The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #163684   Message #3910303
Posted By: robomatic
09-Mar-18 - 11:52 PM
Thread Name: BS: If Africa had not suffered Colonialism
Subject: RE: BS: If Africa had not suffered Colonialism
I have felt 'white privilege' only if I were to put it in words in the context of work environment and place in which it occurred I would've called it 'Christian privilege'. In my own description at the time I described it as: "He tried to white-boy me." I didn't act on it because I am resistent to bringing things to law or HR. While it is for the most part visible as a kind of veneer, an attitude sensed, or a comment one is not sure one heard accurately, or a quote of something someone else heard. In one case a Mormon co-worker (a stand-up guy I would fight for) made the comment vis-a-vis my immigrant background that it was 'nice to have me here'. He meant well, but to my ears it sounded condescending.

A version of this visible to all is the so-called 'War on Christmas'. I don't really have a problem with being wished "Merry Christmas" by those who know no better, but there are those who definitely do know better.

This occurs even in multi-ethnic environments. Just ask Bernie Sanders. And I've been told of nasty anti-Semitic remarks passed by black co-workers in the presence of someone they knew was Jewish.

So I have no difficulty in believing in 'White Privilege' but I liked what comedian Louis C.K. did with it in one of his monologues.