White Privilege

[Northstar]

But everytime I go out the door I have to be aware of the color of my skin and how I should adjust my actions to compensate for it accordingly, and that can take a toll on you.

Welcome to society, it sucks. What you just described is something everyone does, even if it's on a subconscious level.

Society has a certain image that everyone is expected to fit into or else they will be ostracized. It's the main reason you don't see many people going around looking like "The Dude" even if it's what they wear around the house.

I've had a pharmacist begin an interview with me by asking "Where are your parents from?". Talk about casting a shadow over the whole process while making me question the validity of it all.

Granted it's hard to be certain without knowing the tone, but that sounds like the typical small talk you get at the beginning of an interview.

I brought up my performance in class because there was some people who did poorly, actually they did very bad, yet were still able to find a job before the class even ended.

Sometimes it's not what you know, but who you know. Hell 3/5 primary jobs that I've had in my life have resulted from connections.

 

[Exorcet]

@Exorcet
Im sure where I live exasperates the situation, which is why I'd like to move to southern california where I can blend in better. Do you live on the coasts? Middle America is different. People have the pretense of being friendly, but some tend to harbor deep-seated racial bias.

I've lived on the East Coast and in the Middle US, though none of that has been spent in the south besides being a visitor.

For example, my sister relayed to me the experience of watching a white woman and a black man be something of friends in the office. But this same woman, after finishing a phone call with someone bent over to my sister and said: "Can you believe that? This woman on the phone is married to a black man." So yeah, theres people who can put up the pretense of being fair and open minded to those of different colors, only to surprise you when the heat is turned up.

Certainly, people can lie and hide things. However if they are going to act on their prejudice, which is bigger issue than just holding them, something will have to slip through. In your example that would be what the woman whispered to your sister.

Yes 'awakening' moments can appear to be rare, but its also likely for every situation that Im fully aware of, theres many more that Im not aware of and overlooked.

You do have to be careful with things that you don't see. It's not unreasonable to think that you would miss some things, but if you don't notice them then you can't really count them. I see the point your making though.

As for 'universal' privilege, of course not everyone is bias or thinks in a corrosive manner. It is my feeling though that if you think theres no big issue then you've decided not to be an asset, and quite possibly even a detractor. It might be easy for you to dismiss my concerns because it doesnt affect you. But everytime I go out the door I have to be aware of the color of my skin and how I should adjust my actions to compensate for it accordingly, and that can take a toll on you.

I suppose it depends on what counts as a big issue is. There is racism/sexism/etc and it's stronger in some places than in others as well as directed at different people. I don't think that these things exist in all forms of human interaction though. Hateful or ignorant discrimination is a problem no matter how small it is, but I don't think it all has one blanket cause and that there is some danger in falsely linking it all to one cause. If it's said that racism comes from inherent human biases when that isn't the case, then it sort of acts as a pass for racist people.

If you don't think the issue is universal then I guess we agree on that, though it makes your earlier example of the isolated white person a little harder to understand. I don't think that person will necessarily experience hardship, but it's certainly possible.

 

[Azuremen]

I don't really think white privilege is really a thing. To me, it's a narrative that is used to push forward a racial divide and to be used as an excuse when things get tough.

It's almost always advantageous to be one thing vs. another thing with pretty much any activity. It's not a privilege, it's just how things are and just might mean someone might need to work harder to achieve something than someone else.

Is it easier for me to achieve somethings because of my race? Sure. Is it also harder? Sure.

From what I've seen, it is quite real but fairly invisible to white people because it isn't so much a clear advantage for a white person as it is subtle (sometimes not so subtle) disadvantages to not-whites. It can range from simply being treated as if suspicious to assuming the nice car you have is stolen rather than earned. Asking for an extra form of ID when trying to deposit a check, slower service at a business, and so on.

Sure, you can say it is advantageous to be one thing or another in different situations. But when the entire social establishment has been built by what you identify with you will virtually always be an advantage versus someone from the "outside." The harder work model doesn't resolve the underlying issues nor the day-to-day buil**** my black and brown friends have to deal with. Having dated a black girl for a couple of years, I did get to see some of the absurd nonsense, the odd assumptions, general ignorance, and low key racism that runs around.

It is fundamentally easier for you to achieve things because you are white and not black. The hardships you deal with aren't the same or as irritating, though you can argue it to push agendas while claiming "simply work harder" while stating it is "harder" to express you opinion on racial issues because you are white. The reality is your opinion is easy to dismiss because it is almost exclusively the result of someone that is inside the system of society without question.

 

[Imari]

I've had a pharmacist begin an interview with me by asking "Where are your parents from?". Talk about casting a shadow over the whole process while making me question the validity of it all. I brought up my performance in class because there was some people who did poorly, actually they did very bad, yet were still able to find a job before the class even ended.

Yes, I could have continued to interview and job hunt for the position and likely have found one eventually, but I had my will to do so broken, as I found myself feeling unworthy of what is essentially an unremarkable job, despite my performance in class showing otherwise.

I'm white and I get asked that all the time. Because my accent clearly marks me as non-Australian. Despite the hilarious fact that I'm actually Australian and was born in Australia.

However, I don't assume that it's some sort of racist plot for other people to pigeonhole me so that they can continue their campaign to belittle and suppress all New Zealanders. I just assume that they noticed something out of the ordinary and asked an innocent question. You know, that thing that humans do; conversation.

Perhaps if you stopped assuming that everything that didn't go your way was racism, you'd see less racism. Some of it may be, but some almost certainly isn't. Grades mean basically nothing when employing people. I'd take someone with poor grades who I thought would work hard and be a good part of the team over someone who interviewed poorly but was top of the class every day of the week, and twice on Sundays.

You absolutely sure that you're giving good interviews? That you're demonstrating to them that you'll fit in well, and that you're not just expecting them to hire you because you're smart? Because that's what it sounds like, you expect a job because you're top of the class. It doesn't work like that, regardless of the colour of your skin.

Or maybe you're just unlucky. Despite being highly educated and qualified I spent nearly 12 months unemployed between my last two jobs. I don't assume that it's because of race. I assume that it's because I was either unlucky, interviewing poorly or was simply not suited for the jobs. But that's me. You believe what you want to believe. If you feel better assuming the world hates you and is out to get you, don't let me get in your road.

 

[Com Fox]

I keep seeing Asian Americans brought up as an example of proof white privilege doesnt exist, or that it is surmountable because they make more money then whites.

Where did I say it doesn't exist? I explained that it isn't mutually exclusive to the majority.

A quick personal story about myself. I recently went back to school to become a pharmacy technician. I finished the top of my class. I got certified. Despite this, I could not find employment. Most of the white students in my class were already employed as pharmacy techs even before the class finished and before certification.

So did you even ask or investigated the issue? This feels more like assumptions instead of actual backed up fact. There is more than grades to determine if you're worthy of a position

Currently in a group that teaches you how to get a job and they tell you the multiple factors that can apply to getting a job, experience, knowledge of area, attitude etc. are also factors and perhaps you didn't hit the nail on them.

I went to interview after interview and got continuously rejected. The breaking point was when I was interviewed by yet another hostile white male Pharmacist. At the end of the interview he refused to shake my hand and simply turned his chair around and went back to work on his computer. No good bye, no thank you for coming in, he just turned his back to me. Words cannot describe how humiliating that felt. I did nothing wrong, yet I was treated as subhuman. After that I gave up on becoming a pharmacy technician and started looking for minimum wage work again.

and that is a problem with all White people because?

Ahhhhh.... I see what you did there, used a quote from the character I use as my avatar. However in relation to the actual movie and this thread, it appears to be taken out of context (especially since the quote was wrong in which Nick was talking about Fox being seen as untrustworthy not about jobs). This was seen as something that was a wrong way to think especially when Judy encourages Nick that he is more than that, which goes to the whole message of Zootopia which spits in the face of the whole idea of identity politics and about any individual can be capable of anything as said individual.

So yeah, when people say blacks, mexicans or whoever should 'try harder' and stop complaining they have no idea about the psychological challenge they have to face. The stereotype is that asian kids are expected to excel and succeed, and black and mexican kids are expected to fail. That weighs heavily on people.

I agree on this however I never seen this done because of race and is actually as a family issue.

I like how you think that no problems exist for White people. Like there isn't a challenge of being considered racists just by existing or thinking everything bad White people have done transfers for us like it is in our biology. All some people see me as is a racist bigot without getting to truly know me.

Someone might get advantages because of their race, yes absolutely but what advantages really depends on the individual and where they grow up and shouldn't have their life and personality be assumed just because of their race.

 

[Danoff]

One of the greatest perks of white privilege is never seeing or noticing racist acts - because it almost never happens to you.

It is as though you're calling white people stupid. I know that's not what you meant, but that is how this comes across. I know what you're talking about, in fact it happened to me with my girlfriend in high school. She told me she had been chatting with Joe in one of her classes and that he was joking around with her. I said "joe is a major 'bag". She replied with "Noooooo, he's super sweet. He's the nicest guy! Why would you say that?"

"Yea, he's super nice to you... because you're hot".

She wouldn't believe me. Here's the thing though, she was an idiot (it didn't work out). She was absolutely incapable of putting herself in other peoples' shoes and noticing how her friends treated others. I am not an idiot, so I can put myself in other peoples' shoes and see how they are treated.

For example. I vividly remember the day that I was out with my extended family at a restaurant. My favorite Uncle was there. This was the fun Uncle, who you always want to hang out with at every family gathering because he's hilarious. He always had a funny joke, or a great story, or a fantastic idea. I wanted nothing more than to sit near him at dinner and joke around. But when the waiter came, he was a jerk. Not comic book villain style, over-the-top, nobody-could-possibly-miss-this jerk, but a jerk none the less. And it was at that moment that I realized that my favorite Uncle was not a nice person.

I am capable of seeing others treated differently. I've seen co-workers kiss rear end to the boss, and dump on their subordinates. This is the wonderful thing about having brain cells, you're capable of understanding things that don't actually happen directly to you. For example, despite the fact that it didn't happen to me, I know that several of my extended family members are racists. I can pick up on these things.

 

[Earth]

I think it comes down to this

People in general want to believe their personal experiences are the rule, not the exception.

A white man who grew up poor and was denied a job due to affirmative action opening the position only to minorities might be convinced white privilege does not exist.

A black man who reads about a study that says white sounding names get 50% more callbacks then black names on identical resumes might be convinced white privilege does exist.

Also, I feel the human spirit has a very, very strong learning towards hoping for and expecting the best out of people. We all want to believe everyone has good intentions when dealing with us and others.

Thats why when people say something is wrong in the world, it's our tendency to become immediately defensive and skeptical. We inherently dont like it when someone rocks the boat and tells us everything in the world is not right, that some people are being treated unjustly, especially if we cant readily identify with the unjust behavior.

A personal example for me would be the occupy wall street movement. I quickly dismissed them as a bunch of jobless losers looking to blame somebody who also got a kick out of civil disobedience and causing unrest. I was so focused on the people I completely overlooked the point and cause itself. Looking back at it now they had a very good reason to be upset and the issue continues to exist to this day. I've only just begun to realize how incredibly greedy and corrupt big business is.

If you read youtube comments on videos that dismiss white privilege, you'll notice some people expressing almost a sense of relief. 'Finally someone tells the truth!'. The reason for this is they feel this makes things 'right' in the world again. Minorities, for the most part, are being treated fairly and equally. Thats a reality that can make them happy. It doesnt make them uncomfortable or feel 'white guilt'. Even some minorities in the comments join in and praise the speaker for exposing white privilege to be a lie. These people too want things to be right in the world. When they walk down the street, apply for a job, and go about everyday life, they like to feel that they are being seen and treated as an equal. Being open to the possibility they are not makes them feel uncomfortable.

Far too often the realities of life are harsh and unpleasant.

When Wonder Woman was released in theaters recently a large number of women reported crying while watching the film. The reason? Women were not use to seeing someone who represented them have so much power. The vast majority of major superheroes are male.

And the vast majority of major superheros are also white. Superman, Batman, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, The Flash, Super Girl, Ant Man, Star Lord, etc etc. Minorities do get the consolation prize of Cyborg and War Machine. Movie heroes too. Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker, Froddo, Neo, Ripley, Ethan Hunt, Arnold, all Bonds, etc etc

What white privilege is not
- not having to work hard for anything
- immunity to poverty
- a need to feel guilty because some who happen to share your skin color have chosen to abuse this privilege

What white privilege is
- facing on average considerably less disadvantages when compared to minorities
- numerous perks in everyday life, such as not having a laundry list of negative stereotypes associated with people of your skin color, or having to be the only person in a room who looks like you

and last but not least
- you can not care about any of this - and nothing will change for you

Granted it's hard to be certain without knowing the tone, but that sounds like the typical small talk you get at the beginning of an interview.

My general rule of thumb is that anyone who asks about my race within a minute of meeting me is generally an uncultured idiot, and likely a racist subconsciously or worse. Questions like that make people like me feel uncomfortable. Its like people touching a black person's hair - the white person doing it might not have bad intentions, but the minority doesnt like it because its making them feel 'abnormal'. If you immediately ask where my parents are from, you might as well have told me "It's not normal to see people like you around here." If you touch a black person's hair it's as though you told them "It's not normal to see hair like this." We want to fit in and be seen as another person. Saying or doing those things tells us that you do not see us as just another person, but as someone 'different'.

Im not saying you cant ever inquire about someone's ethnicity or hair, but doing it almost immediately upon meeting a person for the first time is a totally different story.

When waiting for the Las Vegas shooter to be identified, did you have to worry about him having the same skin color as you in fear of the blowback you would unfairly have to weather? You cash your white privilege check almost every day. You can go into a store and not worry about how you have to act so as not to draw even more negative attention to yourself.

Perhaps if you stopped assuming that everything that didn't go your way was racism, you'd see less racism.

Really shouldnt be blaming me for being so skeptical, I'm the product of institutionalized racism which in turn gave birth to white privilege.

This was seen as something that was a wrong way to think especially when Judy encourages Nick that he is more than that, which goes to the whole message of Zootopia which spits in the face of the whole idea of identity politics and about any individual can be capable of anything as said individual.

Yeah but look at what Judy had to go through to get to that point - if more people do not become sympathetic and understanding to her struggle then nothing will really change in the long run - most will not have the will power of Judy to deal with all the grief the cops and others gave her.

 

[Danoff]

@Earth, I wonder why you chose not to respond to my previous post.

I think it comes down to this

People in general want to believe their personal experiences are the rule, not the exception.

A white man who grew up poor and was denied a job due to affirmative action opening the position only to minorities might be convinced white privilege does not exist.

A black man who reads about a study that says white sounding names get 50% more callbacks then black names on identical resumes might be convinced white privilege does exist.

Also, I feel the human spirit has a very, very strong learning towards hoping for and expecting the best out of people. We all want to believe everyone has good intentions when dealing with us and others.

Thats why when people say something is wrong in the world, it's our tendency to become immediately defensive and skeptical. We inherently dont like it when someone rocks the boat and tells us everything in the world is not right, that some people are being treated unjustly, especially if we cant readily identify with the unjust behavior.

I'm not going to deny that what you say here is real. It is true that people fight accusations that anything is wrong. They like for things to be right with the world. This cuts both ways though, because it is also true that people like to cite external sources as the cause of their problems (for example, Trump vs. China), rather than looking internally, because they want everything to be right with them personally. This happens with any group that finds a glimmer of oppression, and it's not limited to minorities. For example, your "white man" who didn't get a job due to affirmative action isn't just thinking white privilege doesn't exist, that person can decide that oppression against white men exists, and look for it and find it everywhere in the world, both in cases where it exists and in cases where it does not exist. This is true of your "black man" above as well.

A personal example for me would be the occupy wall street movement. I quickly dismissed them as a bunch of jobless losers looking to blame somebody who also got a kick out of civil disobedience and causing unrest. I was so focused on the people I completely overlooked the point and cause itself. Looking back at it now they had a very good reason to be upset and the issue continues to exist to this day. I've only just begun to realize how incredibly greedy and corrupt big business is.

You're kinda hoping subjects here. Yes, people are greedy and corrupt (not specifically big business or any other kind of business, people). That's why we have laws, and an economic system which expects and harnesses that greed for good.

When Wonder Woman was released in theaters recently a large number of women reported crying while watching the film. The reason? Women were not use to seeing someone who represented them have so much power. The vast majority of major superheroes are male.

No strong women (like... literally strong):

That's 1991, over a quarter of a century ago, and it was in direct response to her portrayal in the previous film. Do we need to go back further?

This is groan worthy. I could go on and on and on.

You need to take a step back for a minute and think about this.

What white privilege is
- facing on average considerably less disadvantages when compared to minorities

It's all very case-specific. It's not a great idea to generalize based on race. Beautiful people (yes, even minorities) face fewer disadvantages than ugly people. Tall men vs. short men. You could have asked super man if he'd rather be Hancock, he'd probably have taken that trade.

- numerous perks in everyday life, such as not having a laundry list of negative stereotypes associated with people of your skin color, or having to be the only person in a room who looks like you

I'm always the only person in every room that looks like me, it would be weird to just run into someone who looked like me. And people treat me much differently, and much less friendly, than my wife. This goes quite far beyond race.

When waiting for the Las Vegas shooter to be identified, did you have to worry about him having the same skin color as you in fear of the blowback you would unfairly have to weather?

You actually, honestly, think that the blowback from a black man killing white people would be greater than the blowback from a white man killing black people? You need to check the news headlines a little more.

 

[Com Fox]

Yeah but look at what Judy had to go through to get to that point - if more people do not become sympathetic and understanding to her struggle then nothing will really change in the long run - most will not have the will power of Judy to deal with all the grief the cops and others gave her.

Something tells me you understand Judy's character at all. She never complained or whined about things being unfair, she always tried to take initiative and prove everyone wrong that her, herself isn't capable of achieving anything regardless if she was a bunny.

That's the magic of the movie, it teaches you that regardless of who you are, you are capable of anything regardless of identity politics (especially stuff like White privilege). Whenever the characters tried to play identity politics (like Nick underestimating Judy or Judy labelling all Predators as capable of going savage as apart of their biology), they got their 🤬 handed to them. It's only when the characters used their own individual skills and personality that they found success.

 

[stonesfan129]

I don't get followed in stores because I dress presentably, not like I just drove in from Detroit or Oakland. Oh was that racist? Sorry, not sorry. Oh and btw, being Italian-American, there are plenty of negative stereotypes associated with my background. Quit whining, you're not a victim.

 

[Exorcet]

Oh was that racist?...Quit whining, you're not a victim.

Whatever it is, I doubt there was much thought behind it. You're not in a position to know what someone else is going through when all you see of them is a few internet posts.

 

[stonesfan129]

Whatever it is, I doubt there was much thought behind it. You're not in a position to know what someone else is going through when all you see of them is a few internet posts.

lmao why don't i understand? cause i'm white?

 

[Carlos]

lmao why don't i understand? cause i'm white?

Quit whining, you're not a victim.

Do you really need an explanation?

 

[stonesfan129]

People who think white privilege exists are imbeciles.

 

[Northstar]

The vast majority of major superheroes are male.

And the vast majority of major superheros are also white.

While true, studios go with what makes money. There is certainly a big enough population of various minority combinations to make any film a mega hit.

My general rule of thumb is that anyone who asks about my race within a minute of meeting me is generally an uncultured idiot, and likely a racist subconsciously or worse. Questions like that make people like me feel uncomfortable. Its like people touching a black person's hair - the white person doing it might not have bad intentions, but the minority doesnt like it because its making them feel 'abnormal'. If you immediately ask where my parents are from, you might as well have told me "It's not normal to see people like you around here." If you touch a black person's hair it's as though you told them "It's not normal to see hair like this." We want to fit in and be seen as another person. Saying or doing those things tells us that you do not see us as just another person, but as someone 'different'.

Im not saying you cant ever inquire about someone's ethnicity or hair, but doing it almost immediately upon meeting a person for the first time is a totally different story.

Like I said, it's all about the tone, doinginterviews sucks, starting one out by talking about a possibly interesting background beats the hell out of talking about the weather for the hundredth time.

There are certainly instances as well where there is a more nefarious motive behind it. I experience it all the time with my cleft pallet. Some people have an innocent curiosity and some just ask so they know what to make fun of.

To me assuming everyone is in the latter category makes me no better that the scum bags that have made fun of me over the years.

You can go into a store and not worry about how you have to act so as not to draw even more negative attention to yourself.

Currently I don't as I'm never in a store long enough to be followed, but when I was younger I was regularly followed.

I will also say that after working in a store for 7 years you can't help but profile a little as some groups are more likely to cause issues. Teenagers are more likely to come in and trash the place and shoplift while middle aged women are more likely to write a bad check.

 

[McLaren]

And the vast majority of major superheros are also white. Superman, Batman, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, The Flash, Super Girl, Ant Man, Star Lord, etc etc. Minorities do get the consolation prize of Cyborg and War Machine. Movie heroes too. Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker, Froddo, Neo, Ripley, Ethan Hunt, Arnold, all Bonds, etc etc

The majority of major characters are white males in a country where a huge chunk of the population are... white males. I don't know you why chose to use the description of consolation prize towards black superheroes; some of the biggest superheroes in the current movies beyond Cyborg & War Machine are black. The leader of the Avengers is Nick Fury, and then you have Black Panther (who has his own movie), Storm, Heimdall, Static Shock, Luke Cage (his own series), Spawn, Blade, & we were recently teased Shocker & Prowler in the last Spider Man movie.

And Neo had Morpheus, whilst Arnold had an equal number of black actors who have become infamous for playing "themselves" like he did; Samuel Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington.

Speaking of which, even in an instance where Marvel attempted to follow the character's true identity, they realized they couldn't; in Doctor Strange, the Ancient One is a rather awful stereotype of Asians & was a Tibetan. The second fact alone was a political gamble of trying to show the movie in China that they chose to avoid. And they could not have a Chinese actress play the character, either. So they went with a white woman since the character (like a LOT of superheroes) is not solely regulated to 1 person & their ethnicity. It was as Northstar touched on; money.

 

[TB]

People who think white privilege exists are imbeciles.

You can stop the flame bait nonsense any time.

 

[Joey D]

I don't get followed in stores because I dress presentably, not like I just drove in from Detroit or Oakland. Oh was that racist? Sorry, not sorry. Oh and btw, being Italian-American, there are plenty of negative stereotypes associated with my background. Quit whining, you're not a victim.

Looking like you drove in from Detroit means you look like a hipster. Seriously I lived in the Detroit area for 25 years and it's pretty much nothing but hipsters now with the occasional yuppie who works for Quicken Loans.

But being followed in stores has more to do that just being white. When I was younger I was followed around because of course "teenagers equals thief". Dressing nicely means nothing.

 

[Parker]

People who think white privilege exists are imbeciles.

Can you please stop? Prove someone wrong by backing up your claims with facts or disproving their claims with facts, don't just resort to insulting people who disagree with you.

If you can't debate your point without insults, your argument is weak.

 

[Com Fox]

Speaking of characters with gender and race. A lot of writers usually don't have race or gender on their mind when designing them and often go with the more common for that culture in a sort of last minute or not that thought out decision since it prints money.

I watch a lot of Anime and there is hardly anyone in those shows who aren't Asian because it relates more with the Japanese fanbase.

When people try to write characters with them with the characters identity as the focus, the biggest hurdle to jump is writing them as characters. You might want to make a political statement with a character but if it isn't a character to begin with, it's just preachy. This is why the "strong independent woman" trope is just as bad as the "girly girl" trope, all they both say is that they have a women in the show/movie/game without any real context of them being characters. Race isn't as bad as gender in this regard but so many times they include a character for "diversity" and all you can really say is that he's the *insert race* character since the character was written as a political statement more than an actual character to attach, almost as bad as when they include one in just for stereotypes.

The biggest example of this I can think of is the show Loud House. It is often praised for breaking the mold of identity based shows of being a show that while the main plot is about 1 boy living with 10 girls, they are all different characters regardless and easily recognizable. However when they tried gender swapping the girls in 1 episode, they were all stereotypical jock dudes. It shows you how much writing characters as characters is wa more important than thinking about characters for just their identity.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Speaking of characters with gender and race.

Are there many human characters without?

A lot of writers usually don't have race or gender on their mind when designing them

Source?

...Loud House...they tried gender swapping the girls in 1 episode, they were all stereotypical jock dudes...

Wasn't that kind-of the point? I've never seen it but it sounds predictable.

 

[Com Fox]

Are there many human characters without?

I kinda phrased that wrong, I meant characters with their identity and I meant to apply it too all.

Source?

It isn't the fact there is sources but a lack thereof. I've looked at several bios and interviews and none of them state anything about their gender or race as a driving force for the design of characters like Thor, Batman, Superman etc. If there is any, I would like to see but right, all I see is assumptions and theories.

Wasn't that kind-of the point? I've never seen it but it sounds predictable.

Problem is, is that it was basically what people feared heading into this show, that the characters were nothing more than their gender. Gender swapping could've been an interesting take for some of the more feminie girls (I don't see it having any real effect on some of the tomboys) to see how they would react to the social pressure that would come with growing up as a boy in different ways but instead we had 10 characters whose characters were just boiled up to boy unlike the main version of these characters which were separate and had their own individual highlights.

 

[Imari]

Really shouldnt be blaming me for being so skeptical, I'm the product of institutionalized racism which in turn gave birth to white privilege.

I'm not blaming you for anything. I'm simply pointing out that if you assume that everything that goes wrong in your life is due to racism, you're going to see a lot of it.

I've only just begun to realize how incredibly greedy and corrupt big business is.

Yeah, you're really selling me on your keen observational skills here. I'm not sure why I might have thought that you might have been being somewhat myopic as you raged about the endless racist treatment you receive.

If you read youtube comments on videos that dismiss white privilege, you'll notice some people expressing almost a sense of relief. 'Finally someone tells the truth!'. The reason for this is they feel this makes things 'right' in the world again. Minorities, for the most part, are being treated fairly and equally.

Way to miss the point entirely. Dismissing white privilege does not mean that minorities are treated well. This is not a zero sum game, something you seem incapable of comprehending.

Perhaps this worldview that you've created with yourself as the victim at the centre isn't quite as structurally sound as you thought. Minorities, for the most part, are not treated fairly and equally in any society that I can think of. On the other hand, some societies are less worse than others. There's a difference between being a Tutsi in Rwanda and a Maori in New Zealand.

And assuming that everyone that isn't part of the minority is oblivious, ignorant or indifferent is just ridiculously obtuse.

And the vast majority of major superheros are also white. Superman, Batman, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, The Flash, Super Girl, Ant Man, Star Lord, etc etc. Minorities do get the consolation prize of Cyborg and War Machine. Movie heroes too. Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker, Froddo, Neo, Ripley, Ethan Hunt, Arnold, all Bonds, etc etc

Yes. So? They're all a product of marketing. Historically, the people with the most disposable income have been white males. Still probably are. It's changing, but I'm not sure it's racism for companies to try and make money.

*P.S. You really think casting Frodo as white has anything to do with racism? You know, rather than the source material which was a sequel to a childrens book based on Norse and English mythology?

Its like people touching a black person's hair - the white person doing it might not have bad intentions, but the minority doesnt like it because its making them feel 'abnormal'.

Why would anyone touch anyone else's hair? That's not racism, that's borderline assault.

 

[Famine]

Aren't the vast majority of supervillains also white? If it's white privilege to be the good guys (if you want to ignore Blade, Luke Cage, Black Panther, Nick Fury, Hancock, Spawn), is it still white privilege to be the bad guys?

Is it white privilege that Lex Luthor, the Joker, Bane, R'as & Talia al-Ghul, Scarecrow, Carmine Falcone, Sal Maroni, Jebediah Stane, Ivan Vanko/Whiplash, Justin Hammer, Aldrich Killian, Trevor "The Mandarin" Slattery, Loki, Malekith, Hela, The Grandmaster, Baron Zemo, Baron von Strucker, (don't know Flash or Supergirl's villains), Yellowjacket, The Collector, Ronan the Accuser and Ego are all either white or played by white people? Movie villains too: Belloq/Dietrich, Donovan/Schneider, Spalko, Anakin Skywalker, Sheev Palpatine, Saruman, Agent Smith, Jim Phelps, Sean Ambrose, Owen Davian, Kurt Hendricks, Solomon Lane, Arnold (he was the Terminator, after all), all Bonds (except Live and Let Die), etc. etc.?

 

[TenEightyOne]

...all Bonds (except Live and Let Die), etc. etc.?

Orange Bond, not quite black, although the film was really blaxploitation with Bond wrappings.

 

[Famine]

Orange Bond, not quite black, although the film was really blaxploitation with Bond wrappings.

And the bad guys, Mr. Big (and I would put a spoiler alert, but it's a 32-year old film) and Baron Samedi, were black - for the only time I can recall across all Bond films. They even had a villain called Mr. White, in several films, who was also white.


I'm going to guess that all of the white supervillains and movie villains I listed will be explained away as White Privilege, because the villains are all wealthy/intelligent, which is due to White Privilege. And the corresponding white heroes previously listed are good and honourable (and wealthy/intelligent) due to White Privilege. Basically all fiction is a long list of White Privilege. Or something.

 

[Carbonox]

What is "blaxploitation"?

 

[PeterJB]

Probably something to do with cultural appropriation, which again, only white people can do apparently.

 

[Famine]

What is "blaxploitation"?

A genre of film/television in the 1970s. Essentially it features significantly or exclusively black cast members, lots of black-specific language (lots of slang like cracker and honky, and of course the ever popular "my fellow person of colour") and a heavy soul-influenced sound track. Some would take existing films and transplant them into black culture - Dracula became Blacula (and there was also Blackenstein and Dr. Black & Mr Hyde), where others would just add "Black" in front of the title - while others were novel stories but set in majority black areas and ghettos, like Harlem, Oakland and New Orleans.

Think "Shaft" and you're not far off. There's a few Blaxploitation themes in Quentin Tarantino films too - notably and obviously Jackie Brown. The Marvel Defenders TV series Luke Cage is also heavily influenced by the Blaxploitation genre. Live and Let Die was very much a Blaxploitation Bond film, set in Harlem, New Orleans and the Caribbean.

 

[huskeR32]

I don't get followed in stores because I dress presentably, not like I just drove in from Detroit or Oakland. Oh was that racist?

Yes. Yes it was. Because it wasn't at all subtle or clever, so we all know what you actually wanted to say.

People who think white privilege exists are imbeciles.

Several people have tried engaging you, asking you questions, prompting you to substantiate your views, and you've ignored all of them. You're obviously here for the thrill of being the edgy guy in the room, except you're just being an 🤬.

You still haven't backed up your claim that opposing opinions aren't welcome in this thread. Of course, you can't back it up, because this thread is full of people arguing the same side as you, but managing to be civil and open-minded about it. Maybe ditch the childish trolling and try doing the same?