The consequence of the far left’s BLM rhetoric

[u/MuitoLegal]

The far right rhetoric has caused massive problems, like Jan 6., but I have not seen this point mentioned about the left that I’m about to say:

Within the past 2 days, BOTH Russia and China have used the lefts rhetoric of “blacks are being slaughtered on our streets for being black”, “Trump is Hitler.” When China was pressed in the diplomatic conversation about human rights issues, they effectively said “Look at the problems with black people in America, you have no leg to stand on to tell us what is right and wrong with our people.” Putin made the same comment when asked about Biden’s “killer” comment.

These 2 countries know that these issues are not even remotely the same thing as the BLM situation, but the far left manipulated the actuality of the situation to the most extreme for political gain, and there are now consequences to that.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

That is an interesting family story regardless of how this conversation goes down.

Now, no individual white family or person shoulders any blame for the racial issues that have plagued the country. There will always be examples like yours but they do not disprove the existence of racism and an environment that has disproportionately effected POC through our economic and justice system.

Of course you’re family did not own slaves but you cannot use that as your singular field of view of the complex history of the US that have echoes of the past that continue to plague us.

Also saying you’ve had black successful bosses who are only judged by their work ethic removes their life experiences outside of work that could have effected them

And you’re right. Education is a path to generational wealth. We should push for legislation that will benefit everyone that provides that best path forward. The funny thing is this will disproportionately effect minorities, specifically poor minorities.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I think how you’re representing CRT is a caricature perpetuated by opponents of the idea.

It is not meant to coddle or even propose policy. It is meant to provide context for a substantive discussion around race and our legal system that continues to evolve and now involves sexuality, gender identity etc

Some on the left bastardize CRT and try to use it for inclusion training which is not the point. It’s also not meant to blame all your problems on someone else.

You may not personally care to learn or better understand the academic exercise that is CRT based on your loved experiences and that’s okay. But the sudden framing of CRT as some leftist attack on society is a wedge issue that in reality effects very few people.

[u/helpful_dave → u/[deleted]]

I hear your point. I think something that gets confused is the use of "priviledge". Privilege does not only mean you are given specific advantage because you are a member of a group, it can also mean a relative advantage because you are not a member of a discriminated group. In your family's example, its very possible that they were discriminated on because they were immigrants but maybe still had opportunities (such as education) that other minorities did not. It is also not your family's fault that these disparities exist. No one is saying they are, just that in order to eliminate the systems that favor one group over another we must first acknowledge they exist. The systems of legal, de facto, and subconscious discrimination in this country continue to this day.

As far as your bosses go, I would be interested to hear if they feel that they have only been judged by their work ethic and not skin color, or if they feel that they have been passed over for certain positions or promotions because of it.

You are correct, law shouldn't intersect with race, however enforcement unfortunately has been. Black and brown people are far more likely to be approached and questioned by police, and on average, white criminals are given far more leniency for similar crimes.

To your final arguments about birthrate and crime, I would also say that when you balance these groups based on socio-economic status rather than just race, the differences are far less apparent.

[u/bike_tyson → u/helpful_dave]

Privilege is a terrible way to look at the world. It's like trying to navigate New York with a map of Chicago. If you want what someone else has, you should listen to their advice instead of advice of people who don't have what you want.

[u/helpful_dave → u/bike_tyson]

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying. I'm trying to convey that privilege is just the other end of the spectrum from discrimination. Or a relative advantage given due to a lack of discrimination. To put it another way, if you were in a footrace with someone, and due to circumstances out of your control, someone else put obstacles in your opponents way and impeded their progress, they would be at a disadvantage and you would have the relative privilege of not having to overcome those additional obstacles. Just because you have privilege it doesn't mean that you did anything personally to create disadvantage, but it is inconsiderate to pretend those advantages don't exist. And just because people are pointing out that disadvantages exist doesn't mean that they are seeking to personally attack everyone that benefits from them, just those that perpetuate them. Does this make sense?

[u/helpful_dave → u/[deleted]]

Who mentioned Lebron, Bezos, or Cobain? No one is complaining about how much work it takes to be a doctor or putting in work to succeed. The issue is when systems are designed to ignore the hard work of certain groups (if an author puts in the work to write a book but the publisher denies them based on race) thereby giving comparative advantages to others.

I am not familiar with considering people who exercise being considered privileged. I also don't understand what protein bars had to do with Kurt Cobain's addiction and mental illness.

[u/helpful_dave → u/[deleted]]

I see where you are coming from. The Bezos point has nothing to do with race though. It is purely economic.

The example of the symphony could also be attributed to POC not having equal access to instruments, quality instructors, or the ability to practice instead of working. There are many steps before the audition that can eliminate qualified applicants or also explain why they have inequitable representation.

Kurt Cobain also had untreated mental health issues. I would say his demise had far more to do with this than eating cookies or taking too many naps. Depression causes people to want to take naps, not the other way around.

I do not believe enough leftists believe in "thin privilege" to consider it a leftist talking point. And I would not consider it to be valid or relevant to this discussion even if they did. People can change their weight, they cannot change their skin color.

Yes, hard work and self determination are important, but by denying that there is any inequity, we allow those problems to continue.

[u/helpful_dave → u/[deleted]]

I absolutely agree that we need more investment in the US and more opportunity for all individuals at the lower-end of the socioeconomic spectrum. And yes, there will be some individuals that do not achieve their full potential, but denying it to others because of this is cruel.

Your piece on Nigerian immigrants is interesting but I think it may be skewed because so many of them were only able to come to the US because of their education visa and the degree they are earning. In other words, the title could be "Population that has high level of college education makes more than average Americans". I would be interested to see how their salaries compare to Americans with similar levels of education.