Yeah and i said racism is a problem, I agree, never said it wasn’t. I was more having go at the stupid white privilege crap that gets bandied around as though being white gave me everything. It didn’t and it hasn’t for a very large amount of whites. It probably does for some but labelling all of something is really the same thing as what we are being accused of. It isn’t helpful and it isn’t fully correct and it further drvies wedges that are not helpful for resolving issues.
Discrimination happens to quite a lot of people. The amount of people who don’t get jobs simply because they have tatts (although that’s at last dropping), or because of a hair cut or clothing choices, or because of a criminal past.
It is worse for those that are Indigenous in Aus and that needs to be dealt with strongly imo.
It’s not about the things you could have had. It’s about the struggles you didn’t have to go through at any stage.
For instance you got a pretty good education that you (personally) didn’t have to pay for. That’s a fairly decent head start over about 90% of humans born around the same time you were.
Just becuase doors didn’t open for you being white doesn’t mean your not privileged. Doors were t slammed shut in your face for being brown,female or gay.
My initial thoughts were that people would find this racist.
Having read now about how they were similarly historically portrayed in the US in similar ways which were openly racist I cringe that the Herald Sun let it go to print.
Whether Knight did it intentionally or not only he knows. Id be shocked if he didn’t know the history being in the profession he is.
Exactly.
Privilege is a really unfortunate word to label what people are talking about, because it makes people think about wealth and things being gifted to them, so a lot of people react to it with ‘well, that’s not me. I wasn’t born rich. I’ve struggled. I’ve worked for what I have.’
So of course people are going to bridle against it.
It’s why people get upset about ‘I don’t see colour.’
Their point of view is that you’d better damn well see colour.
They’re not blaming you for their circumstances, but they are asking you to acknowledge them.
Things like, the petty cash is short. And no-one’s saying anything, but we all know the black guy probably took it.
Things like this, that white people dont see and have never had to deal with…that’s what they’re talking about.
it’s not really true to say all australians have the same opportunities.
There’s groups within australia with horrendously worse results in just about every measurable outcome- life expectancy, healthcare, education, earnings, etc etc.
That’s not really how privilege works.
She grew up in a shithole. Her talent and ability and hard work (and that of her sister and old man) got her out of there.
That’s not privilege.
Privilege is never having had to live somewhere like that in the first place.
It covers a lot of things.
It’s often misused.
And it’s very vague, especially when it comes to having a voice.
Oprah. Black, I’m gonna just assume poor background, abused as a child, prooooobably gay, think she lost a job for being black early on…more money than God and one of the most influential people on the planet.
Do I need to check my privilege when we’re talking about Oprah?
Not sure I do.
Just had an argument on Twitter with a woman regarding Ash Barty saying that they cut short the presentation of the women’s doubles title that she won so that they could start preparation for the Men’s Singles Final. Again this was used as a sexist argument/ example, however I responded that it wasn’t sexist, simply that nobody gives a ■■■■ about doubles tennis. Again the “privileged white male” line got used. Clearly I should refrain from ever voicing my opinion and just be greatful of what an affluent life I had growing up in Chirnside Park in a working class family, whose parents worked ■■■■■■ hard to put my brother and I through school, put food on the table and make ends meet.
I think there does come a point, but since she was reduced to a race rather than a person in a publication with a pretty large readership, it would seem that even she hasn’t reached it.