Aaargh. Wading into it: I'm grateful for my "white privilege". I wish everyone had it.

[heaven05]

25. aaargh, wading into it also

Last edited Sun May 11, 2014, 12:35 PM - Edit history (1)

prejudice:the word prejudice refers to prejudgement: making a decision before becoming aware of the relevant facts of a case or event. The word has commonly been used in certain restricted contexts, in the expression 'racial prejudice'. Initially this is referred to making a judgement about a person based on their race, religion, class ect., before receiving information relevant to the particular issue on which a judgment was being made; it came however, to be widely used to refer to any hostile attitude toward people based on their race or even by just judging someone without knowing them. Subsequently the word has come to be widely so interpreted in this way in contexts other than those relating to race. The meaning now is frequently, "any unreasonable attitude that is usually resistant to rational influence". (1)Race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, and religion have a history of inciting prejudicial behavior.

Bigotry: A bigot is a person who is intolerant of opinions, lifestyles, or identities differing from his or her own, and bigotry is the corresponding state of mind. Bigot is often used as a pejorative term against a person who is obstinately devoted to prejudices even when those views are challenged or proven to be false or not universally applicable or acceptable.

Racism: Racism, by its definition, is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. People with racist beliefs might hate certain groups of people according to their racial groups. In the case of institutional racism,certain racial groups may be denied rights or benefits, or get preferential treatment. Racial discrimination typically points out taxonomic differences between different groups of people, even though anybody can be racialised, independently of their somatic differences. According to the United Nations conventions, their is no distinction between the term racial discrimination and ethnic discrimination.
They all mean similar, yet different things as you can see.

I hope this helps the discussion. In america white privilege is a fact based on one or all of the above definitions. You can choose what you want to believe but you can't deny facts inherent and true in american culture about white privilege...