White Privilege - Fact or Fiction

Most of the world is Asian and African, so no. Whites do not rule most of the world. That's basic demographics.

Asia alone has double the GDP of the USA. Africa is expected to surpass the USA GDP in a few decades.

That 3% of white Americans who owned slaves did not include the number of people the slaves had to serve which included the owners family, relatives, friends and neighbours.

More than half the souther states were Slave states. So the 3% is misleading.

80% of black Americans are well above the poverty line with many of them doing far better than their white counterparts. 

SO, IF A RANDOM WHITE PERSON'S ANCESTORS WERE RAISED IN IDAHO, OR NEW YORK, OR WISCONSIN, HOW ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT ANY OF THIS ?

Most of the world is Asian and African, so no. Whites do not rule most of the world. That's basic demographics.

Asia alone has double the GDP of the USA. Africa is expected to surpass the USA GDP in a few decades.

 as pertains to GDP? 

Hi! Random white person whose ancestors didn't get here until about 1935, I'm second generation born in America. Bringing historic data about slave ownership into a white privilege debate is folly and likely to just muddy the waters.

I don't feel GUILTY about SLAVE OWNERSHIP, but that isn't the same thing as understanding what white privilege is, the forms it can take, how slavery and other legal subjugations helped create and support it, and recognizing that if there's something sensible to do about it in the short term, it should be examined for feasibility. We are bound by the Constitution to "form a more perfect union," in my book, and just because America's imperfect doesn't mean it isn't great. Just that it can be better. 

-> @Shila

That 3% of white Americans who owned slaves did not include the number of people the slaves had to serve which included the owners family, relatives, friends and neighbours.

More than half the souther states were Slave states. So the 3% is misleading.

let's look at some numbers

1860 Census

Families Owning Slaves (%)

Delaware 3%

Maryland 12%

Missouri 13%

Arkansas 20%

Kentucky 23%

Tennessee 25%

Virginia 26%

North Carolina 28%

Texas 28%

Louisiana 29%

Florida 34%

Alabama 35%

Georgia 37%

South Carolina 46%

Mississippi 49%

All but five of those states contained at least 25% of the families as slaveholders — some nearly double that. As pointed out by Jamelle Bouie and Rebecca Onion in a 2015 Slate article, these numbers are “roughly the same percentage of Americans who, today, hold a college degree.” [**]

SO, IF A RANDOM WHITE PERSON'S ANCESTORS WERE RAISED IN IDAHO, OR NEW YORK, OR WISCONSIN, HOW ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT ANY OF THIS ?

but what specific policy are you proposing

and how are people who are NOT descendants of slave-owners

supposed to "not feel attacked" when they keep hearing about "white privilege"

what does GDP have to do with how many individual humans are ruled by "white people" ?

--> @3RU7AL

but what specific policy are you proposing

I'm not proposing any policy. I'm just saying I've seen white privilege in action...like every time the shoplifter alarm goes off and a white person just keeps walking, while a POC has their bag checked prior to being waved through. That's a small example, not something to do with, say, the ability to borrow money or the 400 year head start on building of wealth and making of laws. 

and how are people who are NOT descendants of slave-owners

supposed to "not feel attacked" when they keep hearing about "white privilege"

I don't feel attacked at all when I hear about it. Why would I? I don't propagate it even if I recognize that I might have had some advantages because of it, unwittingly...like when I applied for a mortgage

Is that why you leave your personal information as unknown?

SO, IF A RANDOM WHITE PERSON'S ANCESTORS WERE RAISED IN IDAHO, OR NEW YORK, OR WISCONSIN, HOW ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT ANY OF THIS ?

They should feel guilty for going to war over slavery and killing slave states and putting it into history books that the non-slave owners have to accept collectively as American history of slavery.

Not to mention that information invites bias. 

but what specific policy are you proposing

I'm not proposing any policy ('cognizance' isn't exactly a policy). I'm just saying I've seen white privilege in action...like every time the shoplifter alarm goes off and a white person just keeps walking, while a POC has their bag checked prior to being waved through. That's a small example, not something to do with, say, the ability to borrow money or the 400 year head start on building of wealth and making of laws. 

but if you're not one of those people, you know, harassing people on your personal suspicions (based on skin-tone), the term "white privilege" seems to lump you in with the "racists" by default 

it shouldn't be considered a "privilege" to be treated like a citizen

and how are people who are NOT descendants of slave-owners

supposed to "not feel attacked" when they keep hearing about "white privilege"

I don't feel attacked at all when I hear about it. Why would I? I don't propagate it even if I recognize that I might have had some advantages because of it, unwittingly...like when I applied for a mortgage.  Seems to me pretending something doesn't exist isn't an expeditious path to resolving it. We have to recognize it as a problem that maybe NONE of us had anything personally to do with, but that doesn't mean it's not a problem. 

what does GDP have to do with how many individual humans are ruled by "white people" ?

I don't know, I didn't bring up GDP, I just pointed out comparing "Africa" to "USA" is not like to like. Continents =/= countries. 

I'm not proposing any policy ('cognizance' isn't exactly a policy).

ok, but don't you maybe think that some people might believe the only reason you're where you are now is because you had the "advantage" of "being white" ?

meanwhile, the descendants of the actual american plantation owners are currently in the oligarch class (and the poor are taking the heat for the crimes of their slave-owning-grandfathers)

if you were "in charge", what items do you think would help "'cognizance'" ?

ETA: "you're a racist" is not of a kind with "white privilege is real."

I guess if someone said "You're a racist" and I said "Why do you say that?" and their answer is "You rented this apartment easier than someone of color could have," I would point out that those are two VERY different things. Me having an easier time of renting an apartment might be the result of white privilege, but the person who rented it to me is the one you have a problem with (assuming the person has a problem with racism and isn't trying to get me to join their cool white hood club). Make sense?

and provide an alternative explanation of why exactly

everyone thinks general acceptance of "white privilege AS-A-MATTER-OF-FACT" is worth considering at all

I'm not a racist,

but you pretend that isn't the same as "being a racist"

--> @Shila

Is that why you leave your personal information as unknown?

There's nothing of any conversational value in anyone's personal information, mine especially, I figure if someone's interested they'll ask, if not it matters little to whatever subject is at hand. Not to mention that information invites bias. 

ok, but don't you maybe think that some people might believe the only reason you're where you are now is because you had the "advantage" of "being white" ?

So what? What difference does what one person thinks about what one other person has accomplished make to anyone but those two people (and very likely only ONE of those people even cares)?

but you pretend that isn't the same as "being a racist"

Is it, if I find out after the fact? I don't think so. Doesn't make me thrilled, but what can I do, I signed a legal document with no "promise you're not a racist" opt out clause.  Also in my example, it might not even be a conscious thing by the building owner...it might be that some realtor who isn't mine wouldn't show a black person my building.