"An Open Letter to White Men in America"

se02orqua5xz9v · 26-07-2015 04:53AM #1

Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer wrote the following open letter, which was published on the Huffington Post's website on Friday 24th July 2015.

Dorhauer is President of the United Church of Christ, and author of two books, Doctorate in White Privilege, Shalom Award recipient for peace commitments.

The letter is as follows

Dear White Men,

You are persons of privilege.

You didn't earn it. More than likely aren't yet prepared to either admit to it or lose it. This letter, written by one of you, is offered to invite you on a journey of insight, honesty, hard truth and just living.

Privilege can be hard to see, mostly because of what doesn't happen to us when we have it.

One of the four reasons James Cone offers in his landmark essay "Theology's Great Sin: Silence in the Face of White Supremacy" for why men of privilege remain silent in the face of so much racial injustice is: "They don't have to speak."

We aren't getting arrested at four times our population rate.

We aren't being followed when walking through a department store wearing a sweat shirt with a hood.

Real estate agencies didn't write codes, rules and laws that kept us out of the high rent districts and middle class neighborhoods.

Property values don't go down when more than 10 percent of our neighborhood is saturated with people of our race.

Our children aren't sitting in classrooms with teachers who are likely not to have even a minor degree in the courses they are teaching.

Young white men are not being gunned down by black police officers in epidemic numbers.

Our churches aren't being burned to the ground, nor or our church members in danger of being gunned down in prayer meetings.

We are not saying to ourselves as part of a white man's code of conduct that when a police car drives by us without pulling us over even though we are exceeding the speed limit something like: "Well, once again I didn't get pulled over because I'm white."

We are not saying to ourselves when our child didn't get her college application rejected with a questionable GPA something like: "Well, thank God she's white and that her mother graduated from that school 25 years ago."

We are not saying to ourselves when the prosecutor reduces our son's charges from aggravated assault to loitering and sets him free with a small fine and time served: "Wow, that white prosecutor made sure my white son got a break that the black man who got convicted of that crime last week didn't get."

The journey to seeing and understanding the pernicious consequences of privilege includes the harder work of seeing what isn't there to be seen.

I have started practicing this as a discipline.

When I walk into a convenience store to get a receipt for my gas and the young woman at the counter greets me with a smile and a kind word, I tell myself "She felt comfortable doing that because I'm white."

When I see a highway patrolman pass me by while I'm exceeding the speed limit or, as actually happened two weeks ago, I get pulled over for that and let off without a ticket, I say to myself: "That happened because I'm white."

When I drive through the many border checkpoints we have set up here in the Southwest along the Mexican border, and as I roll down my window and make my stop at the guard gate, and as the border patrol agent simply glances at my face before waging me on with a perfunctory "have a good day," I say to myself: "That is the result of my being white."

I don't know in the end if any of those were in fact true statements. That isn't the point of this exercise. The point is to create a consciousness from which I can no longer let myself escape.

I want to be clear about something. This solves nothing. I can notice, and still be happy and content with the privilege I am afforded.

I want to be clear about something else. Whatever solutions are going to come that we ourselves will offer the agency of our privilege for aren't coming without this basic awareness.

When I taught White Privilege studies to a class of Masters of Divinity students at Eden Theological Seminary, the assignment I left the students with every day was this: "Tell me what you see." There is a passage in my sacred texts that reads: "Let those who have eyes to see, see." There is so much more to be seen than what white men will let there eyes take notice of.

I invite the white men of America with me on this journey of discovery. Ask those who don't share your privilege to tell you what they see. It may not have escaped your attention that whether we are talking about Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, what whites see and what blacks see are not the same thing. There is a reason for that. Privilege comes at a price -- and the price is the loss of a vision that admits facts that make accepting the privilege uncomfortable.

Therefore, I extend an invitation to a seeing that engenders the kind of discomfort with privilege that creates the space necessary for real justice to emerge. Don't worry about carrying the burden of solving this pervasive injustice: for good reason, you and I won't be entrusted with that work. But only when we see what others are more than happy to show us about ourselves will we be open then to hearing what they have to teach us about what will be required for true equality to emerge.

The acceptance of this invitation, and the resulting years of work it will take us all to open our eyes to that we have been conditioned to ignore for the sake of our privilege, is the first step in the proverbial journey of a thousand miles. White men in America, I invite you to walk this road with me.

Interestingly, Dorheur lives in Phoenix, Arizona, which is 65.9% white. One wonders how he would feel, and what he would postulate on race, if he lived in a city like Detroit, Michigan, where only 10.6% of the population are white. Would he feel the same, or different?

csallmighty · 26-07-2015 05:13AM

God I love being white

old_aussie · 26-07-2015 05:25AM

Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer, tell someone who cares.

Isn't it great.

bur · 26-07-2015 05:34AM

Dear White Men,

You are persons of privilege.

You didn't earn it.

As far as i got.

hatrickpatrick · 26-07-2015 05:43AM

Jurnee Polite Tantrum wrote: »

which was published on the Huffington Post's website

Of course it was.

:rolleyes:

JONJO THE MISER · 26-07-2015 06:13AM

More chip on there should crap.
All talk about black people, what about the latino and hispanic people, lots of them are more disadvantage than black americans.

DEFTLEFTHAND · 26-07-2015 06:14AM

Plenty of white 'trash' living in caravan parks, their children are at a disadvantage just the same. White ghettos don't tend to produce criminal gangs like black neighbourhoods do though.

The Irish and Italians moved on from this in the 21st century. While for instance the Mafia would still be considered a going concern in America it's very much on it's knees when you compare them Black gangs like Crips and Bloods who are stronger than ever.

La Cosa Nostra rackets while they still hold in NYC are being consumed in other cities such as Chicago and Detroit by black gangs and Mexican Cartels. There comes a time lads when you drop the crime and take the opportunities available to you and go to school.

speedboatchase · 26-07-2015 06:16AM

Black people can't f**k with time machines...

diomed · 26-07-2015 06:30AM

He is a white man. He just took a black man's job, a job complaining about white men.

RedemptionZ · 26-07-2015 06:36AM

Almost his entire argument is down to poverty and class systems, not race. Get a black or latino male in the United States who comes from middle to upper middle class and those problems don't exist. I mean will there be racists, yes of course, but no more than there would be non white racists.

If you get a white guy walking around with a basketball jersey, covered in tats and a big chain on his neck and walking around like a hard man he'll get the same disapproving looks a black person would doing the same thing. Likewise a well groomed black guy walking around in a nice suit will face the same discrimination a white person would. It's class based. Dressing like a 'thug' or whatever you want to call it isn't a non white characteristic, it's a lower financial class thing. Just look at eminem. I don't buy this 'we're so privileged because we're white'. You're privileged because you're bloody comfortable financially and can afford to finish second level education and probably go on to third level. That's not inherent on being white. If you're poor in America and white it's a crap place to live, same as if you're black, brown or pink.

osarusan · 26-07-2015 07:56AM

He holds a doctorate in white privilege...WTF?

tritium · 26-07-2015 08:13AM

osarusan wrote: »

He holds a doctorate in white privilege...WTF?

I thought pretty much the same thing. I suspect this guy may just suffer from a wee bit of confirmation bias.

Good to see he name checked the right group though. If he'd suggested that white women or Asian males for example might be groups that also enjoy 'privilege' he'd likely have been run over hot coals by now.

Jesus I hope the US manages to keep this race bait sh1te inside its own borders (though there a few UK examples that indicate it's unlikely

)

LincolnsBeard · 26-07-2015 08:44AM

There really is something utterly loathsome about a hand-wringing white person trying to lecture other white people on whiteness.

Menas · 26-07-2015 08:48AM

I suppose we are all allowed views, regardless of our color...but in this case it does seem, as said above, that he is confusing race with wealth.

juneg · 26-07-2015 09:02AM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Church_of_Christ

I worked on a United Church of Christ Summer camp many years ago in USA. They were wonderful, good living people ( not all white by a long shot) This is not a racist bunch of nuts at all.

It is basically Protestant and a merging of some smaller Protestant groups . Barack Obama was raised United Church of Christ.

I see the article as a thought provoking piece that could equally be applied to any number of situations around the world where discrimination occurs.

tritium · 26-07-2015 09:13AM

juneg wrote: »

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Church_of_Christ

I worked on a United Church of Christ Summer camp many years ago in USA. They were wonderful, good living people ( not all white by a long shot) This is not a racist bunch of nuts at all.

It is basically Protestant and a merging of some smaller Protestant groups . Barack Obama was raised United Church of Christ.

I see the article as a thought provoking piece that could equally be applied to any number of situations around the world where discrimination occurs.

I don't think that the point being made is that they're racist, more that this one individual is abbot of a plonker with a heavy case of confirmation bias. If someone really believes a person only smiles when they give you your change because you're white then that individual has some significant issues. Unfortunately that seems to be a valid ideology in some academic circles....

Victor · 26-07-2015 09:22AM

RedemptionZ wrote: »

Almost his entire argument is down to poverty and class systems, not race. Get a black or latino male in the United States who comes from middle to upper middle class and those problems don't exist.

In the USA, race is a proxy for class..

I mean will there be racists, yes of course, but no more than there would be non white racists.

There are more white people - in positions of power - to be racist.

Dr Turk Turkelton · 26-07-2015 09:30AM

juneg wrote: »

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Church_of_Christ

I worked on a United Church of Christ Summer camp many years ago in USA. They were wonderful, good living people ( not all white by a long shot) This is not a racist bunch of nuts at all.

It is basically Protestant and a merging of some smaller Protestant groups . Barack Obama was raised United Church of Christ.

I see the article as a thought provoking piece that could equally be applied to any number of situations around the world where discrimination occurs.

This one time, in Church camp, I stuck a flute, in my pu$$y.

OneArt · 26-07-2015 09:48AM

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

More chip on there should crap.
All talk about black people, what about the latino and hispanic people, lots of them are more disadvantage than black americans.

Often because a lot of Latino and Hispanic people had to come to America illegally and therefore they're often seen as illegal immigrants. Sad, but true.

And on another note: Latino is not a race! It's a culture. There are plenty of South Americas with just as much European ancestry as white US Americans.

Hermy · 26-07-2015 10:03AM

What's his opinion of women?

frostyjacks · 26-07-2015 10:38AM

If I got one thing against the black chappies, it's this - no one gives it to you. You have to take it.

bnt · 26-07-2015 11:06AM

Another year, another accusation of being privileged for being who I am. Last year it was my gender, this year it's my race. Well, if I am privieged, I pay for the privilege.

Tin Foil Hat · 26-07-2015 11:10AM

Jurnee Polite Tantrum wrote: »

Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer wrote the following open letter, which was published on the Huffington Post's website on Friday 24th July 2015.

Dorhauer is President of the United Church of Christ, and author of two books, Doctorate in White Privilege,

I stopped reading right at this comma

NachoBusiness · 26-07-2015 11:26AM

Fcuking clown.

Boring username · 26-07-2015 11:45AM

So are we all going to hound this guy out of his job, demand a public apology, and insist on him being charged with race hate crimes? Nah, thought not.

vicwatson · 26-07-2015 11:52AM

Some people just shouldnt be able to write.

c_man · 26-07-2015 11:55AM

Just this morning I saw a white man supposedly begging for money down by the Wolfe Tone bridge. I told that waste of space in no uncertain terms that he wasn't gonna fool me, his white male privilege was repressing the rights of nearby women/ethic people/aliens and he should be ashamed of himself. He agreed that he had it better than most and confessed that he felt so guilty that no US police would ever shoot him down. We hugged it out.

degsie · 26-07-2015 11:56AM

vicwatson wrote: »

Some people just shouldn't be able to write.

Fyp

FURET · 26-07-2015 12:27PM

Living in the Middle East, being married to an Asian woman, and working with predominantly Indian colleagues, I experience a definite unearned advantage due to being white. I get treated by default with more courtesy and deference than my wife and colleagues by many non-whites in everyday situations (at the mall, at the supermarket, by the police, at restaurants, you name it) and my opinion in my immediate work environment seems to be more highly valued. This doesn't hold true when whites interact with other whites, or in majority white environments. But in situations where whites are minorities, (such as in large parts of Asia or cities in the Middle East, but perhaps not in Zimbabwe!), there is such a thing as white privilege, whether you're male or female.

The perception is that white people created the modern world and are the most advanced and competent civilization. Ironically, white people today have almost abandoned viewing society and culture in terms of color - but your average Asian and African has not. In the middle east, most of the rudeness and prejudice comes from non-whites being mean to other non-whites because they're non-white or varying shades of brown. I've had seemingly respectable Indians tell me they won't sit beside black Africans, as though that's a perfectly reasonable thing to say. I've heard Burmese, Filipinos, Chinese and Arab people speak of Indians as "elephant people who smell of curry". I've heard this kind of thing very often in a variety of places from many different people, all said in the most casual way imaginable.

Of course, such people can and probably do make bad comments about whites behind my back too. The difference is that contempt is not hidden when a prejudiced Indian interacts with a prejudiced Chinese person. But all tend to be deferential when interacting with whites.

It shouldn't be this way, but it is in many cases. I don't know what it's like in the US. But in global terms, to be a middle class, university-educated heterosexual white male with EU citizenship is extremely beneficial. Mind you, you'll be charged a lot more at markets, and you may become a target of anti-western terrorism.

Irish Guitarist · 26-07-2015 01:39PM

If OJ Simpson was white he would have been given the death penalty. And if a scumbag who happens to be black gets in trouble in America it's apparently all the fault of the police.

I used to love gangster rap music but got sick of the nonsensical whining. One minute they're talking about shooting anything that moves or beating a bitch, next minute they're complaining about the police arresting them for no reason.

I used to think this type of music was just entertainment twenty years ago but it actually seems to be how a lot of black people in America think. Some black drug dealer pulls a gun on the police and then everyone is complaining about police brutality when they shoot him first.

ElvisChrist6 · 26-07-2015 01:53PM

RedemptionZ wrote: »

Almost his entire argument is down to poverty and class systems, not race. Get a black or latino male in the United States who comes from middle to upper middle class and those problems don't exist. I mean will there be racists, yes of course, but no more than there would be non white racists.

If you get a white guy walking around with a basketball jersey, covered in tats and a big chain on his neck and walking around like a hard man he'll get the same disapproving looks a black person would doing the same thing. Likewise a well groomed black guy walking around in a nice suit will face the same discrimination a white person would. It's class based. Dressing like a 'thug' or whatever you want to call it isn't a non white characteristic, it's a lower financial class thing. Just look at eminem. I don't buy this 'we're so privileged because we're white'. You're privileged because you're bloody comfortable financially and can afford to finish second level education and probably go on to third level. That's not inherent on being white. If you're poor in America and white it's a crap place to live, same as if you're black, brown or pink.

In all fairness, as much as I hate the America-centric "white people are evil" and privilege crap, in America race and class are very related. We're very lucky in this country that there isn't institutional racism unlike in the USA and Britain. After American slavery, a small portion of land was thrown their way and after that it still was incredibly difficult for black people to better themselves because racism was diffuse throughout the place. Much later affirmative action came in, but it was a way for the US government to pass the buck instead of actively trying to regenerate, better and fund poor areas and schools, which are disproportionately black over there. So poor kids, with working class accents, with underfunded educations have to struggle a lot more, just like the working class here, but here the colour isn't nearly as big an issue. Race is such a focal point for Americans that, although there are many trailer trash types, I'd put my money on (and this is just speculation) if you took some white lad living in a trailer park and a black young fella from Harlem, dressed them up and got them interviews with businesses the latter would still be less likely to get it.

However, I hate when Irish people (white, middle/upper class people) talk about white privilege in Ireland. There's some casual racism about, not even comparable to Britain, America, France, Israel etc, but there isn't institutional racism. Class and wealth is the most important deciding factor worldwide. But I wouldn't dismiss the importance of race in America; it really is that backwards a country in a lot of ways. My cousin was married to a Puerto Rican in New York - probably the most diverse place in America, and nonetheless constantly got dirty looks and reactions from young, old, black, Hispanic, white and whatever else alike. I know that's only anecdotal, but it wasn't only a handful of times.

Edit: I think we in Ireland can really easily overlook how backwards America can be with things like that, and really overlook the importance of things like race there because we are so lucky in that we don't have these issues to even nearly a similar degree.

"An Open Letter to White Men in America"

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