#WhatILearntThisWeek
There is a lot of talk about white privilege + racism + sexism and wether or not they are currently a problem in our society. I think they are.
It is so easy to say that prejudice does not exist when you’re in a position of power. A middle aged white man will not likely see the roadblocks and obstacles in the way of women in the workplace. A person who is of the majority race cannot fully understand the toll casual and overt racism has on minorities. A very wealthy person who has never experienced poverty cannot understand why poor people don’t just get a job and get ahead.
Looking down from the top of the pyramid is not a complete view. They cannot see the struggles, hurt and damage done by their own prejudice. They are so clueless that they can’t even see their own prejudice.
Bill O’Reilly (one of the most clueless men of ‘power’ and influence) recently suggested that racism no longer exists because of America’s dominance in the Olympics. What one thing has to do with the other is beyond me. I will believe racism is over when minorities, NOT the white majority, say that it is. I’m sure Bill doesn’t experience a lot of racism in his daily life so what would he know about it.
I recently had a robust discussion with someone about the different ways girls and boys are educated about sex and what is deemed “acceptable” for each. He told me that girls were now treated the same as boys and that ‘slut shaming’ no longer existed. I know this is not true. A guy who sleeps around is still some kind of legend and a woman who does the same is labelled a “slut”. A guy can’t see the discrepancy because he is on the ‘winning’ side. He might not have a problem with the sex lives of his female friends but I assure you that a large vocal section of our society still does.
The next time you’re sitting in judgement on someone, try to think about your perspective and if you can indeed see all of the obstacles someone else might see from another angle.
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