Lina Hoffbauer's long-awaited dissertation featuring examples hints of "white privilege" has finally gone from the nebulous world of accusations without cause to the more tactile world of written accusations...without cause
Subtle and hidden racism; the coach sitting the only non-white girl on the bench while every single other girl got to play, the job interview where you were the best candidate but didn’t get the job (you have a feeling…), the accusation of theft, the white people staring at your family while you eat, etc.Apparently, no white people have ever not gotten a job where they "had a feeling" they were the best candidate. It's a good thing too, otherwise we would...hey, wait, nevermind, that does happen. Maybe a black person got "our" job! I think I just found a solid undeniable case of black privilege [putting it in bold was my idea... yeah, that's right, I'm creative! -ed]. You can't possibly pro or con this: if the minority claims he had a feeling he didn't get the job, then that's that: nothing anybody else can ever say otherwise!
Back in 2007, Canada was one of four countries that voted against UN’s Aboriginal Declaration. Reason stated: the broad wording “appeared to give native communities sweeping powers that could contravene existing law”. Heaven forgive giving some power back to a nation of people that were robbed of it through the European settlement of Canada.Heaven forbid somebody can talk about the history of Canada without forwarding the patent untruth that Indians in Canada were "robbed" of their land and/or power. You'd almost think that, unique amoungst all the peoples of the world who's territory has been at some point fought or even contested for, where some sort of struggle for political power has taken place, two hundred and fifty years later Indians are still somehow completely incapable of getting over it. You'd almost think that, of course, but you would be wrong, because...well, let's face that there is no because. The most recent example that you can point to and challenge this assertion is Palestinians, and let's be honest: they've robbed quite enthusiastically from the Indian playbook. They have Judenhass as a constant feeder that Indians ("aboriginals" in the equally inaccurate vernacular) are without, but you can see much of the same trends rearing their ugly head from time to time.
Systemic racism and discrimination affects the Aboriginal community directly within the justice system; the proportion of Aboriginals in prison demonstrates this point.No, it most definately does not "demonstrate this point". It doesn't even provide an evidential basis for further investigations. What, pray tell, is wrong with the current proportion of Indians in prison? And I don't mean by its numbers relative to its share of the population, as that's frankly an offensively simplistic measure by people who hope you haven't bothered to put any thought into it. Is the current proportion significantly higher than the proportion of Indian criminals? Indian defendants? What ratio is being looked at here? With the wrong ratio being highlighted, nothing at all has been demonstrated.
In my previous post on this topic, I provided a couple of examples where Indians had special privileges within the justice system. Meanwhile here's a special racial privilege granted only to Indians and Metis right here in Alberta. Hey look! This is Indian Privilege! Unlike "white privilege" I can actually show it to exist. It's right there in the link.
Now www.racismfreeedmonton.ca has removed reference to ‘white privilege’ and replaced it with ‘institutional’ and ‘systemic’ and ‘individual’ racism explanations; a very valid and strong explanation but a bit of a disservice to the Aboriginal community. The ‘white privilege’ in Canada that most strongly impacts their lives has been swept under the rug again.Lina, in her comments to my earlier post, accused me of being "not prepared for a reasonable and mature discussion". Readers may remember that both on Twitter and in that post, I continually asked for an answer to the obvious question: where is my legal privileges granted to me for being white? If, I argued, no solid grounds of white privilege could be found, then the concept deserved to die. Not just be "swept under the rug": killed off. Thrown about like so much garbage.
The "Aboriginal community" already has treaty rights not granted to other blood relations of long-established white families who deserve just as much special credit for being the first in North America as they did. We see that from a 'justice' perspective in Caledonia how little privilege the peaceful white townspeople were afforded. Ditto in Oka (and those were French white people in Quebec, surely the group that would have been voted most likely to obtain some white privilege once and a while). As the previous link shows, in Alberta we see what white privilege gets you on a hunting license.
Find some nice juicy court cases, or some pieces of legislation, and then we can talk. Until then, its "white persecution", not "white privilege", which is plainly in full affect.
