Quote Originally Posted by Kailen View Post
Thank you Ari,
=)

Quote Originally Posted by Malacasta View Post
Damn! It's not often I agree with Ari. Let me remember this date.
=)

To Sier and Red Syns:

I'm not placing blame or saying there is some kind of nefarious plot afoot to keep black people down. I'm simply talking about the reality of the situation RIGHT NOW for a black man trying to rise above his situation. Those severe barriers to success are real and things will never improve if we ignore them.

Discarding some of those problems because they are a factor of class/economics gets us nowhere. Of course economic class is a major factor. So what? Ultimately, it is almost entirely about economics. But that doesn't change the situation at all.

Sier: Your comparison of Morgan Freemen vs. the tatted up white guy is so extreme that it is not relevant. What is relevant is two people who walk in the store whose only difference is their skin color. Then ask yourself your same question: "Who do your eyes gravitate towards?" It doesn't matter why. It doesn't matter if the store owner was robbed 10 times in a row by black dudes. It still means that 11th black dude suffers the negative ramifications of that, even if he is a super great dude.

I don't blame the store owner for his biases that are based on his experience. But it still sucks for the black shoppers who aren't criminals, doesn't it?

Some people seem to be getting defensive about all those hurdles that black people face. Why? Nobody is blaming you for them. I'm relatively certain you played no role in creating those problems. But those PROBLEMS EXIST.

I'm a white, 43 year old man. I have had so many tremendous advantages throughout my entire life because of my race and my class that I could not even begin to list them. I continue to have tremendous advantages. Here's a huge one:

Over the last few years I've been building up the business of Frogdice. When I meet with angel or VC investors, they are about 95% white males. My task is tremendously easier because I am also a white male and they are comfortable dealing with someone like me. I'm already "in the club."

White privilege is real and it is significant. It doesn't mean we should pass laws to try and counter it. That will never work. But we should at least be aware of it whenever we think about race.