Meus Renaissance
Member
Time Wise critiques it here as well giving examples of reverse racism. Long article so I can't quote it all but I'll share some segments. The bold are mine
That so many people find this kind of argumentation persuasive would be humorous were it not so dangerous, and so indicative of the way in which our nation has yet to come to grips with its racist history. Had we honestly confronted racism as an issue, past and present, it is unlikely that such positions would make sense to anyone. After all, every month has been white history month (this in response to the silly idea that Black History month is discriminatory), even if they weren’t called that. White history has been made the normative history, the default position, and when your narrative is taken as the norm–indeed, when it gets to be viewed as synonymous with American history–the need to racially designate its origins is obviously a less pressing concern. White folks’ contributions have never been ignored, diminished or overlooked. As such, to now demand special time to teach about the people we’ve already learned about from the start seems a bit preposterous.
As for racial slurs, while it is certainly fair to point out that their use is always inappropriate, no matter whom they’re directed against, to think that a term like hillbilly is truly equivalent to those used against people of color, like “nigger,” “spic,” “raghead,” or “chink,” requires one to exhibit a profound ignorance of history. These and other slurs against people of color not only sound more hateful, they have operated in a more hateful manner, by forming the linguistic cornerstone of systematic oppression and institutionalized racial supremacy. Hundreds of thousands were enslaved and millions have died at the hands of those who thought of their victims as “niggers,” “spics,” “ragheads” and “chinks,” and used those terms as they went about their murderous ways.
And the idea that whites working for white empowerment or “white rights” is no different than people of color working for the empowerment of their group (through such mechanisms as the NAACP, or the Congressional Black Caucus, for instance), also makes sense, only if one takes a fundamentally dishonest glimpse at the nation’s past. After all, groups representing persons of color were created to address the unique disempowerment experienced by those groups’ members. Blacks, Latinos, Asians and Native Americans have been systematically denied opportunities in the U.S. solely because of their group membership. Their “race” was the basis for housing discrimination, restrictions on educational opportunities, exclusion from jobs, and other forms of mistreatment. Whites have never been the targets of institutional oppression in the U.S., as whites, such that organizing as whites would have made sense.
To have a White Student Union (in response to the suggestion of black student unions being discriminatory), especially at a college where whites were in the clear majority, would be absurd, for this reason. To have a Congressional White Caucus, given the way in which white elites dominate the government would be even worse. To have a White Entertainment Television would ignore that whites already predominate on most all existing networks, and that shows pegged to people of color are few and far between, and usually limited to a handful of smaller networks and cable outlets.
Though many argue that affirmative action has made whites the victims of massive “reverse discrimination,” and thus necessitated the rise of a white rights movement to secure white collective interests, the evidence simply doesn’t support such a view. Although individual whites have likely experienced instances of discrimination–and anecdotal data suggests this is true, though far, far less often than the occasions when people of color experience it–there is nothing to indicate that such incidents are a widespread social phenomenon, against which whites now require organizations to protect them.
So, for instance, whites hold over ninety percent of all the management level jobs in this country (1), receive about ninety-four percent of government contract dollars (2), and hold ninety percent of tenured faculty positions on college campuses (3). Contrary to popular belief, and in spite of affirmative action programs, whites are more likely than members of any other racial group to be admitted to their college of first choice (4). Furthermore, white men with only a high school diploma are more likely to have a job than black and Latino men with college degrees (5), and even when they have a criminal record, white men are more likely than black men without one to receive a call back for a job interview, even when all their credentials are the same (6). Despite comparable rates of school rule infractions, white students are only half to one-third as likely as blacks and Latino youth to be suspended or expelled (7); and despite higher rates of drug use, white youth are far less likely to be arrested, prosecuted or incarcerated for a drug offense than are youth of color
http://www.timwise.org/2007/05/on-w...ns-reflections-on-the-rage-of-the-uninformed/
As for racial slurs, while it is certainly fair to point out that their use is always inappropriate, no matter whom they’re directed against, to think that a term like hillbilly is truly equivalent to those used against people of color, like “nigger,” “spic,” “raghead,” or “chink,” requires one to exhibit a profound ignorance of history. These and other slurs against people of color not only sound more hateful, they have operated in a more hateful manner, by forming the linguistic cornerstone of systematic oppression and institutionalized racial supremacy. Hundreds of thousands were enslaved and millions have died at the hands of those who thought of their victims as “niggers,” “spics,” “ragheads” and “chinks,” and used those terms as they went about their murderous ways.
And the idea that whites working for white empowerment or “white rights” is no different than people of color working for the empowerment of their group (through such mechanisms as the NAACP, or the Congressional Black Caucus, for instance), also makes sense, only if one takes a fundamentally dishonest glimpse at the nation’s past. After all, groups representing persons of color were created to address the unique disempowerment experienced by those groups’ members. Blacks, Latinos, Asians and Native Americans have been systematically denied opportunities in the U.S. solely because of their group membership. Their “race” was the basis for housing discrimination, restrictions on educational opportunities, exclusion from jobs, and other forms of mistreatment. Whites have never been the targets of institutional oppression in the U.S., as whites, such that organizing as whites would have made sense.
To have a White Student Union (in response to the suggestion of black student unions being discriminatory), especially at a college where whites were in the clear majority, would be absurd, for this reason. To have a Congressional White Caucus, given the way in which white elites dominate the government would be even worse. To have a White Entertainment Television would ignore that whites already predominate on most all existing networks, and that shows pegged to people of color are few and far between, and usually limited to a handful of smaller networks and cable outlets.
Though many argue that affirmative action has made whites the victims of massive “reverse discrimination,” and thus necessitated the rise of a white rights movement to secure white collective interests, the evidence simply doesn’t support such a view. Although individual whites have likely experienced instances of discrimination–and anecdotal data suggests this is true, though far, far less often than the occasions when people of color experience it–there is nothing to indicate that such incidents are a widespread social phenomenon, against which whites now require organizations to protect them.
So, for instance, whites hold over ninety percent of all the management level jobs in this country (1), receive about ninety-four percent of government contract dollars (2), and hold ninety percent of tenured faculty positions on college campuses (3). Contrary to popular belief, and in spite of affirmative action programs, whites are more likely than members of any other racial group to be admitted to their college of first choice (4). Furthermore, white men with only a high school diploma are more likely to have a job than black and Latino men with college degrees (5), and even when they have a criminal record, white men are more likely than black men without one to receive a call back for a job interview, even when all their credentials are the same (6). Despite comparable rates of school rule infractions, white students are only half to one-third as likely as blacks and Latino youth to be suspended or expelled (7); and despite higher rates of drug use, white youth are far less likely to be arrested, prosecuted or incarcerated for a drug offense than are youth of color
http://www.timwise.org/2007/05/on-w...ns-reflections-on-the-rage-of-the-uninformed/
