Black skin shouldn't get you anything that white doesn't.

Great article. I've been thinking along those same lines for a few years now and it's always erked me. Especially things like not being able to have a "whites only" scholarship to match the blacks only scholarship.

We can never achieve equality if we don't truly believe and do things in equality.

I too am a white, middle class, single male. I totally understand your pain. I now have to pay off years of student loans because of my race. I went to a school with many native americans whom the college seemed to cater to but to me I had to scrape by to get through college. But if I complained about it I was labled as a whiny white boy. If I even thought of making a remark to my race I would be labled as racist. If they (minorities) grew up where I did where hate crimes occured then maybe they can say something because they don't know what racism is about. I agree with you lifehappens. Being a single "straight" white male puts me at the bottom of the totem pole. We are left to fend for ourselves! Everyone should have equal opportunity !

Quick story. In a governmental job that is local there is a network administrator who is half Native and half black. He has repeatedly wreaked havoc on the network losing information deleting the post office but has he been repremanded or fired NO! Why because they are afraid he will play the freaking race card! If it were me I would have been repremanded or fired imediately! So before anyone goes and says that I am racist I know what reverse racism is and it sucks!

just read one of cs-guy's articles on racism.

I wonder if you also read this article of mine.

I know what reverse racism is and it sucks!

I don't like the term "reverse racism". It's not reverse anything! It's just plain racism. Just because the person being discriminated against is white does not mean that it is not a case of racism.

I think we all await the end of racism, sexism, etc, but it will never happen. All the same stuff gets on my nerves, but it's not going to change so I'm not going to waste precious carpal muscles on bitching about it. Work harder than the next guy, and you can earn all kinds of stuff.

are u frustrated because you are white? or do you have a real case? Dont fucking generalise just because you are not happy with the 50 non white people in your community...I have never asked anything from you and I never complain to you...and yes..my grammar is correct

A real case hmmmm? And what kind of real case would make you happy if not the real situations cited in the initial post? Let me offer up a few of my own.

What about the fact that a student I go to school with, whose family is one of the most affluent of all in our class, is getting a full ride through medical school because of the color of her skin? Nope, not merit based, and obviously not need based. But based on the fact that her skin is the "right" color (hint, it isn't white).

What about the fact that numerous student's who receive far more monetary support for their medical education than I do (read that as I receive none) are still getting tens of thousands of dollars a year because of the racial status? Do they "need" it more than some of us? Not by a long shot. Do their pre-graduate school accomplishments set them above the rest of us? Nope. But their skin color does.

Or are those cases not real enough for you?

Dont fucking generalise just because you are not happy with the 50 non white people in your community...

I have no problem with them. They are all great friends.

It is the system that is not working. Or are you not capable of addressing the issues raised by the author?

Oh, and the simple fact that you keep using the number 50 (implying that I am part of the majority) simply demonstrates just how vacuous your comments are.

As a white male I am most definitely not in the majority in my school, nor in my community.

good for you.."here's your prize" we'll make sure to mention that at our next "white bashing" meeting...I don't care whether you are a minority or a majority..my point is its not about you people or those people.. If you have a problem with someone, give them a name don't include the rest of us in the same bracket. You are not racist and I am not racist, you are white and I am black.. I have no issues with you and you don't know me so don't try to cover me with the smae cloth you use on your neighbours and school mates

Oh yes, I see numerous examples of this all the time. being a disabled white female. Now I have nothing at all against any other race. And have struggled to teach my children NOT to be racist, but its hard when its the *Other people* that scream, cry and shove it in their faces every day. My 16 year old son sees it at school from the staff NOT the students. His best friend was the victim of a racist teacher. She was black and he white. After talking to 10 other parents of other students who children were doing terribly in this womans class, somone pointed out that all the kids who had problems in her class were white. She was black.

And it wasnt even a white parent that pointed this out to the group. I know in my neighborhood its not the white or hispanics that keep the racism going. Its who? The black familys.

Now I get along with all my neighbors for the most part. The one family I dont is white. Just like me. But I can't stand spending much time around most of them cause every little thing that goes wrong according to the black familys in the neighborhood is because of the *whites* ..
Its easier to get jobs for minorities cause employers are affraid to *NOT* meet the quotas of minorities. So called minority groups get presidence on social economic help programs like HUD, Food stamps, welfare, food pantries etc. But we as a society have noone to blame but ourselves for allowing all these programs and grants etc in the first place. And not standing up for more equal rights in the first place. But you know on the same note try being a single white male and need help or money for something. Your even more out of luck then a white female. Now in this day and age of single MALE parents. Thats just sad.

Reverse racism? That's weird. Racism between any 2 different (or even same!) is still called racism.

All races does have some problem with racism. In fact, it's not a recent thing either. (See my blog)

Too many people see racism as event that "white person hates a black person" happens. As if there's just two races on entire planet. That's not the case at all.

Racism is not only thing we have to watch for too. There's such thing as sexist and ableism. I'm sure I missed some more variations of hate. Oh yeah, ableism is kinda like racist, but to people with disabilities such as deaf, blind or otherwise disabled.

white skin shouldnt entitle you to anything black skin doesn't.  

a longer life span, for example. 

 benefit of the doubt. 

more favorable interest rates.  

presumption of innocence. 

kingbee, what the?!

more favorable interest rates?  I have never seen a bank say 5.9% for whites but 8.9% for blacks.

presumption of innocence- can you say OJ?

You are just showing your racist attitudes here.  An individuals lifespan has mostly to do with how they care for their body.  Sure, a black person can inherit sickle-cell and a white can't.  But what other disease is their that only affects minorities?

I judge people on how they present themselves.  I will be just as cautious around a scrungy, strange white guy as a scrungy, strange black/hispanic/etc guy.  I grew up with friends of all walks.  I was sadly dissappointed by a native american friend who I grew up with.  She was given a full ride scholarship to MSU (which I couldn't afford even though I was an honor student) and she turned it down, worked for McDonalds until she got pregnant by her boyfriend and now has 3 kids on welfare.

I would never say that all people of any description were any certain way but stereotypes were inspired by reality.  Skin color does not define a person.  How they conduct themselves as human beings defines them. 

White Opressed Minority.

Until you breed more, you will lose.

I think the point is that it is the SYSTEM that needs to change. We are products of the system, both black and white. The Black 'minorities' are in the position they are today because of past prejudice and discrimination. In part, the system is setup almost as a form of reperation for past damages, a type of appeasement for harms done. The problem is this doesn't work.

I know if I had a yummy sweet dangled in front of me as a child I would have taken it. we can't blame the black people for recieving more benefits than us, the benefits are there whether they are taken or not... not taking them is more a crime than taking them! (as some of the previous commenters have said about scholarships).
The problem is that with the new generations the privelege and the entitlements are taken for granted. They don't mean much because they have had them from a young age. in a way they don't even see the oportunities as chances that others don't get anymore (generalising here) they just take them as due and move on.

It is the system that needs to change. Nothing, certainly not money can make up for racial crimes against black people in times past. Rewarding the children of children whose parents suffered will not fix the pain there forebears experienced.. in some ways it makes matters worse, because these people can AFFORD to underachieve, to not make use of there potential, to just squander it and get by without trying there best. Of course not all do, just like not all white kids end up finding there true potential. But when you know that the government is almost forced to take your side in circumstances I think it would imperceptably change your mindset about how you can live life.

In my country (New Zealand) it is sometimes worse. The Maori people were supplanted by the British colonisers in the 1840's. In recent times the government has decided (under pressure) to give land settlements and huge monetary grants to Maori Groups. The thing is that these Maroi groups funnel away the money in stupid investments, the Maori people don't really even see any monetary benefits individually. These organisations are meant to represent the Maori, but instead they take tax payers money, and then go on ill concieved ventures because they place no significance in the money the\y recieve, because they did not earn it.

*sigh*

In another 300 hundred years, I wonder if the white minority will stand up for there rights against the black oppresors and rebel against the black majority for freedom and equal rites for everyone, to be able to be taught in the 'black only' proveleged schools and to ride the 'black only' buses and trains to work, to hold priveleged positions of importance in society... wouldn't it be strangely ironic is society swung completely the other way in the next 300 years?

Well put 4D, and I agree completely. I have not problem with my classmates who receive such scholarships. I am glad there are means and funds there for some of the students.

What I have a problem with is a system that ensures that there exist more funds and greater access to said funds for one race than for another. It is still a glaring inequality.

wuxiaomao ...there just aren't enough trolling ratings in a day.

more favorable interest rates? I have never seen a bank say 5.9% for whites but 8.9% for blacks.

jill, you dont truly expect lenders to brag about it do you?

here's excerpt from an article in the real estate journal--published by the wall street journal--titled "Survey Shows Patterns Of Lender Discrimination" by Patrick Barta (dec 16, 2003) recapping the results of a study conducted by the national community reinvestment coalition. the author notes this study is particularly relevant because it surveyed groups of borrowers with similar credit factors, comparative incomes and properties. ncrc utilized the actual numeric credit quality scores from large credit-reporting bureau, matching them to actual government data.


The report examined lending patterns in 10 U.S. cities, including Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. It found, among other things, that borrowers who were refinancing their mortgages and lived in predominantly African-American neighborhoods were more likely to get higher-cost subprime loans than refinance borrowers in white neighborhoods in all 10 cities except New York, even when the neighborhoods had comparable credit characteristics. A similar pattern existed for mortgages on home purchases in six of the 10 cities. Subprime lending also was more prevalent in neighborhoods with large numbers of residents above 65 years of age, the study found.

In Houston, the study found that African-Americans were more likely to get subprime loans by a total of 41 percentage points. That means that if 10% of the refinance loans in a predominantly white neighborhood in Houston were subprime, 51% would be subprime in a Houston African-American neighborhood.

Its just not happening, its a myth

mortgage brokers arent nearly as regulated as big lenders. same situation as insurance companies who dont engage in redlining 'officially'.

whether it's being done by the entity at the top or someone a few rungs down is really a moot point to the victim isnt it?

You are just showing your racist attitudes here.

thanks. it's mighty white of you to say so.

An individuals lifespan has mostly to do with how they care for their body.

minorities don't avail themselves of decent healthcare because they have an early death wish? the following is excerpted from 'Mortality Outlook: An Overview of African-American Health' by chiquita collins, published by the university of michigan. the disparity between white males and black males charted in this report was 8.2 years; white women to black women was 5.8 years (National Center for Health Statistics:. Health, United States, 1992. Table 27, pg. 44. Hyattsville, Maryland: Public Health Service, 1993)

Overall, African Americans more so than white Americans have higher incidence rates of mortality. Not only has the gap widened for overall mortality, the gap has widened tremendously for specific causes of death such as homicide and injury related mortality. In summary, African Americans in the United States suffer a greater disadvantage concerning their health outcomes compared to whites. High rates of mortality are higher for blacks among the late adolescent and early adulthood age groups than blacks of older age groups. In fact, mortality rates are only lower among blacks at the oldest ages of the life span when compared to whites. This phenomenon is commonly termed as the "mortality crossover."

Many have discredited the mortality crossover, stating that it is merely due to misreporting of ages at the oldest ages. Despite the controversy over the mortality crossover, there is reason to suggest that certain determinants are influencing African Americans at earlier ages during their life span that can explain this phenomenon. Socioeconomic status, whether measured by income, education, employment, occupation, poverty or wealth, traditionally has been one of the strongest determinants of variations in health in the general population (Kitagawa & Hauser, 1973; Haan & Kaplan, 1986; Feldman, et al 1989).

However, race also has an effect on health which is independent of its relationship with socioeconomic status. African Americans are more likely to receive inferior medical care as a result of their lower socioeconomic status and exposure to continued racial discrimination in the quality and quantity of health care services. Many important questions are raised regarding differential health that need to be addressed in the context of the ways in which racism affects mortality. Without primary policy efforts aimed at minority and ethnic populations for specific causes of death, we can not optimistically believe that racial mortality differentials will be reduced or eliminated anytime soon.

stereotypes were inspired by reality.

in fact, its just the opposite.

ive utilized too much of this thread already validating my original one-phrase statements and there's a plethora of research available offline and online demonstrating that while stereotypes may influence reality, they contradict objective observed behavior.

who says the black community gets more scholarships ? got some numbers to back that up or is it one of those things 'everyone' knows?

of course, its discrimination. im not familiar with any cultural preference for being ripped off but perhaps im not close enough to the street?
since its also being done to older people of all race--and nobody ever discriminates against them--perhaps youre suggesting ive got it 180 degrees reversed. rather than excluding blacks, unscrupulous lenders are welcoming them with open arms and taking care to make sure they get fleeced just as thoroughly as the next old person?

parental instruction is only relevant in that a lot of peoples' parents seem to have forgotten to teach their mendacious little future paragons of the community not to take advantage of others just because theyre able to do so.

I know if I had a yummy sweet dangled in front of me as a child I would have taken it. we can't blame the black people for recieving more benefits than us, the benefits are there whether they are taken or not

You are right of course. If I qualify for a grant or scholarship or hell, even food stamps and I needed it, I'd take it. I would be crazy to think anyone would turn down benefits. If it's there I can't complain that they are taking advantage of the system....I think the system of justifying disproportionate benefits and opportunities, based on past history is ridiculous.


kingbee: You make a lot of points, just one comment on the lifespans.....you qoted an article writen in 1992, about people who were DEAD so lets just assume that they were 60-75 year old (just an average guess)....you are discussing a group of people that were born in, um.....1917 to 1932. Your justifications are correct, medical care was definetely a factor, as was the lack of treatment options for race specific diseases and lower income etc. HOWEVER, the disparity between medical treatment based on race is no longer as signifigant. Sorry, but that just doesn't hold true anymore. The vote has to go with JillUser on this one

and to you wuxiaomao:

Dont fucking generalise just because you are not happy with the 50 non white people in your community

Get your head out of your ass and quit being so defensive. I never said I am unhappy with 50 "non-whites" I don't like the system of discrimination.....in any direction. You can bet that if I saw someone being mistreated because they were black, I would be just as pissed (It happened and I was!). In fact, you don't know me, but I spent 5 1/2 years in the US Army where I was one of 3 whites in a company of 50 blacks, latinos and various other races.....but you know what? They were all AMERICAN. Promotions, time off, etc etc were all given based on work performance and effort put forth. Did I bitch about any of them? NO. Because they were happy to be judged on their character and not the color of their skin. If I had an issue with one of them, believe me. It's because they were stupid or lazy, not because they tan better than me. So use some brain cells and THINK before you write something that's so pathetic.

HOWEVER, the disparity between medical treatment based on race is no longer as signifigant. Sorry, but that just doesn't hold true anymore

if, instead of assuming things were better, youd taken a minute to check the cdc's most recent data (which was updated in 2003 and 2004, but is still based on the years 1990-2001 (im using 1999 because its the last year that isnt going to be changed), youd have seen there is still a significant difference.  a white male born in 1999 has an expected lifespan of 74.6 years vs a black male's els of 67.8, a difference of 6.8 years; white female born in 1999 has an els of 79.9 vs a black female els of 75.4, for 4.5 years.