Are Whites Racially Oppressed?

[LuckyKBoxer]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/21/white.persecution/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

This popped up on my google page just now, I thought it was interested given some of the recent conversations around here.
I was reading through it and kind of shrugged some of it off as being alarmist, but some of it sure seems to be right on the money..
its often said that perception is reality, and if that large a percentage of people are seeing it is as a problem then maybe it is.

 

[CoryKS]

Sounds more like a journalist isolating one small aspect of the tea party movement, magnifying it until it appears to be their main purpose, and presenting it as the object of mockery that it clearly is. I believe the technical term is "strawman".

 

[bushidomartialarts]

• As of 2006, median income is nearly $20,000 higher for whites than blacks, and $12,000 higher than hispanics.
  
• In 2007, infant deaths per 1,000 births for blacks was 13.2. Whites at 5.6.
  
• Figures for imposition of the death penalty demonstrate that being black is more likely to net a convicted murderer capital punishment than murder during commission of another felony, or murder causing "great harm, fear or pain."
  
• Blacks are 17 percent less likely to graduate from college than whites with comparable high school performance as of 2000, despite widespread recruiting drives to enroll minority students.

So, um.....no. Whites are nowhere near being an oppressed minority in the US of A.

To be fair, all of the above statistics have improved markedly over the past 50 years. Whites may perceive this narrowing gap as a threat - and in some cases it might be a reasonable perception. However, no numbers support the idea that whites have anything other than privilege and hegemony in the US.

Doesn't make me ashamed of being white, nor will it make me hire a black person who's less qualified than a white candidate. But you won't catch me whining about how hard it is for us poor crackers now that we've lost our private drinking fountains.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Are Whites Racially Oppressed?

:hmm: hmmm...let me think

No

 

[LuckyKBoxer]

• As of 2006, median income is nearly $20,000 higher for whites than blacks, and $12,000 higher than hispanics.
  
• In 2007, infant deaths per 1,000 births for blacks was 13.2. Whites at 5.6.
  
• Figures for imposition of the death penalty demonstrate that being black is more likely to net a convicted murderer capital punishment than murder during commission of another felony, or murder causing "great harm, fear or pain."
  
• Blacks are 17 percent less likely to graduate from college than whites with comparable high school performance as of 2000, despite widespread recruiting drives to enroll minority students.

So, um.....no. Whites are nowhere near being an oppressed minority in the US of A.

To be fair, all of the above statistics have improved markedly over the past 50 years. Whites may perceive this narrowing gap as a threat - and in some cases it might be a reasonable perception. However, no numbers support the idea that whites have anything other than privilege and hegemony in the US.

Doesn't make me ashamed of being white, nor will it make me hire a black person who's less qualified than a white candidate. But you won't catch me whining about how hard it is for us poor crackers now that we've lost our private drinking fountains.

Like I said I dismissed alot of that article, but apparantly there are alot of people who feel that way... so you are discounting all those people as what? being crazy? or liars? or what?

also I look at the statistics you post and my first thought is that sucks.... my second thought is how are you tying those to racism? I look at it and think that there can several reasons as to why they are what they are, but racism doesnt pop into my mind.
I am curious how you arrive from point a(Racism) to point z(those statistics) any method to that madness? Or reasoning, or just saying because those statistics are not the same for all races that its because of racism?
I am not saying its not, I am saying I don't see it, and don't understand how you get from those statistics to racism...anyone?

 

[Xue Sheng]

Like I said I dismissed alot of that article, but apparantly there are alot of people who feel that way... so you are discounting all those people as what? being crazy? or liars? or what?

also I look at the statistics you post and my first thought is that sucks.... my second thought is how are you tying those to racism? I look at it and think that there can several reasons as to why they are what they are, but racism doesnt pop into my mind.
I am curious how you arrive from point a(Racism) to point z(those statistics) any method to that madness? Or reasoning, or just saying because those statistics are not the same for all races that its because of racism?
I am not saying its not, I am saying I don't see it, and don't understand how you get from those statistics to racism...anyone?

Taking a similar line

Define "a lot"

There are roughly 230 million people listed as ethnically White in the United States what percentage means a lot?

44% of Americans surveyed
61% of those identifying with the Tea Party
56% of Republicans
57% of white evangelicals.

Does not tell me anything

How many were in the “Group Surveyed” 10, 50, 100, 1000, 1000000?

I didn't get surveyed so it is not 230 million

Numbers and Statistics can teach you a lot but they are absolutely meaningless without the data and formulas used to get to those numbers and statistics

Right at this very moment 100% of the people that read this post think it is spot on.... of course as soon as I actually post it those figures will change.... but statistically, at this moment... I have a 100% approval rating

 

[LuckyKBoxer]

Taking a similar line

Define "a lot"

There are roughly 230 million people listed as ethnically White in the United States what percentage means a lot?



Does not tell me anything

How many were in the “Group Surveyed” 10, 50, 100, 1000, 1000000?

I didn't get surveyed so it is not 230 million

Numbers and Statistics can teach you a lot but they are absolutely meaningless without the data and formulas used to get to those numbers and statistics

Right at this very moment 100% of the people that read this post think it is spot on.... of course as soon as I actually post it those figures will change.... but statistically, at this moment... I have a 100% approval rating

I agree completely about statistics...
I never said I agree with the article in absolute.
It still doesnt answer my question to you on how you get racism from the statistics you pointed out... I am not even asking you to verify them, I am going to assume they are true statistics, and I am curious how you came to the conclusion that they are a result of racism.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Whites whom feel oppressed are usually the very poor. If you could measure this stuff they are the most racist as well. This stems from a victim mentality and, of course, a person on the constant defensive is going to believe he or she is somehow a victim of discrimination. It almost goes without saying.
Sean

 

[granfire]

Whites whom feel oppressed are usually the very poor. If you could measure this stuff they are the most racist as well. This stems from a victim mentality and, of course, a person on the constant defensive is going to believe he or she is somehow a victim of discrimination. It almost goes without saying.
Sean

Well, I have seen the 'us vs them' and I can see why.

 

[bushidomartialarts]

The roots of those statistics are inextricably linked with racism...from lack of opportunity for multiple generations of blacks, or disproportionate opportunity for generations of whites.

I agree that institutionalized racism (such as Jim Crow) is mostly a thing of the past. A black college graduate has the same opportunities as a white college graduate (unless he wants to work for the Aryan nation, or something equally goofy).

However, your parents' situation is still the number one determinant in the US as to how your own life will go. My great great grandpa had options that are partially responsible for the quality of my life - options his black contemporaries lacked. The....let's call it an "economic hangover" from institutionalized racism will be with us for a while yet.

To your point, though, the improvement in the disparity between races is prima facia evidence that racism against minorities is deteriorating, or entirely gone.

To your initial point, the numbers also demonstrate clearly that whites are at no disadvantage due to their race - and in no danger of suffering one any time soon.

 

[CoryKS]

To be fair, all of the above statistics have improved markedly over the past 50 years. Whites may perceive this narrowing gap as a threat - and in some cases it might be a reasonable perception. However, no numbers support the idea that whites have anything other than privilege and hegemony in the US.

It would depend on the manner in which the gap has been made to narrow. If the narrowed gap is the result of greater opportunities for advancement among non-white groups, then no - there is no oppression. If, however, the gap has been narrowed by reducing opportunities among white groups, then there may be cause for concern.

It's all irrelevant, though, because the purpose of the article wasn't to bring attention to any perceived "oppression", it was to induce this sort of reaction:

But you won't catch me whining about how hard it is for us poor crackers now that we've lost our private drinking fountains.

Because now we can just assume that the whole movement is composed of whiny, privileged crybabies and we can point and laugh at them rather than address their actual concerns.

 

[KELLYG]

Touch Of Death writes"Whites whom feel oppressed are usually the very poor. If you could measure this stuff they are the most racist as well. This stems from a victim mentality and, of course, a person on the constant defensive is going to believe he or she is somehow a victim of discrimination. It almost goes without saying."

If you change the one word in TOD comment, from Whites to Blacks it totally changes ones perception of it's intent. This statement if it was directed this way would entice people to believe it is a raciest remark. However since it was originally written with the word White in it, I do not feel that it will be received the same way.

Until this statement can be written both ways with out stepping on any ones toes then both sides are oppressed.!!!

 

[bushidomartialarts]

Fair points, Cory

For the most part, the improved position of blacks is due to raising the black bar, rather than lowering the white bar.

• The improvements in infant mortality rates did not come at the cost of more dead white babies, nor has the reduction in execution for "murder while black" come with a corresponding increase in white executions.
  
• The median income is a bit more complex. Affirmative action - especially during the 80s - did result in some lost white jobs. However, white median income from 1975 to 2006 has grown faster than black median income. Just not as much faster as it did before.
  
• College graduation rates are such a muddled bunch of crap data that I can't say for certain what's going on. :mst:

In terms of silliness...you're right to call me out on the mocking tone. The debate isn't silly. It is, however, mostly a cynical manipulation of working- and middle- class whites by people who know what the numbers actually say.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I agree completely about statistics...
I never said I agree with the article in absolute.
It still doesnt answer my question to you on how you get racism from the statistics you pointed out... I am not even asking you to verify them, I am going to assume they are true statistics, and I am curious how you came to the conclusion that they are a result of racism.

First the question was not to me it was to bushidomartialarts

Second I did not post any statistics

All I said originally was "no"

Read who the responses are from

I just pointed out that the terminology "A lot"

there are alot of people who feel that way

that you used means nothing

 

[Blade96]

Whites can be racially oppressed and discriminated against

My good friend (white) was virtually disowned by her inlaws because she is not Chinese.

 

[Blindside]

Whites can be racially oppressed and discriminated against

My good friend (white) was virtually disowned by her inlaws because she is not Chinese.

Good example of discrimation, bad example of oppression.

 

[billc]

I just have to say that the article is from CNN. People talk badly about Fox news but the reality is CNN is what they think Fox news is. The article is an attempt to portray the tea party an conservatives as frustrated people who are beginning to turn to racism, if they weren't already there. This tactic has already been seen here on the threads where we discussed the acusations that the tea party groups are really racists. For example from the article:

• Conservative news outlets ran a number of stories last summer highlighting an incident from the 2008 elections, in which activists from the New Black Panther Party appeared to be intimidating voters at a polling place. Those claims were never proven.

Here is the voter intiimidation video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neGbKHyGuHU&feature=pyv&ad=3265020430&kw=black panthers election

The claims actually were proven, the Black Panther Party was judged guilty(farther down it is more accurate to say that the black panthers, by not appearing, the justice department won the case by default,) but the Holder Justice department dropped the case against them. By saying the claims were never proven they are trying to say that tea party/conservatives, were delusional. In fact, several members of the justice department testified before congress about the new policy of not enforcing the law if the defendants were minorities and the victims were white.

Holder just testified about this in congress where he made a stupid statement.

Here is an aricle by John Fund, on the dropping of the case before summary judgement happened.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203550604574361071968458430.html

When none of the defendants filed any response to the complaint or appeared in federal district court in Philadelphia to answer the suit, it appeared almost certain Justice would have prevailed by default. Instead, the department in May suddenly allowed the party and two of the three defendants to walk away. Against the third defendant, Minister King Samir Shabazz, it sought only an injunction barring him from displaying a weapon within 100 feet of a Philadelphia polling place for the next three years—action that's already illegal under existing law.

There was outrage over the decision among Congressional Republicans, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division—especially after it was learned one of the defendants who walked was Jerry Jackson, a member of Philadelphia's 14th Ward Democratic Committee and a credentialed poll watcher for the Democratic Party last Election Day.
Then the Washington Times reported on July 30 that six career lawyers at Justice who had recommended continuing to pursue the case were overruled by Associate Attorney General Thomas Perrelli—a top administration political appointee. One of the career attorneys, Appellate Chief Diana Flynn, had urged in an internal memo that a judgment be pressed against the defendants to "prevent the paramilitary style intimidation of voters" in the future.

More from michelle malkin:
http://michellemalkin.com/2009/05/2...ice-department-protecting-new-black-panthers/

"According to a legal source familiar with DOJ procedures, dismissing a lawsuit won by default is unheard of."

"he Bush DOJ filed suit against Malik Shabazz and two of the local NBPP radicals who were on site — one with a billy club. None of them filed an answer to the lawsuit, putting them all into default. I am told this is the easiest way to win a lawsuit. But instead of taking the default judgment that DOJ is entitled to against all of the defendants, the department last week dismissed the lawsuit against two out of the three defendants. As Election Journal (which broke the story with exclusive video of the intimidation) notes, one of the individual defendants who was dismissed, Jerry Jackson, “is an elected member of the Philadelphia Democratic Committee and was a credentialed poll watcher.”

This article is everything that the left accuses Fox news of being.

 

[billc]

Since CNN is part of this post, here is another, Americans are racist paranoid articles about how Americans don't understand Islam, and are therefore simply ignorant racists.

http://bigjournalism.com/awrhawkins...-america-youre-scared-because-youre-ignorant/

From the article:

(Don’t you love it when CNN, or any other MSM outlet, begins a story on the relationship between Americans and Muslims by focusing on how ignorant the Americans are?)
In addition mocking Americans’ supposed lack of knowledge pertaining to Islam, the Lemon/Basir segment highlighted the need for tolerance in religion. Not surprisingly, they focused on a lack of tolerance in the U.S. without ever mentioning the modesty police in Muslim countries like Iran: modesty police publicly flog women for wearing skirts that are too short or clothes that are too revealing. Nor did they mention the fact that it’s still illegal to build a Christian church in Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia (where it’s also against the law for women to drive cars). And the list goes on …
CNN is bad enough by itself. But when you couple CNN with that haughty attitude so prevalent in liberal Hollywood circles today, it’s simply unbearable.

 

[Blade96]

Good example of discrimation, bad example of oppression.

D'oh.

 

[granfire]

But I am going to play devil's advocate here for a second:

You won't find a black person getting canned for racial remarks...
But you find a lot of white folks in hot water for use of verbage deemed offensive, even if the word does not mean what the listener thinks it does....