MTV's ''White People'' Documentary

ScumLord wrote: »

When I was in the states I saw absolutely no sign of racism and everyone seemed to get along, I talked to black people, who were friends with white people and never got the impression there was an undercurrent of contempt from anyone.

The media are a bunch of **** stirring, scare mongering, gossip merchants. They paint a highly embellished version of events that just doesn't match up to reality. probably find

I used to live near San Francisco and racism was everywhere. Absolutely everywhere.

People from different races mixed in work but there was very little of it outside work.

I'll agree with you that the media are a bunch of sh1t stirrers.

DarkyHughes wrote: »

What's that suppose to mean Pinky?

Nah nah nah, ya gotta call him cracka

bnt wrote: »

I'd never heard of this, but had a read of this article in The Atlantic.

It's hard to say exactly what I think about this. The thing that comes to mind is: I know black people can suffer discrimination that white people don't. However, a lack of discrimination does not translate to "priviliege". It's not a zero-sum game, where one person's disadvantage is another's advantage: by not discriminating against me, you're not doing me any favours. I don't benefit from the mistreatment of others; the whole human race is diminished by blind racism.

There is some fairly poor thinking in that article you linked to.

But then Vargas brings in statistics saying that white people receive scholarships at a disproportionately higher rate compared to people of color. During a group discussion, a multiracial teenager points out that he, like Katie, wasn’t awarded any scholarships. “I’m starting to feel like a victim,” Katie says, echoing the sentiments of many white people when made to talk about race—but what the documentary’s actually showing is that she isn’t one.

While there is a whole weakness with the statistical argument in the first place, it has absolutely nothing to do with this Katie being a victim in her own particular set of circumstances or not. Statistically you might make a case that black men are heavily disadvantaged in the USA. But you would be rightfully laughed at if you then said that proved that Barack Obama was heavily disadvantaged.

The whole thing starts from a view that white privilege exists, and its just confirmation bias from there on in. The author remarks they are worried at one point "that the documentary is going to validate claims of reverse racism", which is clearly the wrong answer. Luckily, the documentary gets the right answer.

Its particularly shown up by the later point on the block party, where the guy is turned away by people who don't speak English. This is excused on the basis that there is a language barrier that isn't anyone's fault. Earlier in the article white privilege is referenced as white people "being the default". And that is someone's fault.