this post was submitted on 09 Dec 2023
16 points (100.0% liked)

Feminism

1867 readers
5 users here now

Feminism, women's rights, bodily autonomy, and other issues of this nature. Trans and sex worker inclusive.

See also this community's sister subs LGBTQ+, Neurodivergence, Disability, and POC

Also check out our sister community on lemmy:


This community's icon was made by Aaron Schneider, under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Students were required to address ‘whiteness’ and describe what the term ‘white’ means, as well as explain how they ‘navigate race’ in their daily lives.

all 26 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Vodulas@beehaw.org 37 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Wow, what a garbage article. Surprise surprise it's origin was Fox News. The amount of sarcasm quotes is kind of impressive, though.

Gods forbid you have to take a look at your privileges then unpack what that means. Oh, and then you have to try and empathize with people that don't have those same privileges. Scandalous.

[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 11 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Not that having privilege personally is a bad thing either. It's just opening you up to it, being aware of it. It also doesn't diminish other negative things you went through.

I'm a white male. I probably have gotten jobs that were helped by that fact. I also grew up dirt poor only affording ramen and rice. One does not cancel the other out, it just adds to who I am.

However now being aware of it I want to move into a position where I can help change things, where I can help hire people not based on their skin color or sex

[–] Vodulas@beehaw.org 10 points 11 months ago

Exactly. Right wingers are so afraid of admitting they have any privilege. Like, it doesn't make you a bad person inherently

[–] snooggums@kbin.social 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I also grew up dirt poor only affording ramen and rice.

If nothing else, we can acknowledge that choosing to eat Ramen and rice now is not the outcome for a lot of people who tried just as hard as we did to move up the economic ladder. They are often still stuck in the same position because of things outside their control.

[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 5 points 11 months ago

tried just as hard as we did to move up the economic ladder

Topple the ladder.

The ladder is bad, no matter where you are on it, or how hard you try to move up.

[–] roastedDeflator@kbin.social 7 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

Wow, what a garbage article. Surprise surprise it’s origin was Fox News. The amount of sarcasm quotes is kind of impressive, though.

I totally agree about what you say on fox news. I would honestly like to ask you something. Since I am not a native english speaker I am afraid that I must have missed the amount of sarcasm you mention. Would you mind pointing out a few examples so that I have a compass for the future. And I will delete it afterwards.

[edit: I was looking for a better article on the topic but I didn't find one yet. If anyone has something in mind, please add a comment and I will edit the post and add this link, instead of deleting it as mentioned above]

[–] Cagi@lemmy.ca 12 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Any single word in quotation marks. Reread sentences with any single word in quotes as if some conservative know-it-all is rolling their eyes and scoffing at these quoted terms. Putting them in quotes quarantines them from having to be taken seriously and is setting them up for criticism. If they didn't use quotes for terms they didn't like, they might be accused of being complicit in the "woke mind virus" that has stupid people so terrified.

[–] roastedDeflator@kbin.social 8 points 11 months ago

Got it, thank you so much.

[–] Vodulas@beehaw.org 9 points 11 months ago

Looks like some gave you a good explanation. For the record, it didn't seem like you posted it in bad faith, just that the writer clearly had an agenda. You probably can't find any other articles mentioning it because it really isn't much of a story, even though it is cool. The right wing is just trying to rile up their base

[–] millie@beehaw.org 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

So we're just posting Fox News articles on Beehaw now, huh?

[–] Vodulas@beehaw.org 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The article is terrible, but OP clarified that English is not their first language and they did not catch the BS it conveyed.

[–] millie@beehaw.org 4 points 11 months ago

I feel like that's not a good reason to leave it up.

[–] Kwakigra@beehaw.org 8 points 11 months ago

I think this is the perfect kind of class for undergraduates attending American Universities. A class which directly challenges students' pre-existing biases and lays out contemporary arguments so that the class can have a shared understanding of what they're discussing whether they are supportive or opposed to those arguments. I was challenged like this when I was in college outside of class and having to directly consider these ideas among people I really repected helped me immensely in my understanding of American culture dynamics and ability to use reason when facing difficult claims.

[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 5 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I navigate my "whiteness" by covering it in clothes... then getting treated dismissively by doctors because I "have plenty of resources", "have your family help you", "just change your whole life or you'll be dead in 5 years", and "have you already stopped with those silly ideas?".

Thanks for the privilege, by the way.

[–] FZDC@beehaw.org 12 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I'm healthy, fit, educated, and kinda rich. I'm also a man.

Do you believe those circumstances grant me with privilege?

The answer is obviously yes, so I'll acknowledge it, rather than try to change the subject to ways in which I'm not privileged. Bringing up ways that white people may not be so privileged doesn't actually address whiteness as privilege.

And privilege isn't even something to feel guilty about. It's just worth acknowledging in a "know thyself" kind of way.

[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Bringing up ways that white people may not be so privileged doesn't actually address whiteness as privilege.

What about ways in which "being privileged", turns out to actually be a hindrance?

I used to be a healthy, fit, educated, not poor, not homeless, white, tall, man, blonde, with blue eyes... oh, and high IQ.

Wait, did I just describe the Aryan ideal? Ultra-privileged, right?

What pisses me off, is that after being aware of those privileges from relatively early, and being really careful to never abuse any of them, when it turns out that I need help, instead I get my privileges thrown in my face.

It's not a privilege to get mocked and laughed off by doctors, to get failed by teachers, to get your work destroyed, to not get believed about family problems, all because "you're privileged".

Heck, I once almost got run over by a car, because I nodded at a black girl to let her pass first, and she went off her way to hit me with the stroller with her baby inside, pushing me off the curb into traffic. Like, seriously?

So what, did I live my life wrong? Should have joined some neo-Nazi group? Should have used my privileges to abuse and scam everyone left and right? Should have kicked the baby...? The fuck.

[–] roastedDeflator@kbin.social 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Do take a look at the following video. You will find answers, if that's what you are looking for.

How to recognize your white privilege — and use it to fight inequality [18:26]

[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

That seems to say you should use all your privileges all you can, "but for the good"... while trying not to use them, striving for actual meritocracy, is the wrong way?

Yeah, in retrospect those might be wise words, in a "when among wolves, bite first then be good later" sense, but I find it kind of shitty as a goal for society. Oh well.

[–] roastedDeflator@kbin.social 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

You are talking about the introductory text of the video. If you read it once more, you will see that what you mention in your comment is not relevant. Anyways, the important stuff are in the video.

I suggested the Ted talk because one can see her process, since she came to these conclusions thanks to self-reflection and thoughtfulness.

If you prefer reading, here is the text:
White privilege: unpacking the invisible knapsack - Peggy McIntosh