Re: To add to the white priviledge and racism discussion.
“When people instantly jump to a white privilege argument without trying to understand the other person, it is just as racist. You are assuming that because the person is white they know nothing of the struggles that people of color may have.”
^^^^^
I really disagree with this and I’ll tell you why. No matter how much a white person may think they “understand” a person of color’s struggle in racial discrimination, they will NEVER know what’s it’s like because the system works in the white favor. It doesn’t matter if you were the only white person in your elementary and got bullied, the only white person in a predominantly people of color continent, that is NOT the same as the grim racism that people of color face on a daily basis. Your white skin redeems you and it does give you privileges around the world due to hundreds of years of colonizing. White people will never experience racism and I wish a lot of white people recognized that. It doesn’t matter if you’re a poor white person, rich white person, a white person that has lived in India their whole life, you have white privilege and until white people realize that AND help break down the system that perpetuates racism, racism will continue to get worse and people of color will continue to suffer.

oh, let me add to this discussion of racism. My ex is asian and is the most racist person I know!! He thinks his ethnicity gives him the right to insult and humiliate basically everyone that is not chinese. he even gets banned from a stupid computer game (league) regularly for writing obscene, racist comments to other people.

Did i mention he also identifies as sexist? Never mind that there are countless women in his classes that do better than him (he's dropped 3 classes so far). Race is not a factor in intelligence!!! There are many kinds of intelligence, and if he is intelligent it is maybe in one way, but his work ethic is terrible and he is not a good person! Do not listen to or believe racist people! It is a poor excuse to mask insecurity and incompetence.
Racism is not humorous and putting other people down makes you look incredibly insecure and stupid.

I am a petite asian female and I think that if i ever expanded from a 00 to a size 4 i would consider myself fat.

To add to the white privilege and racism discussion:

I agree - everyone is racist to an extent. It's because of the society that we have grown up in. Racial, sexual, and gender divides, all built into the structure of western society, are social poisons that stain children's minds. It takes countless generations for things to be wiped out - it can be done but in my opinion we will not see that in our lifetime.

As said, everyone is racist to some extent. Recognizing this and working to overcome it is how society can begin to move over. For example - I instantly assume that Hispanic people speak English as a second language or that they are poor. It's what my father raised me on, and it's part of what America's culture has created as a stereotype. But as soon as I have those thoughts, I cut myself off and remind myself how that is racist. I then make myself imagine a scenario in which the assumptions are proven wrong. Maybe a rich family from Chile moved here and raised a child in our school systems as a native English speaker. And every time that you practice this way of thinking it gets easier to see people AS people and not stereotypes.

Sure white privilege exists, but ignorance ignores our societal divides and can be seen in any race. When people instantly jump to a white privilege argument without trying to understand the other person, it is just as racist. You are assuming that because the person is white they know nothing of the struggles that people of color may have. I think most cases of "white privilege" are actually cases of misunderstanding by either party. Even in the worst case scenario, some white boy may actually just not realize that people struggle to adjust to a culture that is exclusive and prejudiced. That other cultures don't just easily mesh with ours. It is easy for some people who have easy lives to forget that. But you can't fault them for it or hate them for it - in these worst case scenarios, the best you can do is educate someone and show them the struggles that you have had and how much some people have to overcome to get to the same place in society that they were essentially born into.

All in all - don't be afraid of racist thoughts, confront them. Educate yourself and others on cultural differences and on cultural prejudices. And overall, be understanding and patient.

My butt is unnaturally hairy.

i work at DOTS and my heart has wilted to black tar

I found a rainbow/tie-dye key on the floor in between Commons and the Business School... Do anyone know who this belongs to?

To the girl in my sociology class who got pissed off this morning: Yeah the white boy said that everyone has a chance to overcome their obstacles and succeed in life, but who are we to blame because of how he thinks. It's called white privilege. He didn't mean that everyone has an EQUAL chance, just a chance to be educated, to go to school, and to be great. I agree he was DEADASS wrong to some extent, but you didn't have to tell him to go to hell and fuck off. You should have took a second to breathe and walked out the class quietly, and calling him a pussy ass nigga was just a bit too much. But I want to let you know that I understand; I feel you.


So here's my confession. Sometimes I don't think that white people understand where I'm coming from. It makes me mad. Every time white privilege and equal opportunity is discussed in a classroom, you immediately see the GREAT DIVIDE. The truth comes out from the shadows: we are not all equal. It's make me sad to face reality but we're not. Everyone has a little prejudice and racist thinking in them. I'll be damned if someone was to disagree with that. Society has embedded it in us.

But if we were to take the time to step out of OUR shoes into THE OTHER PERSON's shoes, the world would be a better place. On that note, love each other. If there is one thing we have in common: we are all on the UMD struggle bus. That common denominator should unite us all.