A taste of Prager U

[_Ceeboo]

"White" and "Asian" aren't ethnicities Ceeboo. I figured I'd overlook that to get to your point.

Thanks!

[_canpakes]

The idea is that because white privilege is so pervasive and unacknowledged, people who enjoy those privileges can start think of it as a default state they are entitled to. This in turn can breed defensiveness about those entitlements.

This, in my opinion, goes way too far.

Really?

Heck, to use a parallel example, the predominant demographic in this country gets their britches in a wad and declares that there’s a War on Christmas if every person in retail that they meet doesn't greet them with a ‘Merry Christmas!’ as opposed to Seasons Greetings, or somesuch.

The statement, “... people who enjoy those privileges can start think of it as a default state they are entitled to. This in turn can breed defensiveness about those entitlements”, sounds pretty damn accurate.

[_Lemmie]

In fact, if I do enjoy this status why in the world would I want to give it up? What naturalistic moral imperative do I have to willingly cede over my animal claim to stuff?

Doc, sometimes you just have to do the right thing. My son got invited to a party of a casual friend. He was told to come and bring friends if he wanted to. He and a friend showed up at the door of the party, but when the host came to the door, he looked at my son's friend, and then said to my son, come on in, but sorry, it's too crowded and I don't have room for both of you. ( Like that ever happens at a teenage party in suburban Jersey.)

Now, given how 17 year old boys don't always want to chat, it took me a while to get the rest of the story out of him. It turns out that his friend was a different race than everyone else at the party. His friend quickly got the idea and told my son he had to leave anyway and his uber was already on its way, and that he should go to the party and have fun.

I asked my son what he did. He said to me in surprise, "Mom, how could I go to a party where my friend is not invited like that?"

So yes, there are reasons to give up that status, that "privilege."

[_Some Schmo]

I asked my son what he did. He said to me in surprise, "Mom, how could I go to a party where my friend is not invited like that?"

Sounds like someone was raised well.

It's a bit surreal to hear certain Americans deny the existence of white privilege in this country. It's like listening to salt water fish deny the ocean.

[_honorentheos]

While I have very little interest in engaging you on the board, I feel forced to reply to this. Hopefully, if I can manage to keep bitting my tongue when I read your posts to me, it will be a very rare reply.

So, let's say I go to China..........."

God, stop it ceebs! You're killing me! It's like you were asked to be a stereotypical dumb out-of-touch white older male conservative and said, "Here, hold my beer."

I don't know what is more stereotypical dumb conservative: Talking like all Chinese are essentially the same carbon copy of one another with a one-size-fits-all genetic background?

I never said that. I used Asian ethnicity to describe the majority of people who live in China - because Asian ethnicity is the ethnicity of the majority of people who live in China. And I was relating it to shampoo in a hotel.

Or that assuming White and American are equally synonymous?

I never said that either. (You're 0 for 2)

I said the white ethnicity is the ethnicity found among the majority of Americans. Again, the context was in relation to why hotels provide the shampoo that they do. "Assuming white and America are equally synonymous" are your words - As unfortunate as that is.

OMG! You missed your calling ceebs. This has been far funnier than Leno's Jay Walking! "I didn't say all Chinese people look the same to me so they must all have the same hair type and use the same shampoo. I called them Asians." Jesus I love you, ceebs. You are killing it.

[_Jersey Girl]

Ceeboo white Americans and Asians aren't ethnic groups.

:-)

[_Ceeboo]

OMG! You missed your calling ceebs. This has been far funnier than Leno's Jay Walking! "I didn't say all Chinese people look the same to me so they must all have the same hair type and use the same shampoo. I called them Asians." Jesus I love you, ceebs. You are killing it.

Yeah - I butchered the analogy.

I'm glad you're getting so much joy out of it.

[_Ceeboo]

Ceeboo white Americans and Asians aren't ethnic groups.

:-)

Yes, I botched that all up. I own it.

[_Jersey Girl]

Ceeboo white Americans and Asians aren't ethnic groups.

:-)

Yes, I botched that all up. I own it.

It's okay. The terms race and ethnicity are tricky things and there are disputes about how they should be used or if they should be used at all. So there's that, too.

:-)

[_honorentheos]

It helps to avoid attempting analogies based on fatally flawed premises, too.