62. "RE: The truth will set you free" In response to In response to 50
>You ask if "whites" should give >up their "whiteness"? > >I ask why should we give >them a choice?
Although, I don't know exactly where you are going with this, but I feel the same way. I believe we can think about how we can give up our "whiteness" or we can tell other white people out there about our privileges, etc. But the thing is, racism is a disease. So telling white people that they have "privilege" is fine, but it's kind of like telling an alcoholic that liquor is bad for them. Until they have hit bottom or they are completely finished, anything we say will not keep him from drinking. So it's talk and theory and talk and wishing....to esentially deaf ears. The only way to get power and influence in the Western world it through money or politics (which are one in the same). White women have much more power in this country than they did 40 years ago. Do you think this is because white men suddenly gave up their "manlyiness" and saw the error of their ways? Or because the enlightened men showed other ignorant men "the way"? No. White women have more power now because Affirmitive Action worked for them. Affirmitive Action got them into business, got them into management and and will soon get them to be CEOs and on Boards of major corporations, which in turn gets them elected to political office. With white women in political office white men can no longer marginialize women as a group, they have to start to listen to them. I believe this is the real way to get power in this country. So I really see the only way for groups to get ahead is the force their way into business and politics and make change from within. This is a slow process and education is the key.
I don't mean to start anything but to Schmitty_2001... our people didn't leave our countries because of oppression unless you are Jewish and white. We left for economic reasons. We left because there was more money in America. Regardless my family is originally from Northern Ireland and I am Irish-Catholic, not a good place to be Catholic in the turn of the century. But you cannot tell me that any oppression that whites felt in their own country evaporated after about 20 years in the U.S. I hate that argument.