Johnny Dangerously
02-01-2009, 09:45 AM
Confessions of a Privileged White Male
Yes, I’m middle aged, college educated and, most importantly, white - in an America where that is increasingly an affliction for which one must apologize for. Against the grain of popular opinion I will not.
I believe that modern day America is the richest, most privileged society in the history of mankind. What I don’t believe is that in the 21st Century, these privileges are limited to white males. In a time when there have been more African Americans (I suppose that’s what we’re “allowed” to call them these days – but that is subject to change without notice), females and other so-called minorities appointed to high level cabinet positions, CXO’s of corporations, Generals/Admirals in the military, etc. I have a hard time believing that privilege is beyond the grasp of these folks.
Does racism still exist in American? Of course! Will it always exist? Surely it will! As long as there are children being brought up in families where racism is taught there will be racism. That is a fact of life, deal with it! I did while going to grade school in Georgia where, as a white kid, I happened to be in the minority at the school I went to. I recall a specific event where several older black kids teamed up on my little brother while I was held back and made to watch as they beat him up – because he was white. Did this experience turn me into a racist? Of course not. It did, however, contribute to my life experiences which, in turn, shaped my life philosophy. Fortunately, later in life I had more positive experiences with African Americans and other minorities, both as a child and as an adult.
The bigger question here is whether we have made progress in America and, regardless of what the race baiting politicians and media whores will tell you, the answer is a resounding “Yes!”.
Indeed, we still have a way to go but it must be acknowledged that we are not living in the 1960s where blacks (you were allowed to call them that back then) and whites had separate drinking fountains, restrooms, etc. We are also not living in earlier times where neither women nor blacks were allowed to vote (let alone even begin to consider running for public office).
So, back to the question of privilege. As I grew into adulthood some events transpired in my life (which I take complete responsibility for) that caused me to be out on my own at a very young age. I had challenges with chemical dependency, financial woes, divorce, etc. just like many Americans today. There was however a defining moment in my life that caused me to take stock of where I was and where I was headed. At that point I made a decision to pull myself up by my bootstraps and get with the program to become a productive member of society. Using the military as a personal development and career tool I was able to learn the skills and get the financial means to put myself through college. Not a dime came from family. I admit, I did have some additional help in the way of grants and scholarships due to my poverty at the time, but there was not a single grant or scholarship I received that was not available to any other citizen in the same financial status I was in. In fact, there were several that I did not qualify for specifically because I was white and male. Years spent working full time and going to school at night while also raising a family and meeting my obligation in the military eventually yielded me great rewards. I came from a poverty stricken background in which I literally had to walk to work because I had no other means of transportation, was always just one paycheck away from being tossed out on the street, to pulling down a six figure paycheck and having a net worth well above the national average for my age.
Let’s consider the “privilege” I had in this quest. Again, due to my own life choices, but nevertheless, I dropped out of high school at age 17 with only a 9th grade education (yeah, do the math – I wasn’t exactly a Rhodes Scholar in those days). The Army forced me as a condition of my enlistment to get my GED. I later decided that, since ditch digging and fast food were not my aspirations in life, I needed more of an education. My family did not contribute a dime to my college education. In many instances I was ineligible for grants and scholarships due to the fact that I was “too white”, “too male”, or made too much money, which was most puzzling since definitely I wasn’t feeling all that money coming in. Eventually I made it through not because of my whiteness or maleness, but in many cases in spite of it.
So, what does America owe anyone of any ethnicity, religious preference, or gender? First, let’s start off stating what it does not owe us. We are not entitled to any other means of transportation other than our own two feet. We should not expect a TV, a cell phone, a stereo, money for our vices, or any other non-essential items. We are not owed the privilege of dining out twice a week and being able to go to the movies whenever we want.
The basic rights we should have as Americans are that we should have a strong and secure country with borders that will be respected by other countries and non-citizens.
We should have immigration laws that protect America’s interests first, but also allow the same opportunity to other members of the world have as long as they go through the proper legal channels.
We should have safe and ubiquitous avenues of travel in the way of Interstate & state highways, and secondary roads as can be afforded by the localities.
We should have a government as free of fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption as is possible in a free society.
We should have freedom to live and express our religious and political views regardless of whether they agree with the current popular culture or not.
We should have a free market place in which we can all have a chance (note that I did not add the word “equal” in here – more on that later) to find our fortunes by providing goods and services that are useful to society and bring value back to the community.
We should have the right to educate our children in whatever way we see fit and not have them socialized by our public school system by teaching skewed moral values with no balance or offsetting opinions on fundamental life issues.
Yes, I'm white and male; and yes, I'm privileged. But NOT because I'm white or male, I'm privileged because I live in the greatest country in the history of mankind....
Yes, I’m middle aged, college educated and, most importantly, white - in an America where that is increasingly an affliction for which one must apologize for. Against the grain of popular opinion I will not.
I believe that modern day America is the richest, most privileged society in the history of mankind. What I don’t believe is that in the 21st Century, these privileges are limited to white males. In a time when there have been more African Americans (I suppose that’s what we’re “allowed” to call them these days – but that is subject to change without notice), females and other so-called minorities appointed to high level cabinet positions, CXO’s of corporations, Generals/Admirals in the military, etc. I have a hard time believing that privilege is beyond the grasp of these folks.
Does racism still exist in American? Of course! Will it always exist? Surely it will! As long as there are children being brought up in families where racism is taught there will be racism. That is a fact of life, deal with it! I did while going to grade school in Georgia where, as a white kid, I happened to be in the minority at the school I went to. I recall a specific event where several older black kids teamed up on my little brother while I was held back and made to watch as they beat him up – because he was white. Did this experience turn me into a racist? Of course not. It did, however, contribute to my life experiences which, in turn, shaped my life philosophy. Fortunately, later in life I had more positive experiences with African Americans and other minorities, both as a child and as an adult.
The bigger question here is whether we have made progress in America and, regardless of what the race baiting politicians and media whores will tell you, the answer is a resounding “Yes!”.
Indeed, we still have a way to go but it must be acknowledged that we are not living in the 1960s where blacks (you were allowed to call them that back then) and whites had separate drinking fountains, restrooms, etc. We are also not living in earlier times where neither women nor blacks were allowed to vote (let alone even begin to consider running for public office).
So, back to the question of privilege. As I grew into adulthood some events transpired in my life (which I take complete responsibility for) that caused me to be out on my own at a very young age. I had challenges with chemical dependency, financial woes, divorce, etc. just like many Americans today. There was however a defining moment in my life that caused me to take stock of where I was and where I was headed. At that point I made a decision to pull myself up by my bootstraps and get with the program to become a productive member of society. Using the military as a personal development and career tool I was able to learn the skills and get the financial means to put myself through college. Not a dime came from family. I admit, I did have some additional help in the way of grants and scholarships due to my poverty at the time, but there was not a single grant or scholarship I received that was not available to any other citizen in the same financial status I was in. In fact, there were several that I did not qualify for specifically because I was white and male. Years spent working full time and going to school at night while also raising a family and meeting my obligation in the military eventually yielded me great rewards. I came from a poverty stricken background in which I literally had to walk to work because I had no other means of transportation, was always just one paycheck away from being tossed out on the street, to pulling down a six figure paycheck and having a net worth well above the national average for my age.
Let’s consider the “privilege” I had in this quest. Again, due to my own life choices, but nevertheless, I dropped out of high school at age 17 with only a 9th grade education (yeah, do the math – I wasn’t exactly a Rhodes Scholar in those days). The Army forced me as a condition of my enlistment to get my GED. I later decided that, since ditch digging and fast food were not my aspirations in life, I needed more of an education. My family did not contribute a dime to my college education. In many instances I was ineligible for grants and scholarships due to the fact that I was “too white”, “too male”, or made too much money, which was most puzzling since definitely I wasn’t feeling all that money coming in. Eventually I made it through not because of my whiteness or maleness, but in many cases in spite of it.
So, what does America owe anyone of any ethnicity, religious preference, or gender? First, let’s start off stating what it does not owe us. We are not entitled to any other means of transportation other than our own two feet. We should not expect a TV, a cell phone, a stereo, money for our vices, or any other non-essential items. We are not owed the privilege of dining out twice a week and being able to go to the movies whenever we want.
The basic rights we should have as Americans are that we should have a strong and secure country with borders that will be respected by other countries and non-citizens.
We should have immigration laws that protect America’s interests first, but also allow the same opportunity to other members of the world have as long as they go through the proper legal channels.
We should have safe and ubiquitous avenues of travel in the way of Interstate & state highways, and secondary roads as can be afforded by the localities.
We should have a government as free of fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption as is possible in a free society.
We should have freedom to live and express our religious and political views regardless of whether they agree with the current popular culture or not.
We should have a free market place in which we can all have a chance (note that I did not add the word “equal” in here – more on that later) to find our fortunes by providing goods and services that are useful to society and bring value back to the community.
We should have the right to educate our children in whatever way we see fit and not have them socialized by our public school system by teaching skewed moral values with no balance or offsetting opinions on fundamental life issues.
Yes, I'm white and male; and yes, I'm privileged. But NOT because I'm white or male, I'm privileged because I live in the greatest country in the history of mankind....