White privilege... really? In schools??!

[stellenbosch]

To quote Bastille, 'the world's gone mad' ...

"Today 09:07 PatriarchyPersonified

Bertrand

Not on this thread no. But in some parts of society and politics?"

Oh well, that's not my experience so it's a bit hard for me to talk about.As I said, some actual examples would help.

I'm so disappointed that schools think it's right to make a poster into a negative - ffs people racism is wrong but people need to start educating using positive messages and positive reinforcement, being negative and putting people or races down only causes more resentment

Ok, so you think that relative advantage/disadvantage should be looked at in an holistic way, and we should work towards creating equality of opportunity for all, no matter their sex/race/etc, but you don't think that highlighting one of these aspects on a poster will assist with achieving equality of opportunity overall?

OP YADNBU.

What I dislike about this is that it seems as bough the message is you should feel guilty about being white

In my line of work now people who identify as diverse are openly being recruited over and above white people of the same qualifications. I have had two calls about jobs recently where the recruitment manager has asked me if I'm diverse as they want a diverse person in the role. (FYI someone's ethnicity would have no bearing on their ability to do the job.)

I am aware of course of prejudice against non white people, but blaming white people who have had no part in historical racism, and pushing forward non white people to readdress an historical injustice is only going to cause more problems.

IMO a better poster would explain "racism bad" not "white evil".

"being negative and putting people or races down only causes more resentment"

Why is it negative or putting people down to acknowledge that we live in an unfair society and we should be doing something about it? I know I am hugely privileged. So are my children-and I want them to know that. I don't want them to unhinkingly perpetuate it. And I want them to know that other people have it tougher than them.

Did someone really ringbyou up and ask if you were diverse?

I guess if you want more neo-nazis, this is a good way to do it...

"In my line of work now people who identify as diverse are openly being recruited over and above white people of the same qualifications"

Are you sure? Isn't this illegal? It's OK to automatically interview "diverse" people if they are under represented in your industry, but not to appoint on that basis, surely?

Not RTFT - but I think that being white, middle class and well educated certainly makes life a bit easier to navigate and gives me less barriers and more opportunities than people from different groups.

Bertrand there just seems to be a victim mindset at the moment where everyone feels sure that someone else has it so much better or easier. I don’t know if Social Media just exacerbates it but it reminds me of the line on here that gets trotted out regularly ‘it’s not a race to the bottom you know’.

I’m not knocking anyone’s right to feel disadvantaged but I’m not sure it’s useful to raise children and tell them they are somehow lacking. It feels to me that when I was being raised the rhetoric was all about being individual, loving who you are, accepting any physical flaws that others might react negatively to (a facial disfigurement for example) and being positive. Now it’s all about being angry, trying to change yourself when you’re disatisfied, suing people, blaming people. Being a victim and using that as an excuse to achieve bugger all.

I’Ve seen some powerful YouTube videos on privilege generally. I’m not sure if anyone’s seen the video where the sports coach lines all the children up and tells them to take a step forward if they are white, if they’re parents are still married..... I can’t rememver all the statements but you slowly see the laughter turn to tears as the kids at the back realise they’re stuck and the five or so kids at the front realise they’re hated. It’s just nasty nasty stuff and of course hugely counterproductive really as some kids will fight against it and many kids will think they can do no better and give up from the beginning.

I suppose some white people might not feel they have unfairly benefited, but that others have been unfairly disbenefited (not a word a guess) I cant quite work out if they are different things or not

Are you sure? Isn't this illegal? It's OK to automatically interview "diverse" people if they are under represented in your industry, but not to appoint on that basis, surely

I was under the impression that all things being equal, it's ok to appoint people who are under represented - such as people who are disabled - and be able to justify that on that reason.

(I could be wrong - but I have heard that)

White privilege is a thing, of course it is. I don’t need to be any other race to realise that there’s more opportunities for white people.

Being a victim and using that as an excuse to achieve bugger all

You've got to admit that people from certain backgrounds do have real disadvantages whereas other people do have things a lot easier.

People do judge and stereotype without seeing the individual. Generally people who have an issue witih privilege are the people who usually gain from it.

@BertrandRussell 100% hand on my heart yes. This kind of shit is actually going on.

@Stellenbosch - not coming back? I may be wrong but I reckon you are from my neck of the woods. If so, really? Really, really? You honestly don’t see the advantages afforded by our skin colour? You don’t remember the whites only buses? Our IDs which gave us the right to travel SA as a white person? Yip totally given to us by chance at birth. Just as there were millions disadvantaged through the genetics. Piss off.

No one is asking you to feel guilty or ashamed of being white but you do need to recognise it’s generally easier navigating through the world as a white person than a POC.
In the same as way that it’s generally easier to be a man than a woman.
That’s not to say that as white person your achievements and hard work mean nothing but a POC with the same background will probably have to work harder than you to get to the same place.
Fwiw im a white working class woman I’ve had hardships but no one has ever written me off professionally because I’m the wrong colour or nationality.

100% hand on my heart yes. This kind of shit is actually going on

Do you have an issue with people from under represented groups being given an advantage and appointed because - all things being equal - they are from a group which faces barriers?

There are all female shortlists for Parliament. Women are under represented in Parliament. Men tend to have less barriers to entering Parliament. Is that an issue?

I can only imagine how much worse my life would have been if my parents had raised me to believe that there was a bogeyman that seemed to stifle my development and progress at every turn, rather than the value of hard work and self resilience. We can talk about white privilege but it implies that all white people have the same privilege which isn't true of course, what would be a lot more beneficial is if we solved the issues in our own community's like the single motherhood rate (yes this is a problem created by men) and knife crime. The fact of the matter is if you are privileged if you happen to be a citizen in a first world country regardless of race.

Wasn’t their legislation brought in to encourage businesses to be more diverse? So I very much doubt there are doing anything legally wrong.

The police for example was a job where everyone used to be white and male. Then of course you could be female too. Then they realised that you couldn’t be seen to have a wholely white workforce that’s arresting lots of black folk. That just looks bad. So they went on a massive recruitment drive to recruit a more ethnically diverse workforce and white males are now pissed off that they can’t get into the police force and if you scratch the surface racism still exists there, it just looks more asthericslly pleasing now 🙄

Oh yes.

I'm privileged as hell in my shitty flat I can't afford to move out of, and haven't the space to extend my family. I'm privileged because I have been living week to week for years, because childcare cripples me on the weeks where school is closed !

White privilege my ass. There are people who are privileged and people who are not. The notion that my life is some how better, or my struggles are somehow less because I'm white.

Everyone has struggles and issues. Why make it a blanket race thing. I'm aware people with ethnic sounding names may struggle in the job market, that makes it easier for a person with a more common name to get employed and more like it but to say blanket all white people find life easier is crap.

In my industry when you apply for a job you have the option of filling in a diversity survey. If you don't fill it in more often than not (if they think you're worth interviewing) someone will call you up and ask if you're diverse. Often they only want a diverse person for the role.

There are also big recruitment drives where diverse people are invited to job open days and encouraged to apply for more senior roles and offered roles before they are advertised.

This is an open thing that's going on- no one is surprised it's happening. Many industries are now trying to have a more ethnically diverse work force.

“I’m not sure if anyone’s seen the video where the sports coach lines all the children up and tells them to take a step forward if they are white, if they’re parents are still married..... I can’t rememver all the statements but you slowly see the laughter turn to tears as the kids at the back realise they’re stuck and the five or so kids at the front realise they’re hated”

That’s a crap way of doing it if there is no other context- but it is impossible to deny that the kids in the front will be hugely privileged over the kids at the back.

*aesthetically

White privilege isn't something you can 'do on purpose. It is something which exists though. This poster is badly worded and is not going to help or promote change. I'm going to guess, without rttt it's probably annoyed a few people on here!