"White Privilege" Lesson Draws Nat'l Attention

[Radarma]

 http://thegrio.com/2013/01/17/white-privilege-lesson-in-wisconsin-high-school-draws-national-attention/

As most of you know, I am greatly interested in how we are handling discussions regarding race and class within our schools.  

What do you think of the parent's concerns in this story? And how do you feel about the material and how it is presented?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

National attention has been drawn to a Wisconsin high school’s “American Diversity” course after one parent alleged that students are being taught white people are oppressors of minorities, reports Fox News.

One parent of a Delavan-Darien High School student spoke to Fox News.

“They’re teaching white guilt.  They’re dividing the students,” this parent told said.  ”They’re saying to non-whites, ‘You have been oppressed and you’re still being oppressed.’”

The parent, who requested to remain anonymous, claims she became alarmed by the content on some handouts that her 18-year-old son brought home from school.

A class handout defines “white privilege” as:

A set of advantages that are believed to be enjoyed by white people beyond those commonly experienced by non-white people in the same social, political, and economic spaces (nation, community, workplace, income, etc.)

Students were also instructed to visit the toy section of a local Wal-Mart, where they were to count the number of white dolls versus the number of black dolls.

School district superintendent, Robert Crist told Fox that “a lot of red flags go u in my mind when I look at the materials.  Her concern has merit.”

“Ideally, you would want to present one theory that might be way on the left and another theory that may be way on the right and if you find one in the middle you can present that, too,” he continued. “Now you have a well-rounded discussion in my opinion.”

Crist noted that the course has been suspended, while it is under review.

 

[survivorinohio]

A few hours ago I said find a little town like Cadiz , you have not and likely will not.  East Cleveland is comparable in population with Steubenville but it sure isnt a small town.  Its an urban environment and ya its a pocket. 

What would you call it?

Quoting Lizard_Lina:

Really? Because a few hours ago there were zero places in Ohio now there are pockets.....

Quoting survivorinohio:

[Lizard_Lina]

No, you flat said find me any place in Ohio and that I wouldn't be able to. Then I found you a place. Then that place wasn't good enough because I said Nashville wasn't comparable because its a major city. I asked if you wanted me to research all the little cities, you never said yes. Is that a request then?

Quoting survivorinohio:

A few hours ago I said find a little town like Cadiz ,
you have not and likely will not.  East Cleveland is comparable in
population with Steubenville but it sure isnt a small town.  Its an
urban environment and ya its a pocket. 

What would you call it?

Quoting Lizard_Lina:

Really? Because a few hours ago there were zero places in Ohio now there are pockets.....

Quoting survivorinohio:

[OHgirlinCA]

***sigh***

Quoting Lizard_Lina:

And obviously you are only aware of the west side... Which is a little sad. And saying Avon vs Avon lake is like saying mentor to mentor on the lake or mayfield village vs mayfield heights. the point was not that all places around Cleveland are predominately black the point was that at any given time you can jump from majority to minority being the majority. Not that there are no white neighborhoods.

Quoting OHgirlinCA:

 It's Avon Lake, not Avon.  They're two separate cities.  You mentioned North Ridgeville.  I mentioned my hometown and the suburbs of Cleveland around there that were mainly White.  Lakewood, as I'm sure you know, is next to Cleveland.  I went from that suburb all the way out to Lorain.  I didn't mention Rocky River, or Sheffield Lake, but I could add those in too if you'd like.  All have a white majority.  Even if Lorain only has a 55% white majority, it is still greater than the Hispanic, Black, Asian, and other groups both separately speaking and as a whole. 

You obviously have no idea what you're talking about when it comes to the racial makeup of the Cleveland area, even though you reside there.  I find that a little sad.

Quoting Lizard_Lina:

First of all when did I mention bay village, Avon, or lakewood?
Second 55% is almost half, I would hardly call that a majority if the other half is "minority"
And my bad on one city.

Quoting OHgirlinCA:

 Whites make up 92.6% of North Ridgeville's population, 94% of Avon Lake's population, 98.05% of Bay Village's population, 85.1% of Lakewood's population, and 55% of Lorain's population. 

Yes,  Whites are indeed the majority in all of these cities, and these are just a few.

Quoting Lizard_Lina:

Yea? I live here.... And no.... They're not

Quoting OHgirlinCA:

 Um... I grew up in a suburb of Cleveland.  I can assure you that the majority in my hometown and in the surrounding areas were, and still are, White, including North Ridgeville.

Quoting Lizard_Lina:

Akron, Warren, Toledo, Cleveland, Bedford, Brooklyn, Cleveland Heights, East Cleveland, Lyndhurst, South Euclid, Wickliffe, Painesville, Richmond, Willoughby, north ridgeville, lorain..... There's a couple directions for you, in varying travel times, where its pretty evenly mixed if not mostly minority. You know where white becomes a noticeable majority again? The rural areas and the areas close to the rural areas. If I want to go downtown I am most definately not a majority. And for half an hour in any direction, still not a majority.

Quoting survivorinohio:

You dont have to go far to be the majority again.  If your travel Detroit avenue out towards w 165 you dont see many minority again. 

Even if you go to an all black school as my dd did there are still places you go where you would be the majority again.  White people can easily find those places where as for Blacks and other minorities they are few and far between.

Quoting Lizard_Lina:

And in places where white is not?

Quoting survivorinohio:

I never said it was because of racism.  White privelege exists not because it was decided or instated but because white is the majority. 

Quoting Lizard_Lina:

My issue is that its not because its racist that stores carry varrying amounts of product for different races it is because of the demographics. Even if the majority are still the minority, if that minority is say 30% vs 8% the chances of the store carrying items that cater to that minority are greater in the 30% area vs the 8%. It has nothing to do with white priveledge. My point was in areas where whites are a minority the situation is switched. How many white barbies dolls do you think are sold in east Cleveland? As a resilt how many stores there do you think carry white barbies dolls due to their low demand? That is the point.

Quoting survivorinohio:

So what is your issue?

Obviously in a majority of metro areas African Americans are a minority.  Because of this there are not the same privileges or experiences.  Why is that even arguable?

Because in select location whites may be the minority?  How many places do you really think thats true and how does it override the fact that in the majority of the country its not true at all?.

Quoting Lizard_Lina:

Would you like me to look for the demographics in every tiny town? You asked for any city on Ohio with demographics higher than 80%. I did. If you'd like more, ill find more.

Quoting survivorinohio:

I already posted about E cleveland I acknowledge you are correct about the % there but the population is closer to stuebenville not Cadiz.  Cadiz is a tiny town.

Quoting Lizard_Lina:

I just did, east Cleveland. Even they have a population higher than cadiz and *gasp* 93% aa.

Quoting survivorinohio:

Ok show me a town where 83% are AA and less than 20 white. Good luck.

Quoting Lizard_Lina:

I didn't realize cadiz was a major city now. You cannot compare major cities to towns. It's apples to oranges.

Quoting survivorinohio:

 looked for you and the largest population of African Americans in a city is Memphis Tenn where they are 46% of the population.  Far cry from 80% or more.

 

 

 

[survivorinohio]

My only request would be that you think about the term that ultimately we are discussing.  Consider it for how it has been explained and for how you percieve it.  Thats my only request lol.  I have done the same thinking I am asking you to do.  I have come to understand what it is people like MamaJenn are talking about a lot better than I did before as a result.

Quoting Lizard_Lina:

No, you flat said find me any place in Ohio and that I wouldn't be able to. Then I found you a place. Then that place wasn't good enough because I said Nashville wasn't comparable because its a major city. I asked if you wanted me to research all the little cities, you never said yes. Is that a request then?

Quoting survivorinohio:

A few hours ago I said find a little town like Cadiz ,
you have not and likely will not.  East Cleveland is comparable in
population with Steubenville but it sure isnt a small town.  Its an
urban environment and ya its a pocket. 

What would you call it?

Quoting Lizard_Lina:

Really? Because a few hours ago there were zero places in Ohio now there are pockets.....

Quoting survivorinohio:

[Lizard_Lina]

Fair enough

Quoting survivorinohio:

My only request would be that you think about the term that ultimately we are discussing.  Consider it for how it has been explained and for how you percieve it.  Thats my only request lol.  I have done the same thinking I am asking you to do.  I have come to understand what it is people like MamaJenn are talking about a lot better than I did before as a result.

Quoting Lizard_Lina:

No, you flat said find me any place in Ohio and that I wouldn't be able to. Then I found you a place. Then that place wasn't good enough because I said Nashville wasn't comparable because its a major city. I asked if you wanted me to research all the little cities, you never said yes. Is that a request then?

Quoting survivorinohio:

A few hours ago I said find a little town like Cadiz ,

you have not and likely will not.  East Cleveland is comparable in

population with Steubenville but it sure isnt a small town.  Its an

urban environment and ya its a pocket. 

What would you call it?

Quoting Lizard_Lina:

Really? Because a few hours ago there were zero places in Ohio now there are pockets.....

Quoting survivorinohio:

[candlegal]

I didn't miss anything.   I am white, I was born that way, nothing I can do to change it.  Should I feel guilty because of it?  I don't.  I have been discriminated against as a woman, I got over it.

Quoting Ms.KitKat:

 You missed the whole point. This is a lesson to those who have never had the good fortune(haha) to experience discrimination or prejidice. It's a lesson in self-awareness and personal responsibilty.

Quoting candlegal:

According to some on here, Never.  Don't you know it is always easier to blame other people and to stay a victim?

Quoting MeAndTommyLee:

I'd want it removed because it is unjustifiably inflammable to the white race in this century.  If they wish to include a broader history of how this was once an accurate assumption -- fine; but we have been actively correcting the heinous mistakes of our forefathers since the Great Emancipator himself, Abraham Lincoln.  In addition, MLK, JFK and many countless others throughout history who moved mountains to correct the injustice; and some paying with their very lives.  Additionally, affirmative action has been upheld by the Supreme Court etc.  When exactly do the reins pass to the persons that feel they are being oppressed to extend their own destinies?

Quoting pansyprincess:

 I agree with what you wrote, except the bolded part.  I am white, so are my children.  We are certainly not oppressing anyone, so I don't feel any guilt.

But I think it's important to teach my children about how there is a certain level of white priviledge, and we need to be aware of it, and we need to work to make sure that everyone is treated equally.  Why would you want it removed?

Quoting MeAndTommyLee:

I am white and feel no guillt, my children feel no guilt.  We are not oppressing anyone by the mere color of our skin.  I regard this material as propaganda and would petition for it to be removed from the school.  

 

[Radarma]

Hey c, see the press this week on wisconsin wanting whites to wear privilege wristbands?

[Ms.KitKat]

 This is an old argument? Who dragged this out of the waste can? (where it should stay quite frankly- aren't "we" tired of beating this dead horse already????????) I still stand by my statement. This has nothing to do with feeling guilty.

Quoting candlegal:

I didn't miss anything.   I am white, I was born that way, nothing I can do to change it.  Should I feel guilty because of it?  I don't.  I have been discriminated against as a woman, I got over it.

Quoting Ms.KitKat:

 You missed the whole point. This is a lesson to those who have never had the good fortune(haha) to experience discrimination or prejidice. It's a lesson in self-awareness and personal responsibilty.

Quoting candlegal:

According to some on here, Never.  Don't you know it is always easier to blame other people and to stay a victim?

Quoting MeAndTommyLee:

I'd want it removed because it is unjustifiably inflammable to the white race in this century.  If they wish to include a broader history of how this was once an accurate assumption -- fine; but we have been actively correcting the heinous mistakes of our forefathers since the Great Emancipator himself, Abraham Lincoln.  In addition, MLK, JFK and many countless others throughout history who moved mountains to correct the injustice; and some paying with their very lives.  Additionally, affirmative action has been upheld by the Supreme Court etc.  When exactly do the reins pass to the persons that feel they are being oppressed to extend their own destinies?

 

Quoting pansyprincess:

 I agree with what you wrote, except the bolded part.  I am white, so are my children.  We are certainly not oppressing anyone, so I don't feel any guilt.

But I think it's important to teach my children about how there is a certain level of white priviledge, and we need to be aware of it, and we need to work to make sure that everyone is treated equally.  Why would you want it removed?

Quoting MeAndTommyLee:

I am white and feel no guillt, my children feel no guilt.  We are not oppressing anyone by the mere color of our skin.  I regard this material as propaganda and would petition for it to be removed from the school.