Dear White People...

White Privilege

I wrote a note on this a while ago  but now it's being more heavily discussed. ... so here I am revisiting.

If you don't want to/have the time to read - scroll to the links at the bottom and start clicking on videos. 

If you have questions, want clarification, disagree with something, agree with something, find something interesting, let me know, and share with folks.

This is only a blip into the world of race relations. I wish I had the time, energy, and resources to give you much more. If you care you can research on your own, and feel free to post more links in the comments.

Some important issues and common views won't be addressed here like:
Shadeism,
Colorism,
The Reason Hannah Blames Reagan for all of this,
The dichotomies and complexities of applying these things to Hispanic/Latin-Americans
(i.e. Dasi Arnaz [Ricky Riccardo] was Hispanic, as was Carlton from Fresh Prince -Yet color/white privilege still exists for Dasi),
Same with other people of color,
Asian Assimilation,
Gender Biases,
Assumed Sexual Orientation biases
as 'feminine' gay men are brutally beaten DAILY,
'Anti-Racism is really Anti-White',
'White Genocide in America'
etc etc.

But these are all things you can discuss, look up on your own, or talk to me about -- and I'm sure that as you research you'll find some fascinating concepts.

Disclaimer:*One cannot know what one does not know. I'm not claiming to be an expert on anything. These are part my opinion, part researched fact, and part (likely very biased) information to help you draw your own conclusions. Please utilize your own brain. Seriously. I'm not the authority on any of this, I just have strong beliefs on this issue, and with recent discussion, I thought I'd bring it to the table.

Below is a copied a blog post of mine copied and pasted. Enjoy:
___

Tons of people still don't fully understand this concept or it's impact, or the way it manifests itself.I'm not upset about that: We are taught to ignore, accept, and - more importantly - to not even recognize white privilege.
And (just my opinion) White Privilege in itself is not the issue of concern. The concern is white folks using white privilege as a weapon to oppress, rather than a tool to assist those who are without that privilege.

Even if a white person, gets an Africa tattoo, joins the black 'conscious' community, marries a black person, and has multiple children they raise to think and believe that same things, the privilege of melanin deficiency still exists.

Anyway, I thought I'd list some resources to help folks understand more. PLEASE feel free to ahare and add videos & links (to articles maybe?) & memes or whatever that may help better explain white privilege and what it is.

• Un-Fair Campaign
• "Dear Trayvon's Mom" A white woman's realization
• Race: The Power of Illusion

• Race Relations (Corrie BradShaw Article)  
• Race Relations (Glennon Melton Article)
• Hipster Racism

And here are some videos(but I encourage you to both watch AND view the YT comments):

• "What is White Privilege"
• Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
• Explaining the "double standard" (in media)
• Tim Wise & the Pathology of White Privilege
•  White People - You are NOT Trayvon Martin

"Realizing that you more closely resemble a homicidal oppressive force 

than a helpless victim is a really uncomfortable thing to do. 

I know... 

Real change is effected when we own up to our actions, our privilege, 

and our complicity with the system that murdered Trayvon and countless others. 

Us privileged activists have to realize just how easy it is to be Zimmerman, and work to change this. Subvert stereotypes....

Use your privilege to actively dismantle this messed up system. 

Listen to marginalized people

...and ensure them access to the discourse. "

Perceptions of Beauty

Conscious Behavior

“Another example at the international level of how skillfully they use this trickery was in the Congo. In the Congo, airplanes were dropping bombs on African villages. African villages don’t have a defense against bombs. And the pilot can’t tell who the bomb is being dropped upon. When a bomb hits a village, everything goes. And these pilots, flying planes filled with bombs, dropping these bombs on African villages, were destroying women, were destroying children, were destroying babies. You never heard any outcry over here about that.

And it had started way back in June. They would drop bombs on African villages that would blow that village apart and everything in it — man, woman, child, and baby. No outcry, no sympathy, no support, no concern, because the press didn’t project it in such a way that it would be designed to get your sympathy. They know how to put something so that you’ll sympathize with it, and they know how to put it so you’ll be against it. I’m telling you, they are masters at it. And if you don’t develop the analytical ability to read between the lines in what they’re saying, I’m telling you again — they’ll be building gas ovens, and before you wake up you’ll be in one of them, just like the Jews ended up in gas ovens over there in Germany. You’re in a society that’s just as capable of building gas ovens for Black people as Hitler’s society was.

This was mass murder in the Congo, of women and children and babies. But there was no outcry even from the white liberals, even from your “friends.” Why? Because they made it appear that it was a humanitarian project. They said that the planes were being flown by “American-trained anti-Castro Cuban pilots.” This is propaganda, too. Soon as you hear that it’s American-trained, you say, “Oh that’s all right, that’s us.” And the anti-Castro Cubans, “Oh that’s all right too, ‘cause if they’re against Castro, whoever else they’re against that’s good, ‘cause Castro is a monster.” But you see how step-by-step they grab your mind?

And these pilots are hired, their salaries are paid by the United States government. They’re called mercenaries, these pilots are. And a mercenary is not someone who kills you because he’s patriotic. He kills you for blood money, he’s a hired killer. This is what a mercenary means. And they’re able to take these hired killers, put them in American planes, with American bombs, and drop them on African villages, blowing to bits Black men, Black women, Black children, Black babies, and you Black people sitting over here cool like it doesn’t even involve you. You’re a fool. They’ll do it to them today, and do it to you tomorrow. Because you and I and they are all the same.

They call it a humanitarian project and that they’re doing it in the name of freedom. And all of this, these glorious terms, are used to pave the way in your mind for what they’re going to do.

Then they take Tshombe. You’ve heard of Tshombe. He’s the worst African that was ever born. The lowest type that was ever born. He’s a murderer himself. He’s the murderer of Lumumba, the former prime minister of — the first and only rightful prime minister of the Congo. He’s an international — he’s a murderer with an international stature as a murderer. Yet the United States government went and got Tshombe in Spain, and put him as the head of the Congolese government. This is criminal! Here’s a man who’s a murderer, so the United States takes him, puts him over the Congo, and supports his government with your tax dollars. Now — they hired him to occupy the position as head of state over the Congo — a killer! He is a hired killer himself! His salary’s paid by the United States government. And he turns — his first move is to bring in South Africans, who hate everything in sight. He hires those South Africans to come and kill his own Congolese people. And the United States, again, pays their salary.

You know, it’s something to think about. How do you think you would feel right now if some Congolese brothers walked up to you — and they look just like you, don’t think you don’t look Congolese. You look as much Congolese as a Congolese does. They got all kinds of Congolese over there. How would you feel if one of them walked up to you and asked you about what your government is doing in the Congo. I was asked that when I was over there. But they don’t have to come to me like that, ‘cause they know where I stand automatically. And for one time I’m thankful to the press, for letting everybody know where I stand. They — but you have no explanation. Your tongue stays in your mouth. And then you have to become — you have to go to the extreme to convince them that you don’t go along with what the United States government is doing in the Congo.
And they justify the usage of Tshombe as the present head of state by saying that he’s the only African who can unite — or bring unity to the Congo. Has he brought unity to the Congo? But, see, this is their game! And their real reason for wanting Tshombe there was so that Tshombe could invite them to come in. Now, what African head of state would have dared to invite outside powers? So they put Tshombe there, and as soon as Tshombe got there he invited them to bring paratroopers from Belgium in the United States’ transport planes to try and recapture Congo.

This is all a cold-blooded act on the part of your Western powers, namely the Western powers here in the United States — interests in the United States, in England, and France, and Belgium and so forth. They want the wealth of the Congo, plus its strategic geographic position.

The step-by-step process that was used by the press: First they fanned the flame in such a manner to create hysteria in the mind of the public. And then they shift gears and fan the flame in a manner designed to get the sympathy of the public. And once they go from hysteria to sympathy, their next step is to get the public to support them in whatever act they’re getting ready to go down with. You’re dealing with a cold calculating international machine, that’s so criminal in its objectives and motives that it has the seeds of its own destruction, right within. They use the press to emphasize that white hostages are being held by [inaudible] — imagine that — or white priests, white missionaries, white nuns — they don’t say nuns: white nuns. You know what the paper said right here in Detroit: white missionaries, not just a missionary; a white nun — as if there’s a difference between a white nun and a black nun; or a white priest and a black priest; or if the light that’s in a white skin is more valuable than a light within a black skin. This is what they’re implying! And the press — look at the press when this thing was going on — and you will see what I’m talking about. They’re vicious in their whiteness.
But still, I wouldn’t judge them just ‘cause they’re white, or they’d call me a racist. [I’m] judging by their deeds, by their conscious behavior — and you know how they’ve been consciously behaving in the Congo, and how they consciously behave in Vietnam, and how they consciously behave right now in Alabama and Mississippi. So you and I got to get conscious, and start behaving in a way that we can offset this thing before it’s too late — and this is what they don’t want to hear.”

| Malcolm X (February 14th, 1965 in Detroit)

What Capitalism Looks Like

And every time I realize that I'm living in a society that consciously chooses to live this way, and fights wars to ensure others follow suit, I feel this deep twinge of sorrow.

I shouldn't be here

I don't believe in any of these things.

I feel as though I have the best of intentions - and I try not to promote harmful attitudes or behavior.

but here I am typing on a mac and tweeting

I try to spread the message - and I'm certainly not materialistic

but I just feel so guilty.

For now: I'm collecting the information and sharpening the skills necessary to attempt to fix this. But before I can do anything, there has to be a major shift in mentality.

Can we do that?

Can you help me?

Too Soon?

If you are looking...

"I have some bad news and some good news.
The bad news is - there is no key to the Universe.
The good news is - it was never locked."

- Swami Beyondananda