Comments on: Thank You, White People

By: ker69

ker69 — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:50:16 +0000

hey, we all human are same we all have brain, red blood, hands, legs and other things that i can’t mention here. it’s all the same people, when will you realize it. Don’t blame to the past mistake done by ancestors to the new generation. That’s like blaming others for your mistake. Don’t blame America for the problem of drugs and crime in Black community, you know without anyone’s self decision you can’t make them take drugs.

may god bless you

By: Lala

Lala — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:09:38 +0000

Wow I just came across this. Let me throw out my favorite feminist annoyance. When WOC speak our trues they dismiss us as “the oppression Olympics”. No fair having experiences not theirs!

By: the angry black woman

the angry black woman — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 01:19:10 +0000

This post is now almost 8 months old. And while I appreciate that people are still reading it and wanting to share their reactions, after 350 comments I really feel like this conversation needs to move on. Not that the issues brought up here have been discussed completely and are done, but that they are being discussed in newer posts with fresh perspective. Therefore, I am not going to approve any new comments here. If you feel the need to say something about it, find the latest post and engage with that one, not this one. If you cannot do that, then you’re SOL.

Thanks.

By: Liz Y

Liz Y — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:16:24 +0000

Thank you for writing this. My first reaction when reading this was slight indignation (as a white person) but really… I read earlier tonight a defense of feminism that essentially states “even if only one person is a problem, it is still a problem.” I don’t know how much of a problem there is with racism today. I simply have no idea.

II don’t know how it feels to be black in America, or how it feels to be mostly white and only a little African and still labeled “black,” or how it feels to be a black woman in America, where you may not be seen as ladylike or as a welfare queen or any number of other stereotypes. So really, how much indignation should I be feeling?

So… thanks for giving me something to think about. And for being an eloquent writer.

By: Geraldo Jenkins

Geraldo Jenkins — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 04:02:48 +0000

IN response to Butchsly, that is exactly it. more than anything, black people don’t want all white people to suffer, its just the acknowledgment of all the wrongdoing, and a challenge for you to reevaluate your experiences and position in society, to get outside of your whitewashed clouded views on life and understand even for a possible split second what it feels like to be black and a descendant of the horrible aspects history , how we’re still being affected by it, the fact that people still write these types of blogs is a testimony to the pain still being felt. the object is not to accuse all whites of evil, but your current position in society is a result of the evil-doing of the people who look like you, and the fact that you still benefit from it whether you are racist or not. obviously, not every white person is the problem; but there are an untold number of whites who inhabit/did inhabit such hate, and even moreso who benefit from it, whether racist or not. ergo, no matter what your personal feelings are in regards to race, more often than not, when a black person looks at you, the history plays over and over again in their head because blacks are ALWAYS aware of their race and societal perceptions, while most whites (statistically) are often unaware because its a non issue, unless they find themselves to be a minority somewhere (fat chance). the best thing you could do for a black person is to get on their level and attempt to understand them; we’re not asking for your houses and your first born (although, understandably, you could imagine why some people would advocate for that, but again, hate begets hate, and nothing will really rewrite the wrongs of the past). take the time to understand black people, instead of listening to your racist parents/grandparents/friends, or media (obviously, all whites don’t have racist families, but you get the gist of what i’m saying). Don’t expect us to “be like you” or “just get over it and move on”…and more than anything else, don’t use Barack Obama as a bailout…his election does not extinguish centuries of hate, rape, murder, and cruelty. take the time to understand that the complexity of the present day is NOT written in a nearby textbook.

By: Juan

Juan — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:59:47 +0000

Thank you, white people

Not even a full day passed after the election and all ready I get the “I expect no more complaints from *you people*” line and funky looks despite your bullshitin “post-racism” rhetoric.

Thank you and what the fuck is wrong with “you people”!

By: butchsly

butchsly — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:41:58 +0000

hey everyone,

haven’t read all the comments…yet. but getting there. just letting y’all know that I’m a white person reading this blog, and I’m listening. I’m trying in my own life to address my privelege and racist training and challenge the racism around me, individually and structurally. I’m doing my best to learn, and really *get it* and I’ll let my actions be judged by POC as to whether I am an ally or not.

Keep on writin!

By: sahlem

sahlem — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:53:45 +0000

one white lady accosted me for calling her, privleged saying that for generations, her her family had been poor, that she and her siblings had never known anywealth or comfort growing up,…..and yes in that right she was correct in her indignation, i mean, are there no whites who suffer from poverty and oppression, of course there are ….and she continued in stating that she too was an decendant of German immgrants who came here on a ship from Europe only to endure crippling hardships in pursuit of the american dream. But then i cut in before she could continue to recant her history to me, i interrupted in saying…” they came here” …… “they came here of there own free will and were never packed into sweltering compartments at the base of the ship in chains” and right then ,was the Aha! moment . i continued to point out that had she stated her family were German and that she knew that much about her heritage… and that in its self was a privlege in comparison to the african american who was strip of his name and maintains no recollection of his true brithage and history….. our heritage is that we are children of slaves who know not whence we came and the stigma that comes along with being viewed as less worthy…. so yes, in that light, she too was able to concede that white people are privleged ….also with the understanding that the social system works better for her, than it ever will for me, a black male.

By: sahlem

sahlem — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:59:57 +0000

why do white people think that a mere appology is surfficient for slavery and all the toils and heartache impounded on the the black man! i mean.. ok saying sorry is the first step……but then what ?? is that it ?, your sorry ! .. when we still continue to suffer the effects of inequality and inferiority, as you go on to enjoy the privleges of the labours of our ancestors, continue to live in comfort off the bounty, and the stolen legacy and resources of our home Africa, you annihilated the true custodians of this country, the Native Amercian and all you can say is sorry!! …you could do a lot more than that… and if you dont, then the evil committed by your ancestors continues to thrive within YOU!! and thus you are just as bad!

By: This Is-sad

This Is-sad — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:22:08 +0000

As a black woman, I agree that whites have been the downfall of many generations of blacks in our past, and I say our past because I was born in the 80′s, so I have yet to see my family members hanging from trees or drowning from being thrown from a slave ship, but I digress…

However, there were also MANY whites that died along with us in the abolition movement that made it possible for us to be free, and many whites that died in the freedom marches so we could drink out of the same fountains, go to the same schools, and get good jobs…and I happen to be a firm believer that those blacks and whites died in vain just so we could become IGNORANT from 1975-2008, of which i don’t believe we were before because our ancestors faught too hard to make a future for us, only to blame whites for our present mishaps. You need to get over being angry and do more helping our people get back what we lost in the fight to become free……our brains!

I some how believe that we had more unity and a stronger will to acheive during segregation. Who do you blame that on? We were always offered the short end of the stick, that doesn’t mean we have to take it! And I’m truly tired of hearing rants about stuff we weren’t alive to see. The Jews almost got wiped out, 6 million in fact, and to this day people would like to try to wipe them out again and yet they still remain the wealthiest most intelligent group of people. I could go down the list of poor unfortunate ethnic groups that could (and do) complain about the white man’s raping and pillaging, however they have seemed to ban together as a community to try and be better than what they have been made out to be…so how does being angry help our current situation?