away from. I have to learn from them, I have to understand their true motives, so that I can search for a solution which would not inspire any violence.

If I am ever confronted by someone who has evil intentions... or wants to fight me... the first thing I do is ask for their name. Why? Well, if you are ever in that situation and are threatened, ask the person's name, and you will begin to dismantle their violent intent. You see, they are expecting you to resist or to fight back, and are prepared to use that energy to hurt you. If you answer them with an energy they do not expect, they become disarmed. It's as simple as asking for a name, and asking them how their day was. I have tried this before. Before I left, the man leaned in to my ear and said, "I would die for you...", he even showed me pictures of his son. Shrug... you cannot ask white people to get rid of their white privelege, you can only ask enlightened white folks to try to educate other white folks about the reality of white privelege. Asking a white person to rid themselves of white privelege, is for a white person, to lock themselves at home, skin themselves, and do nothing except sit at home. That is impossible. Simply having white skin entitles white people to more than you are entitled to. What do you expect white folks to do and say?

"No, I don't want this job because my skin is white, sorry, give the job to a black man..."
"Excuse me officer, you don't know, but I have a weapon on me. I look harmless and just like any other white citizen, but I am dangerous and could hurt someone."

Does that seem logical to you?

I would be interested to hear, a practical way for me to stop using my white privelege. It is not white privelege that is the problem, it is how it is used. Some people use white privelege, to inflict harm on others. Some use it to gain authority and control. However, there are those, and I have met hundred's of them, that use it to fight racism, oppression, inequality. It is our skin. You will never be able to have us reject it, as white people failed to influence black folks reject theirs. Did you simply accept that you were 1 5th of human beings? ofcourse not, that would be to reject your humanity, your very biological make up. How do you expect anyone else in this world to do that? It is not logical, and is much more philosophical and impractical than what I am suggesting.

Finally, I am putting my philosophy into practice almost everyday. I speak to kids, I make them aware. I ask them questions. I get puzzled looks, but always in the end, everyone walks away feeling as if they are empowered. Simply, because, they choose not to look at apperances, but look within. One of our activites is such as this, and if you have ever tried it, than you will understand it's power. Sit in front of someone you don't really know, and stare into their eyes for longer than it is comftorble. Skin colour becomes invisible. I could go on and on, but I just want you to be assured that practical methods are already being used, and if you find fault with them, please say so, and provide me with clear examples of how to reject white privelege.

Peace