HOW am I privileged to be WHITE? My ancestors NEVER had privilige?

Question

Considered white in America and went through lots of discrimination. I am talking about Southern Italians here. We even were lynched by some groups in Louisiana..... We never had privilege. We were not considered white until the mid 20th century... and now whites get discriminated against. My people have been discriminated for being white and not white. How exactly do I have privilige here? Whites are made fun of on tv and by media and rapped against and all these anti white groups allowed to surface/ Meanwhile my ancestors never had anything good.

THAT IS SUCH BS. I SEE BLACK FACES EVERYWHERE ON TV AND WHITES ARE MADE FUN OF. I SEE ALL THIS FOOD FOR BLACKS AND ANGLO SAXONS BUT NOT ENOUGH OF MEDITTERANEAN ITALIAN FOOD

Answer 1

EVERY RACE GOES THOUGH SOME KIND OF DISCRIMINATION. NOT ONLY WHITES ARE MADE FUN OF ON TV. BLACKS ARE MADE FUN OF HOW THEY SUPPOSEDLY TALK "GHETTO", CUBANS SUPPOSEDLY ARE ALL REFUGEES THAT SWAM TO AMERICA. IRISH PEOPLE WHEN THEY FIRST CAME TO AMERICA THEY WERE LOOK DOWN UPON,AS WELL AS CHINESE,SPANISH,AFRICANS ,NATIVE AMERICANS,ETC. AND STILL DISCRIMINATION IS STILL GOING ON. I KNOW WHY YOU ARE ANGRY AND FEEL THE WAY YOU DO. I FEEL THE SAME WHEN I SEE MY RACE BEING DISCRIMINATED AGAINST EVEN BY THEIR OWN RACE, BUT EVERY RACE GO THROUGH THAT.IF YOU FEEL SO STRONGLY ABOUT IT DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT( IN A NON VIOLENT WAY)CALL AND COMPLAIN TO THE NETWORK IF YOU DON'T THINK THEY SHOULD SAY SOMETHING (GOING FOR ALL RACE) IF YOU DON'T SPEAK UP THEN DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT. AND IF YOU SEE ANOTHER RACE BEING DISCRIMINATED AND LAUGH AT THE JOKE OR DON'T SAY ANYTHING THEN YOU JUST AS WRONG AS THE PEOPLE THAT DISCRIMINATE YOUR RACE.OPEN YOUR EYES NOT ONLY SOUTHERN ITALIANS "WHITES" ARE DISCRIMINATED

Answer 2

Personally i think all races are privileged, evryone is worthy and lucky to here. But realistically, in todays time, having light colored skin, not neccisarily white is "privileged". Of course this depends on where you live. if you live in areas full of racist hispanics or blacks or what ever, then you might not be so lucky. What some people mean by privileged is that you are not looked at and immediatly thogught to be ghetto, ignorant, or what ever. Also, i have actually heard ppl complain that white ppl have "good hair" naturally, so this makes them lucky.(ok.......) And it seems that white people have the highest paying jobs and have to work to prove themselves worthy, but i dont know. But in any case, nowadays no race is safe from discrimination, I mean my freind from Peru said she didnt like Colombian people because they have lighter skin and speak spanish "funny." And i think i read something about how the irish were discriminated against in new york, and to me they look white. so my point is i guess if you consider not being harassed by the police, and having better jobs a privileged, then i guess thats where some people get the "white people are privileged" from. Ok like for example, i used to live in a rough neiborhood and it seemed that only whites were doing well, not stuggling, and owed the nice cars/houses or whatever. And i always heard the "white people are so lucky..." And think about this, if you moved into a neiborhood mostly white people, i doubt people would not invite you to the block party because you were southern italian. But if my family moved into the same neiborhood, we might not be recieved in such a positive way. (might, ppl are different everywhere you go...) so yeah, i hear you, and ppl just need to stop disciminating agaist ppl who are different (culture, religion, race, whatever). peace and love-chai

Answer 3

To answer your question it is important to look at the form in which those of your ancestry came to be considered "white". To oversimplify it, they did so by engaging in racist practices against other minority groups such as blacks. A good example of this is the irish participation in blackface comedy. I would suggest you read
Michael Omi & Howard Winant. 1986. "Racial Formation," from Racial Formation in the United States: from the 1960s to the 1990s. New York: Routledge, pp. 57-69.

Robert S. Chang. 1998. "Dreaming in Black and White: Racial-Sexual Policing in The Birth of a Nation, The Cheat, and Who Killed Vincent Chin?" Asian Law Journal 5: 41-61.

and

Ann Marie Nicolosi. 2001. “’We Do Not Want Our Girls to Marry Foreigners’: Gender, Race, and American Citizenship,” NWSA Journal 13(3): 1-21.

Answer 4

I'm getting tired of hearing all this BS about discrimination.In society today it's all a mind thing.Life is what you make of it.For example: take a good look at Micheal Jackson

Answer 5

This has little to do with "white privilege." All civilizations go through a rough four-hundred year cycle of vigor and optimism, followed by decadance and retreat.

Depending on where you start counting, American civilization is somewhere past the middle to the end of this cycle. We white folks are now unsure of ourselves, our accomplishments, and our role in the future.

In other words, no one is doing this to us. We see white male buffoons on television because we want to see ourselves that way. It makes sense to us.

We wish to be "the goat;" it's not so much to make up for the indignities and hardship we inflicted on other races, as it is to make ourselves feel better about our uncertainty now.

For myself I know that I wasn't able to be real with individuals of other races, until I came to terms with my own identity - including my whiteness.

I think this "groupness question" is something all Americans of good will have to deal with, sooner or later, about their identity as Americans.

We white folks have to deal with our own descent our own way, I think, and then we can get on preserving and bettering our country, along with everyone else of good will.

Answer 6

I've never heard of anyone getting lynched here in Louisiana, I live in the city of Lafayette. But you're right, black folks seem to be more priveleged than white people right now. They get jobs they don't seserve just so companies can meet AA standards, have big black ***** and seem to attract all the white girls around here, and take over all the sports like football and basketball. But I'm not scared.

Answer 7

Humans just hate it is part of our nature weather we are black white or purple it doesn't matter EVERY race hates another even if they look the same... guess what life isn't fair so stop bitching about reverse racism and MOVE ON WITH YOUR LIFE

Answer 8

You are 'privileged' only via your superior genetics. Blacks aren't capable, on the whole, of higher order learning and aren't adapted to living in complex, industrialized societies.

The media likes to cover up much of the negative facts regarding blacks, but reality doesn't change just because Ted Turner has an agenda to promote.

The mainstream media in the US, and the Democrat party as well, have an anti-white male agenda as we're a good enough scapegoat for those that aren't successful in society, so they pander to the other groups which will bring them more votes or consumer purchases.

Answer 9

Thats right.

And blacks want REPARTATION?

If we're privlidge then why are we called "poor white trash"? Isn't that the white version of being called a "******"? Both are insulting, both are considered to be the lowest social class possible, right?

Answer 10

Ummm...Six!
NO!....The answer to this question is Orange!
Yesh, Orange! Huuf Huuf Huuf Huuf, Gworsh!