Tim Wise on White Privilege and the Boston Marathon Bombing

[Goblinmonger]

Love this guy

When I heard about the bombing at the Boston marathon, I did not say to myself, "Oh please don't let the bomber be a white person or our community will suffer a backlash just like after the Oklahoma City bombing." Say what? If there was ever a glaring example of white privilege, this is it.

...

The Right, hours after Monday's bombing, was already casting the blame on Muslims. As Steven Rosenfeld notes in AlterNet, "Almost immediately predictable hysterical right-wing voices jumped into the debate — and surprisingly were featured on liberal Salon.com — including the anti-Muslim media hound Pam Geller, who immediately blamed a Jihadi for the bombing."

...

But I dare say there is more; a much less obvious and far more uncomfortable lesson, which many are loathe to learn, but which an event such as this makes readily apparent, and which we must acknowledge, no matter how painful. It is a lesson about race, about whiteness, and specifically, about white privilege. I know you don’t want to hear it. But I don’t much care. So here goes.

...

In short, white privilege is the thing that allows you — and me — to view tragic events like this as merely horrific, and from the perspective of pure and innocent victims, rather than having to wonder, and to look over one’s shoulder, and to ask even if only in hushed tones, whether those we pass on the street might think that somehow we were involved.

http://www.war-times.org/node/562

[hedgehog]

1. Shorter version:

[Taverner]

5. Yep

[clarice]

2. crock of _ _ _ _ !

[Goblinmonger]

3. Really?

Which part do you disagree with? Or are you saying that the fact that what he says is completely accurate is a crock of shit and shouldn't be true though it is?

[hfojvt]

4. I guess we need people like Tim Wise

to turn the Boston Marathon bombing into an attack on white people.

I know you don't want to hear this Tim, but you have the privilege of being paid to write stupid articles about white privilege.

Since only Muslims would be targets here, you might call it non-muslim privilege, but unlike other privileges of say, having servants to do your cooking, cleaning, driving and gardening, or the privilege of being paid well to do a job that gives status and is intellectually rewarding, this privilege simply consists in "the "privilege" of being able to live your life without one very specific paranoid fear".

And since most white people probably live their lives with many other fears, like I dunno, will I keep my job, will I get this good job that I applied for, will I be able to pay rent, what happens if I get sick, are my family and friends safe, etc., etc., etc. to NOT have this one little specific fear seems pretty darn trivial in the big scheme of things.

And the truth is Tim, that if I lived like you I might believe in white privilege too, because I would enjoy the privileges that you do and perhaps be blind enough to think that every other white person enjoys them too. So, yes, let's talk about privileges, shall we?

1. What do you do for a living? Something you hate, or something you love?
2, When you get home from work, does your back hurt, your feet throb, do you have a variety of cuts and bumps from your day's labors. Do your knees hurt?
3. Is your income above the median income, or below the median income?
3.5. Do you get paid vacations, paid sick leave, paid holiday and have a pension?
3.6 Does your job come with health insurance?
4. Does your income put you in the top quintile, or the bottom quintile?
5. Does your job carry a positive status, or a negative one?
6. Are you married or single? If you are single, is it by your choice?
7. Is your car less than five years old, or more than ten years old?
8. Is your home less than ten years old, or more than 100 years old?
9. Do you own or rent?

See, those are examples of privileges. Things that when people have them they are better off than people who don't have them. I am guessing, Mr. Unwise, that you have most of those privileges. Am I right, or am I wrong? Inquiring minds want to know.

Here's another clue though, lots and lots of white people, myself included, do NOT have those privileges, and so, yes it is more than a little bit irritating for somebody in YOUR shoes to tell somebody in MY shoes how privileged he is. I really have got your privilege right here.

[Goblinmonger]

7. Have you read Tim Wise or heard him speak?

He would be the first to admit that he had privilege. Matter of fact he does in his some of his talks.

But see, he is trying to change the way we look at people of color in this country. Perhaps you think that is a bad thing? At least that is the impression I get from your post.

Though you may not have the privileges you listed, you do have the privileges that go along with what happened in Boston and his point would be that those aren't earned, which makes them even worse. Just because you are white, you get benefits if this bomber is white that people who just happen to be not-white won't get. He wants that to stop. I would imagine anyone posting on a progressive board would want the same thing.

[Taverner]

6. Me too - screw the haters

They get upset because Tim strikes a nerve with them....

[Nuclear Unicorn]

8. When we go from dreading potential backlash against minorities to wishing it were whites

I think we can safely say White Privilege is on the way out.