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Originally Posted by meraxes
Are you calling whites in America a "more privileged category"? In what way? What "power" do they have over non-whites?
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Yes.
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
Excerpts:
5. I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed.
20. I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.
21. I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group.
34. I can worry about racism without being seen as self-interested or self-seeking.
44. I can easily find academic courses and institutions which give attention only to people of my race.
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I'm not aware of any other laws that make a distinction based on the colour of the skin.
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Laws are not needed to enforce overwhelming social practices; after racially discriminatory laws were banned,
sundown towns maintained themselves through unwritten agreements and social pressure.
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Meanwhile, for whites themselves the race issue is a minefield and the best strategy is to just shut up, lest something completely innocent be interpreted as "racial slur" - and then nothing less would suffice than a tumble of embarrassed disclaimers.
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The best strategy would be "shut up" only if racism were gone.
Since it's not, the best strategy is to be aware how much racism has shaped society, and fight against the "small" aspects of it that hold the larger bigotries in place.