Marcus, I can think of instances where I've been on the receiving end of sexism, racism, and nationalism. I say that truthfully.
Has it affected my confidence? Momentarily maybe. Long term? No. I'm perfectly fine having a handful of memories where I was discriminated against. It didn't have a massive impact on my life.
To be honest Marcus, your comment comes across as a bit of white mans guilt - again, another concept to segregate people, control them, and make them feel isolated.
But I guess according to Damian, I'm just ignorant or unaware of the benefits I've experienced because of my skin colour. Yeah, sure... dealing with a dead father at the age of 15, a mother that hated me, two sisters that hated me, no job prospects, no education, no money, no friends... yeah... I had some real benefits because I happened to have been born white... btw... something I had absolutely no control over.
I just don't see any reason for me to feel sympathy or guilt over the fact that I'm a white male, and other people aren't. Preposterous.
Drew, welcome to the club of feeling discriminated against! I know where you're coming from and I sympathize with your struggles, however I think you missed some big points illustrated in the previous posts before Damian came in. Damian's post is an explanation as to how feminism came to be and some thoughts about how women across cultural, ethnic groupings are socialized in a manner that mets the needs of society, not necessarily the needs of the individual. Society should never be equated with "patriarch," unless specifically stated, but less-educated or feminists responding to "dire" situations frequently make this assumption. Feminism that is true to the idealistic regards of its historical foundation as well as its subsequent affiliations (Civil Rights, GLBT movement, etc.) should not only route for basic equality and mobility of women, but should STRIVE to reach this goal for ALL PEOPLES, which includes the white male. Any other movement that calls itself "feminism" and does not adhere to this is doing it wrong, and should be ashamed. We should be out for that betterment of HUMANity, even if it may first emerge from the feminine perspective.
To be honest, and I'm not saying this to be a cunt or a bitch, your response to Marcus is a bit lacking depth, and to call it as "white man's guilt" I feel is shallow. To say that is something akin to the pimply faced trolls of 4chan, not knowing the world outside of mom's basement and only getting to know a "woman's touch" through computer mouse and their left hand, which seeing your previous post, I know that you are not like
While white man's guilt is undoubtably real, its a condition that could be more readily changed compared to sexism or racism because it is not as deeply engrained into our constantly evolving society and culture. In fact, it's something that could quickly change depending on the 2012 election.
I'm curious too about your gf, is she a Japanese national or born in the US? You should really talk with her about this stuff at some point, because women's conditions with regard to the West are still pretty skewed on a WEIRD level (thick glass ceiling, expectation of being a housewife and mom, but traditionally controlling the finances of the home and pleasure being placed on the women during sex) If you get a chance, read this book, gives some cool insights:
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/The-Secrets-Mariko-Japanese-Family/dp/0679772626/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339813919&sr=8-1&keywords=secrets+of+mariko[/ame]
Perhaps some of the white males experiencing discrimination are not actually being attacked for their race, but because they are acting like assholes. I wish /b/ would look at this
I worked for a grocery store in an extremely wealthy, largely white suburb outside of Manhattan, my co-workers were mostly Latin American immigrants. There was definitely a level of having to prove myself in the store, and maybe being white was part of it, but also a need for building trust of my co-workers who had experienced violent racism and hate in the past (both state-side and in their home countries) While some of the clientele there were pretty good, we definitely had some over-privileged assholes who lashed out on how "these illegal Mexicans can't maintain or do anything right." If I experienced such unconditional, yet vehement hate on that level on a regular basis, I would most certainly develop a stigma against someone, which a natural defense and a way of self-presevation. Perhaps your bosses were acting out of a response to racism in a past? Or maybe they truly looked down on white people, which is fucked up. I don't want to minimize your experiences, but you have to look at all the conditions: your's, your bosses, and then try to develop the reality of the situation.
Guys, I reiterate this too, if I am being a bitch or being too one-sided or personal attacking, please let me know, I know my personal experiences, but I want to understand YOUR personal experiences, and I want you to at lest know mine, as a woman.
