Comments on: Privilege: It’s Not Just for White Folks

By: Magna

Magna — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 10:52:14 +0000

Anon = troll

By: PharaohessFearless

PharaohessFearless — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 22:17:13 +0000

Thank you, Clutch.

By: Vina_Apsara

Vina_Apsara — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 14:38:07 +0000

It’s important to realize that everyone is privileged depending on the scope and criteria of the situation. You can be black and middle- to upper-class, and you are economically privileged over poor blacks. You can be black and straight, and you are privileged over gay, lesbian and transgendered blacks. It’s all relative. In the family context, if you grew up with both your parents around, statistics show you were at an advantage, less at risk for juvenile delinquency, dropping out of school or teenage pregnancy. The article’s point is totally valid.

By: Vina Apsara

Vina Apsara — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 12:46:44 +0000

This goes down in my family. My younger sister is from my mom’s second marriage to a drug addict she thought she could reform. During the time in her life where she thought love and domestic responsibility could turn this guy around, my brother and I were left with our grandparents in another state, and we turned out benefitting greatly from it because they could afford to provide a life for us in the suburbs and send us to private schools. In the years since my mom and sister have suffered domestic violence, been homeless, and have faceddaily hardships as a result of my mom’s bad decisions. Because she thinks my sister has been through enough, she doesn’t discipline her or obligate her to do any chores or work. My sister thinks she is genetically inferior to
her older siblings because of who her dad was, but I think her shortcomings are a result of bad parenting and can be overcome as she matures.

By: Anon

Anon — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 17:47:38 +0000

Someone made a great point (from another site that featured this article):

“The problem with these kinds of articles is that they tend to fundamentally ignore how privilege pertains to class, wealth, and access to power structures. Moreover they tend to ignore that not all power is hierarchal and that a significant amount of power relationships depend on heterarchy and contextual power relationships. What that means is that not all power is arranged according to a top-bottom hierarchy, but varies depending on context, circumstances, networks, and relationships. In terms of white privilege, for example, not all white people have access to power structures as a result of being lower class and not having wealth; while some black people have wealth, are of a higher class, and have access. Hence, white privilege is perhaps better called “green” or “class” privilege. The reason it appears “white” of course has to do with who historically has occupied the upper classes in this country, but what we’re really looking at, then, is class and how that is determined in our society (primarily wealth). Now the same can be said for gender, or familial hierarchies as well.

The point being…..we have to think more objectively about power and how it manifests in our society to create privileges for some and disadvantages for others. “

-2

By: Jinx Moneypenny

Jinx Moneypenny — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 06:41:42 +0000

Honestly, when I see people use it, it’s usually to put emphasis on the fact that they don’t share the same set of parents. Of course it depends on the kind of relationship you have with said siblings but for me personally I never have and never will call my brother my half-brother. Being raised together has everything to do with it as well. I can understand how it’s not the same for you.

By: Socially Maladjusted

Socially Maladjusted — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:16:53 +0000

But what Jones said in her reading was key: It isn’t the privilege or how we obtain it that matters as much as what we choose to do with it.

What an absolute load of rubbish.

Jones is dangerous fool and anyone who agrees with her lunacy is a dangerous fool. Another bunch of apologists for a system that imposes an artificial inequality.

Why should anyone have privileges which give them access to opportunities that are denied to others?

How does that square with the ideal of social and racial equality?

I don’t want to rely on the “good will” of the privileged not to abuse my rights or person and I don’t want or need your “benevolence”.

All I need is EQUAL opportunity.

By: Ravi

Ravi — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:11:53 +0000

If you must know, that was about 6 minutes of typing for me. not all that time consuming. I spend much more time on my own students to answer your question. This is for entertainment purposes and occasionally when i encounter another person in the field like Rhea, I engage in discourse that helps me to refine my multiple perspectives or add another perspective.

It was only about a page of times new roman 12 pt font test. not quite a dissertation, but I get what you meant. funny you still decided to reply after admittedly not reading what I wrote, but I digress. It wasn’t directed towards you anyway, so no worries.

By: Anon

Anon — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 00:04:41 +0000

Do you spend this much time giving out advice and information to your own so that they can help? Because I’m sure I’m not the only one that skipped the dissertation and wondered at why this sad song (we all saw Boyz in the Hood)is being sung right now on this site?

By: Ravi

Ravi — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 23:24:50 +0000

this does a good definition and summary of the gap:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achievement_gap_in_the_United_States#Gender_gap_in_math_and_science

Here is something on black males:

http://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/the-widest-achievement-gap

http://www.bridges4kids.org/articles/2005/8-05/Varlas8-05.html

http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/educatingblackboys11rev.pdf

note the discussion on stereotyping. this is one of the primary drivers of the gap across all lines. it’s not all about a system designed to keep somebody down. It’s more about self view and external perceptions based on socializations of inferiority being passed off as real differences.

I’ve been studying the gap since the mid nineties and have my first graduate degree in this field. I’m not just a teacher, I am more associated with the research camp, although I did teach for 8 years. I’ve also worked in central administration for one of the largest districts in the nation. I have a ton of research stored up if you really want to know more.