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I know that this is all rather late, because as we speak, the candidacy of Sarah Palin for vice-president, is floundering already. And frankly, after the Katie Couric interview (did you SEE it?) I’m just feeling sorry for her, so it almost feels like talking about her at this point is just cruel. But, then again, I’ve wondered about the mental functioning of other candidates for president and Lo and Behold they became our Dear Leader and sooooooooooo, perhaps I should go on the record as saying…
Yes, I am a mother with a whole flock of kids following me. Yes, I was a bit pleased when Sarah Palin mentioned breast pumping because Hey, any reference to breastfeeding is welcome, even when it’s pumped milk. And yes, at first glance I’m sure many people write me off as ‘soccer mom’ or ‘hockey mom’ as we all spill out of our minivan. And finally yes, because we homeschool, I’m sure many folks of our acquaintance think we might have a christian ideology (it probably doesn’t help that I use words like ‘folks’ either. But hear this, I will never use the words ‘guys and gals’ at least not ever again.) Even with all that common ground, It’s important to say that Sarah Palin doesn’t speak for me, AT ALL. NOT ONE BIT. Now, I don’t always see eye to eye with the candidates I vote for, being a liberal homeschooler I figure everyone I like will need to be re-educated about education. But, we’re done with the neo-con world view, we HAVE to be. And what those guys and gals (sorry! I couldn’t resist ;o) have done to our country is just unconscionable.
In case I didn’t make it clear, I’m not harboring any resentment that Sarah Palin is a ‘working’ mother. I have many friends who mix work and mothering. Usually for two very valid reasons, either their family is desperate for the money and she HAS to do it, or mom has a career for which she has trained her whole life and she’s passionate about it and HAS to do it, or both. Sarah Palin’s candidacy for vice-president has nothing to do with either of those things. And she has a baby at home. There you go, I said it, I would have paid her some respect if she had said, “you know, guys and gals, I appreciate you offering me the chance to be vice-president, but right now I’m only 44 and I’ve got a baby at home, so how ’bout in a few years we talk about it again?” But, I would’ve still disagreed on just about every ISSUE. so oh well.
Yesterday, reader Esperanza (hi!), wrote to me and said, “I realize you are probably a White woman, however you fight all sorts of issues, however I have yet to see one on your fighting something like systematic racism or prejudice. Please give it some thought…. thanks” and the funny thing is I had just read this wonderful article (thanks Jill!):
This is Your Nation on White Privilege
September, 14 2008By Tim Wise
For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.
* White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.
* White privilege is when you can call yourself a “fuckin’ redneck,” like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you’ll “kick their fuckin’ ass,” and talk about how you like to “shoot shit” for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.
* White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.
* White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re “untested.”
* White privilege is being able to say that you support the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance because “if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me,” and not be immediately disqualified from holding office–since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the “under God” part wasn’t added until the 1950s–while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.
* White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you. White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was “Alaska first,” and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you’re black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.
* White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do–like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor–and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college–you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.
* White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a “second look.”
* White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.
* White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.
* White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a “trick question,” while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.
* White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it a “light” burden.
* And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole “change” thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.White privilege is, in short, the problem.
Tim Wise is the author of White Like Me (Soft Skull, 2005, revised 2008), and of Speaking Treason Fluently, publishing this month, also by Soft Skull. For review copies or interview requests, please reply to publicity@softskull.com
Also, an essay on the ‘family values’ of Barack and Michelle Obama (thanks Jennifer!):
The Obama Relationship: A Major Benefit Nobody’s Talking About
by Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks
Posted September 26, 2008 | 08:50 AM (EST)One of the greatest benefits of an Obama presidency is hidden in plain
sight: the relationship between Michelle and Barack. They provide a great
role model of a healthy relationship, at a time when such models are sorely
needed.For example…
Imagine having a president who is not distracted from the nation’s business
by the stresses of secrets in the presidential marriage.Imagine having a president who likes his partner and values her as an equal,
a president who touches his wife affectionately in public and actually
listens to her when she talks!Fortunately we don’t have to imagine it, because we already have that
potential at the tip of our voting fingers. For Americans, one of the most
important aspects of an Obama presidency is being overlooked: the model of a
healthy relationship. In the 28 years of our own marriage, we’ve worked with
more than 4,000 couples in our office and seminars, so we have a reasonably
good idea of what kinds of behavior one sees in a healthy relationship. For
example, Michelle and Barack do something we’ve never seen before in a
presidential couple: they actually look directly at each other when they’re
speaking to each other. They also laugh at each other’s humor, and they
allow their sexual attraction for each other to be visible. Contrast that
with other presidential marriages, in which the sexual attraction to each
other was not visible but their sexual attraction to others became highly
visible. Michelle and Barack talk openly about their feelings for each
other. They’re real.Why would their relationship be a benefit to the American public and the
world at large? The main reason is that it would be genuinely useful to have
a visible, public role model of what a healthy relationship looks like. Over
the last fifty years there’s been a parade of not-so-great relationship
models in the White House. They range from idol-worship (Nancy’s
perpetually-adoring glaze, oops we mean gaze, at Ronnie) to the sternly
maternal façade of the first Mrs. Bush. We’ve witnessed White House
marriages strained to the breaking point by secrets. The country lost 50
million dollars and a year of the government’s focus because one president
actually did have sex with “that woman” but wouldn’t tell us the truth until
he was outed by DNA.How about Camelot? Many of us were fooled into thinking the Kennedys were
the very picture of a Perfect Relationship. There was a handsome, rich
Prince with knockout hair, coupled with a doll-Princess whose faraway smile
and breathy, little-girl voice made her seem heaven-sent. Unfortunately, it
was all just a fantasy. In reality, John was a serial philanderer and Jackie
was a chain-smoker who swore like a sailor and dropped the little-girl voice
the moment she walked off-stage. There’s no way to measure the productivity
that was lost because the president’s staff had to earn part of their
government salaries ushering women in and out of the White House, all with
exquisite timing (and with the look-the-other-way collusion of the media.)However, you don’t have to go back in that far in history to see a strange
or strained White House marriage. Have you ever seen the current occupant of
the White House speak, much less listen, to his wife in public? For example,
do we ever get to hear from the real Laura Bush, the one who disagrees
completely with the far-right views of her husband on such matters as
women’s reproductive rights? No, because she’s been muzzled, like most of
her predecessors, and sealed off behind the glazed smile of the Perfect
Presidential Wife.It’s high time we got to see an honest, loving, real relationship in the
White House. If you’re like us, you probably don’t want to spend the next
four years hearing how much the perfectly-coiffed Mrs. McCain has spent on
her outfit, which of their nine houses they’re weekending at or which of
their thirteen cars they’re wheeling around in. There’s something bigger to
worry about, though. If the actuarial tables have any predictive value, a
McCain presidency would soon become a Palin presidency, and that is a
scenario truly frightening to contemplate.President Palin would be desperately trying to comprehend and handle
business during one of the most trying times in our nation’s history, while
taking care of a special needs baby, riding herd on pregnant teenagers,
foul-mouthed hockey-jock son-in-laws and other household dramas. On the
brighter side, a Palin White House would provide one exciting possibility
for our increasingly tabloid-obsessed culture: the perfect capstone for
Jerry Springer’s career! He would make an ideal Chief of Staff or
Sergeant-At-Arms, charged with keeping the gun-totin’, hockey-stick-wielding
clan from wrecking the furniture (and each other) or blowing away a moose
for sport on the White House lawn.Here’s a better idea: Elect Barack Obama. That way, we get the gift of
seeing two people having an easeful friendship with each other. We get as a
role model two people who communicate with each other as equals and stand
beside each other as true partners. If we elect Barack Obama we are electing
a new possibility in our relationship lives as a nation: respect, affection
and authenticity. Michelle and Barack speak clearly and openly. You know she
won’t bullshit you or embarrass you by playing the demure little wife. We’re
ready to see that kind of relationship, and we hope you are, too. The
question is: are we as a nation ready to end our national addiction to
duplicity, phony adoration and Stepford wifedom in the White House? If not,
we’re going to get what we deserve.We have a chance now to make a real difference in the world. If we elect
Barack Obama, we can all focus on the critical challenges that must be met
now. Speaking personally, we feel a sense of warmth and pride when we think
about the support and love the Obamas have for each other. We breathe easier
when we see how they live their lives with balance, honesty and clarity.
They’re the real deal. In November, let’s give ourselves this new mirror of
our own value.
Lots to hope for this electoral season, huh?
xox,
Heather
The Katie Couric interview made it even more obvious than before how inept Sarah Palin is and yes…I’m a little embarrassed for her,too.
You have echoed my sentiments on just about everything here.As usual.
Thank you so much for posting those articles!
I am happy you’ve taken the mask off and are revealing your (comic) identity to the internets! However, could you please make your left margin a little bigger? It’s hard to read …
thanks.
And I forgot to say, yes, I too am embarrassed watching Sarah Palin. I don’t agree with her on *anything*, and she is totally unfit to be (vice) president of the country, and still I squirm and wish they’d leave the poor girl alone when she’s so lost in those interviews.
Good Palin post, and I gotta say, (like Obama says), we don’t even have to go to into the personal family stuff–she’s so incredibly incompetent as a candidate–I mean I haven’t seen anyone this bad since (Okay, W, but) DAN QUAIL…Thank Goodness for Tina Fey and the withering looks of Amy Poehler…except, honestly after I get done laughing I realize, F*@# this isn’t funny at all. This is super scary. I do not feel sorry for her–not one iota–she chose to say yes to the offer–now she’s fair game. I feel sorry for Charles Gibson and Katie Couric, who had to conduct those interviews without their eyes rolling permanently into the backs of their heads, or suffocating on their own swallowed gasps of incredulity.
wow… so am I the only conservative reader of this blog?
There is a lot I could say about the above articles, but I’ve always thought that hathor was about empowering moms and encouraging us to stand firm on our mothering instincts, no political strings attached.
guess I was wrong.
just a note to Heather- one does not have to be liberal/Democrat to believe in the wholesome benefits of breastfeeding/cosleeping/babywearing/natural lifestyles. as an author, you may want to remember the Audience part of writing/comic art- we aren’t all one breed and one size fits all. I think most of us come here to be informed and to be entertained while being reminded that we are not alone in our passion for motherhood. this reader for sure does not come here to read political crap articles that don’t even have sound facts or reasoning in them.
I have thoroughly enjoyed Hathor’s comics and blog, as I am an avid suppporteer of extended breastfeeding, nursing in public, co-sleeping, baby wearing, and eco-friendly choices.
Everyone has a right to their own opinion about politics. I used to carefully read and give thought to Hathor’s political musings; however after Mama endorsed the White Privelege article, I will no longer be doing so.
You do have a very wide range of political demographics who read and enjoy your blog, but you may now be alienating some of us.
There is a sound fact in the fact Palin’s husband has been part of a seperatist group. There is fact in the idea that a black man w/ a Harvard degree is elitist but a white woman who barely passed college is smart and competent.
She couldn’t speak coherently in the Couric interview.
As a mother she is not feeding her baby at the breast. (Would she be able to if she were not working and could spend more time trying to nurse? Hard to say.) As a mother she left her 17 year old behind while she went off to work. While she was away her daughter got pregnant. I’m sorry I can’t give her an A for parenting w/ those 2 things going on.
On the political side – she is ignorant. She is a hypocrite. She also created 2 new appointed salaried(non-elected) positions in Alaska and then essentially designated the majority of the job she was elected to do!
She is costing Alaska 3 salaries to do her job!
She is an embarassment – she is trying to juggle to many things and doing neither her job as a mother nor as govenor particuarly well. Nor, is she willing to admitt her limiatations.
Trishia – while I do agree with you to a point, I don’t think those articles are here because of their liberal viewpoint or because Heather assumes that attachment parenting moms want to vote for Obama. I think both of them are here for their pro-family reasoning.
In the examples, Palin is not exactly the best role model when it comes to “family values.” I think they are trying to explain that The Obamas are a much better example to set for our nation’s families. The other commentary in those articles is just the additional standpoint of the writers. Talking about candidates’ family values on a family blog makes sense to me.
How racism works:
What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said “I do” to? What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?
What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization? What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama were a member of the “Keating 5″? What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?
This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and maximizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.
http://digg.com/politics/Racism_is_alive_and_well_in_the_Red_heart_of_USA?t=18773559#c18773559
Trishia,
While I am independent I totally understand what you’re saying. I am pro-life. I guess I just didn’t realize so many mothers out there are not. I’ll never understand that. You won’t find me brandishing a tube of lipstick at a Palin support rally, and I don’t fit in with liberals either.
Also, I have several friends who the writer of that second article might think were “playing demure little wives,” but they AREN’T playing. They believe their role is to follow their husband’s lead, take care of the home, and generously care for their family–and they’re good at it! If it works for them, and their kids grow up in a secure, loving home, why is that wrong? I don’t think it is.
This circus of an election has already done so much damage (in the form of conflict between people who used to get along and help one another). It is just scary to think how this might end.
Trishia,
Well, the high power structure of the Republican party in its current incarnation has strayed rather far from actual, pro-family conservative values. The reason they call them neo-conservative is so they don’t have to actually conserve anything, after all.
That said, I know several conservatives in person, “ordinary citizens” all, and I believe they still cherish the values of conservatism, original recipe.
And, even though I am a liberal, a registered Democrat, and an ardent Obama supporter who thinks that putting Palin in the White House would be dangerous, I’m inclined to agree with you on the White Privilege article. It is vainglorious tripe aimed at giving an ego stroke to white liberals for our famous egalitarianism in supporting the candidate who shares our beliefs even though he’s *black*, while simultaneously painting conservative voters as slobbering racist buffoons.
Here was my first question when Heather brought up Palin: would you have condemned a man for seeking office while he had a five month old child?
I totally agree with Ambers comments, above.
And Trishia: I agree with you that being pro-family, pro-attachment parenting and pro-breastfeeding etc should and does cross political lines.
I really get hot under the collar when people (read: my friends) try to dismiss Palin’s candidacy with slurs about her personal life, or statements that “she should be home taking care of her baby.” If we wouldn’t ask it of the other candidate with small children at home (Obama) then I honestly think it’s b.s. to demand it of her.
That’s what I meant in my above post–her family life isn’t what concerns me. I am concerned by Palin’s neo-conservative politics and her (lack of) professional competency and readiness for the job.
And I really think those posted articles open a pathway to look at some of our unacknowledged/unconscious biases, which can only make us stronger and wiser as individuals and as a country. Thanks for sharing them, Heather.
I’ve truly sacrificed my career for my child. I’m feeling it now.. now that I’m gradually returning to the working world and seeing that the opportunities that I had when she was in my belly aren’t there now that she’s four. I am very happy with my choice. Attachment parenting practices were what happened to work out for my family. We are all happy and we are all contributing to society (in fact I do community organizing, among other jobs, volunteer and pay – very little pay). I don’t understand HOW a woman would feel “right” and focused, campaigning with a five month old.. but I have never judged Palin for that. When I heard the “abstinence only” politician’s kid got knocked up, I felt defensive for her and sorry for her girl, thinking of my own sister who got pregnant when she was a teen. But then Palin opened her mouth. Regardless of whether you are conservative or liberal (those terms HAVE been reversed) doesn’t really determine whether you like Palin. I agree with an above post.. the old-fashioned Republicans are all right. They DO stand for some good values – not spending what you don’t have, for example. Lincoln was Republican. I just don’t understand why republicans are choosing the people they are choosing, or when they are choosing them. I wish they had chosen McCain in 2000. THAT would have been a good choice. But now? Seriously, this IS about mothering. How can we, as mothers, not vote for Obama? I CRIED in 2004. Sat in my car and cried the morning after the election. I knew where things were going to go. I wanted to be wrong, but here we are. And now we have a better choice and a historical opportunity to boot. This election is a huge privilege for our generation.
No it’s not really about breastfeeding. But it IS about that little critter growing inside Heather who’s home is being sold.
I’ll stop rambling. I just want to say that Republicans and conservatives can and should vote for that Change guy.
I want to start by saying that I have always respected you. I made many of the mothering choices with my current child after being an avid reader for years. I believe I am a better mom because of the information and support you have provided through Hathor.
However, I am actually offended by the “White Privilege” part of your post. I understand that it is aimed at Sarah, but, I am a white middle class woman and I find it to be racially offensive to me. I am not a racist in any shape or form. In fact where I live now I would be considered the minority.
If I am proud of my heritage being Irish, Scottish and German, I am a White Extremist.
If I am proud that I came from a white family who barely made it through the depression area by farming in Kansas and now have the ability to be able to stay home with my children because my husband finally has a good paying job after 5 years of cowboying on ranches, I am now accused of being “White Privileged.”
I am constantly reminded that I should feel guilty because my ancestors had African American slaves, my “race” killed the American Indians, and so on. No my ancestors did not. My family wasn’t even here yet. In fact my Irish ancestors were probably slaves themselves in the coal mines. My Scottish ancestors slaves of the British and my German ancestors slaves of the Nazis.
We officially live in a multi-racial America. As long as we keep pointing fingers and saying your race is this and your race is that and not looking at the person themselves there will be racism.
I agree with many of the points the article made as far as the hypocisy of certain things being O.K. for one, but not the other, however “White Privilege”. Is not the issue. I believe all people should have the opportunity to make a better life for themselves and not made to feel guilty because they have succeeded.
In closing, “White privilege is, in short, the problem.” No, stupidity is.
Trishia – I agree.
I was kind of surprised at all the bashing of Palin when, whether you like her or don’t, you should pat her on the back for standing up for her beliefs and breaking through the all-male wall that stands between women and high political office.
And for all the liberal-mindedness, I have to shake my head at those who don’t understand that there is nothing wrong with Todd being a stay at home dad supporting his wife working when she did it for him for so many years.
Since she has taken Trig to work with her and will until he gets to be an older baby who needs the stimulation and freedom of home, I would assume she’s feeding him at the breast unless she can’t be there to feed him.
Everyone who is having an issue with the White Privilege article are living white privilege.
Lori is right on the money, answer those questions… you would think Obama was a thug gang banger if he was McCain or Palin.
And I sure as heck am NOT going to pat Palin on the back because she “made it so far” screw that. That is not feminism to just yahoo any woman who is working. That is a bull crap way of thinking. Palin is a narrow minded, dim witted woman, not a woman I want to be proud of. Boobs do not make someone vote-able for me, a good mind does.
Educations doesn’t make someone elitist, thinking because you are white you should be president does.
And as for the second acticle… RIGHT ON for that too.
Heather in tucson (for now)
To you mamas who might be having an issue with the White Privilege article, you might be interested to learn this:
Tim Wise is a white man, whose ancestors owned slaves, who is working against societal racism for the good of ALL people–whites, browns, blacks. He writes and talks about how our short sightedness winds up costing us economically as a country (eg: by not choosing the best qualified candidates, by not including a wide range of voices in decision making), societally in terms of safety (eg: worrying about an anonymous black man on the street while most violence is perpetrated within the family and by members of one’s own race) as well as personally. His work is taught in schools and universities across the nation.
You can find out more about him and check out his work at http://www.timwise.org
Jill, It does not matter to me in the least bit what Tim Wise’s racial heritage is. To think it would, is to think I am a racist. The content of his article on par with the National Enquirer. In other words, journalistically, he holds himself to a very LOW standard.
To Heather Hawkes:
How dare you assume that I would think that McCain or Palin were thugs simply because they were exactly what they are, but black? Now, Palin’s future son-in-law *is* a thug by the very definition of thuggery and I have *never* denied that…I’ve simply done my best to ignore that, because it is irrelevant to Palin’s politics. Palin and McCain are not thugs, no matter what race they are. They are repulsive, lying members of the kleptocracy now, and they would be the very same repulsive, lying members of the kleptocracy if they were black. Obama is a good, honest and intelligent man, a fact that would not change with his race.
My issue with the White Privilege article is that it uses the same chicanery that the neo-con pundits use, but on the side of my beloved Democrats. It was wrong for the Republican party to waste money and time on the sex life of Bill Clinton and it is wrong for us to waste our time on the family situation of Sarah Palin, and I am doing my best to honor the wishes of Barack Obama and leave her children alone. There is sufficient fodder for condemnation in her career as mayor and governor, and in her current political values. Moreover, Republicans do not hate Barack Obama because he is black. They respect Colin Powell and they respected Alan Keyes. They hate Barack Obama because he is a liberal. To cry “racism” is to detract from the problem our country faces where anyone who does not follow the neo-conservatives lock-step is labelled liberal as though it were a dirty word. *That* is my problem with the White Privilege article.
You don’t know me. You don’t even know what race I am.
The concept of “white privilege” isn’t about accusations or blame or guilt. It is simply a framework for exploring the biases extant in our society. I do not feel guilty for being white, but I do recognize that I have had opportunities that people of other races may not have had. If someone feels guilty when reading an editorial (not “article,” but “editorial”) about this concept, that person probably needs to look inward to understand why. If we truly want to create an egalitarian society, then we must expose biases and prejudices where we find them, and work to correct them. Burying our heads in the sand and saying it doesn’t exist because we are uncomfortable with it doesn’t help anyone. I don’t see that commenting on the fact that white people are still more priveleged than blacks in many parts of the country is any different than commenting that men are more priveleged than women, which I assume we can agree is true, given that Sarah Palin’s candidacy is an issue at all.
And I don’t have the least issue with Heather “politicizing” her blog; isn’t that what blogs are for, spouting off your opinions into the ether?
Oh, and true, we don’t question a male candidate’s ability to juggle work and children, but maybe we should! This is the twenty-first century.
how dare I? are you serious?
I dare because as we sit here, people are actually thinking McCain and Palin are a good choice because they are so “real”. REAL! Because who they are is important. They will be in charge of one of the worlds most powerful countries… do we want a gun nut, a person who chides community service and who hide behind god and the flag, who can not see their own personal beliefs are not OK to shove down someones throat.
These two who could barely complete college are the ones we should get all hip-hoppy happy about.
It seems to me that as a country we no longer give a crap about eduaction we want the most idiotic person to run the country.
and FYI Rosie, you don’t know me or what race I am either.
No, I don’t know you or your race…and I do not purport to make any assumptions or judge you by anything but what you say here. But I do know you said this:
“Everyone who is having an issue with the White Privilege article are living white privilege.
Lori is right on the money, answer those questions… you would think Obama was a thug gang banger if he was McCain or Palin.”
I am having an issue with the White Privilege article. I actually did ask myself those questions and answer them, and still had a problem with the article. I would not think Obama was a thug gang banger if he was McCain or Palin. You *assume*, by your own statement, that I did not ask myself the questions, that I am wrapped up in white privilege, and you imply that because I have an issue with the article, it must mean I am a racist or support Palin and McCain. Your assumptions are incorrect, uninformed, and insulting. I expect better than that, and that is why I say, how dare you?
oh, and since i am on a rant… i do believe that because she is a white woman she gets to be stupid. and that she gets praised for it. it is a fact that people of color have to work at least twice as hard to be considered on the same level as an average white person. imagine Obama’s daughter pregant at 17… what sort of crap would he get for his parenting if that happened, even if he was for abstinence only education.
Palin gets a get out of jail free card because she is white, she doesn’t have to be up on the policies of her party, she doesn’t have to make a complete sentence, she doesn’t have to do anything but look pretty and just keep to the crap they feed her. it is disgraceful. it should be an outrage to all women that they think they can plop any old woman down and we will get all frothy at the mouth.
I also think that Palin gets the OK because she isn’t fat or ugly. if she was fat, ugly, old, what have you and SMART she still would be thought less of because she wasn’t a show piece.
it is messed up and we need to be pissed and we need to say it like it is.
The white privilege article is *terrible*.
Why?
1. Most of the listed examples are NOT accurate examples of how “white privilege” works. For one thing, they assume biases that most of the people I talk to do not have.
2. It ignores what white privilege actually is.
White privilege is the fact that I can drive my car anywhere in the US and not be pulled over because of the color of my skin.
White privilege is the fact that when I do something well, I am not told that I’m doing it well “for a white person.”
White privilege is the fact that people do not assume that my achievements are due to me being white.
HOWEVER… Teen moms are reviled regardless of skin tone. I was a young mom, and was told I should get an abortion, that being on welfare meant that I was sucking our country dry (guess what… I’ve put more money back into the system in taxes since than I ever took out).
I assume that anyone who calls themselves a “fuckin’ redneck” and threatens to kick people’s asses is a thug. Period. People who feel otherwise aren’t racist, per se, they are idiots. Let’s be clear.
They don’t consider Palin to be sufficiently experienced and Obama to be inexperienced because she’s white and he’s black. They voice that opinion because she’s conservative and he’s liberal. Ascribing every asshat opinion to racism really ignores the that there are many, many, many ways to be idiots.
I have white privilege. EVERY WHITE PERSON to some degree has an advantage of white privilege until they prove themselves unworthy in some other way. The problem is not with me having white privilege…. it is that many people deny that white privilege exists.
Giving a series of poor examples and calling them “white privilege” just makes the problem worse.
Now if he wanted to talk about what a terrible idea it was to consider someone like Sarah Palin qualified while calling Obama inexperienced, I’m all ears. I agree completely. But the cause is not white privilege.
I am glad that Sarah Palin nurses her babies and wears them and had a child with a chromosome disorder. We’ve got something in common. But it doesn’t mean that she’s qualified to be next-in-line for the office of President. Hell, I’d be a lousy vice president, which is why I’m not running. I’m glad the republican party picked her… mostly because I think she’s a liability and I REALLY REALLY REALLY do not want Republicans to have the white house for another four years. My heart has been broken a lot, and I’m ready for a change.
But please. Do not diminish the concept of White Privilege by using that label inappropriately.
I don’t support or not support politicians based on raced. I would not call myself color blind, but I do not believe in voting for or against people for reasons which have NOTHING to do with their ability to lead. I think McCain would be terrible. I really want Obama to be elected. But it’s not about race, it’s not about gender, it’s not about wealth, it’s about who I think would do a better job.
IF it comes down to “minority issues”, well, hell, we can’t lose. We get a black man or a woman, either way. I happen to think there’s more at stake than that.
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Most-Emailed-Photos/ss/1756/im:/080927/photos_ts/2008_09_26t210334_450x313_us_usa_politics
I don’t know what to think of that link yet, Kara.
Heather H wrote:
“Palin gets a get out of jail free card because she is white, she doesn’t have to be up on the policies of her party, she doesn’t have to make a complete sentence, she doesn’t have to do anything but look pretty and just keep to the crap they feed her. it is disgraceful.”
LOL, that’s how I see W! Who was it that said she’s George in drag?
I have to agree with Rosie on most points above. But all the posts have been very interesting and well written. While I have my reservations about the White Privilege article, I’m glad it was put up. Great starting point for discussions on race, politics, etc.
OK, now.. group hug!
Why’d you have to draw that bottle so cute right before Mama pukes on it?
It was supposed to be a lightner to the tension. You know a ha ha hee hee moment.
Heather: Absolutely correct on Palin’s TV attractiveness giving her a get out of jail free card that she doesn’t deserve, not sure I agree with you on her race being the same thing…we remember Hillary Clinton’s campaign, don’t we?
Now, I’m not saying being black wouldn’t have made her ascension to power much more difficult. It absolutely would have. However, I feel there’s a difference between a way-smoother and a carte blanche.
Kira: LOL
funny picture.
*hug*
The problem, as I’ve always seen it, comes when we start “sorting” people based solely on one characteristic. Whether we’re sorting by color of skin, color of hair (blond jokes!), gender, sexual orientation, part of the country, level of education, political party, you name it, all we’re doing is creating divisions. Let’s face it- everyone is different. I’m the only Scottish-blue-eyed-five-foot-Kentucky-bred-clarinet-player-special-ed-teacher I know, and I’m sure everyone else can say something similar. THAT’S what’s wrong with the “white privilege” article. And THAT’S what wrong with this election. If you’re only voting for Obama because he’s black, that’s wrong. His skin color has nothing to do with his ability to run the country. If you’re only voting for Palin because she’s a woman, that’s just as wrong. We have to look at people as people, not as just some of their characteristics. Cross out everything superficial, look at their qualifications, figure out how their actions express their beliefs, and base your decision on that!
I’m also a redneck. I cheerfully admit to listening to country music, I think Christmas lights look pretty in July, and those “You Know You’re a Redneck” jokes? I can yes to almost all of them. But even I can’t support Palin’s son-in-law-to-be. Sorry. Using Redneck as an excuse to act like a lunatic doesn’t cut it.
I am so sick about you posting the White Privilege article here that I’ve unsubscribed but I would like the chance to share why, if you will grant me one last comment.
Under the guise of being pro-family, you have endorsed a candidate (or couple?!) for office, and that is not what I was here to read. I was tempted to go there in my own blog, believe me, but I chose not to do so in case I might offend a would-be foster-adoptive or adoptive parent who is hanging on my every word.
Also, I didn’t realize how much your anti-formula stance would bother me, as a first-time foster mother (who breastfed her two “bio” sons and is a former LLL leader) who is supplementing with (organic) formula. We brought our daughter home from the hospital with 24 broken bones. Formula-feeding was the least of our worries. I LOVE what you stand for (all of it that is loving) and will still tell other mommas about you, I just need to focus on what I am doing now and it hurts too much to watch you vomiting on formula, which has helped our daughter (along with mommas milk) to heal, crawl, walk, run, dance and spin around and around in circles (she is trying to do a somersault as I type this!)
I admire people who can promote their own values without disrespecting the reality of others. It is possible to be pro-breastfeeding without being anti-formula. I understand you are on one extreme of the continuum and I can respect that, but I’m somewhere in the middle.
And while I also respect your right to bash Sarah Palin– and especially in your own blog, jeesh!– I won’t be one of those gawkers who contributes to a traffic jam by slowing down to see who got hurt in the crash. Sarah Palin represents me (much more so than Joe Biden who basically said Obama was clean for a black man). I didn’t realize how many of my friends hate what I stand for until the recent Palin nomination! I admire that she DOES breastfeed Trig (in her office and meetings), PUMPS when she is away, but takes him to work when she can. Palin endorsed an entire MONTH of breastfeeding awareness in Alaska, not just a week. A whole month! When she looked me in the eyes at the RNC and said, “To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House,” I was moved to tears. I want to believe her. And because I have read her biography, and have learned about what she has actually done in her various positions (not just what the biased liberal media has focused on), I DO BELIEVE HER. I’ve also read McCain’s biography, and one of Obama’s TWO books written about himself.
I figured a black MAN would get elected before a white WOMAN…nevermind the fact that she would only be Veep and McCain is NOT on his deathbed as the liberal media would have us believe! Anyway, I am Libertarian. While the Grand Old Party is a wee bit closer to my ideals than the Dems, I will nonetheless vote for Ron Paul, as a matter of principle. As Noam Chomsky said, “To some degree it matters who’s in office, but it matters more how much pressure they’re under from the public.”
I have joined The Mother’s Movement Online. I find it on track with my values, without being divisive. Now THAT’S change we need.
There is formual there for families who need it and then there is the unrelenting advertising and pushing of formula on EVERYONE. That is just WRONG 100% all out messed up wrong.
I am also sick to death of hearing how Sarah Palin is like “me” because… she breastfed? because she slings? because she could hardly finish college? because she doesn’t know the policies of her own party?
Again being a woman, breastfeeding and having a mess of kids (which I have too) does NOT automatically make someone VP material.
So how exactly are McCain and Palin going to make things better for working families who make less then 3 million a year and own 1 house? How are they going to fund programs to help families with disabled children? how are they going to help all americans have good quality health care, so they if you do end up with a child who has medical issues you can actually not become homeless caring for them?
if she is such a fan-frickin-tastic person, leader, whatever… how is that all going to get done?
answer that before you go.
This…
“To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House,”
was the one thing she said that I liked. I don’t have a special needs child. It was just believable and it was a good thing to say. But I don’t want her as VP. Nope nope nope. I too am a white girl who took 7 years to get a bachelor’s degree (but only because I had to go part time in order to pay for it– I don’t believe in debt). I guess I have a few things in common with her. But wow I don’t want this lady a step away from president. She just sounds SO MUCH like Bush.
Doesn’t matter anyway.. we have a history of electing democrats when republicans get us in financial trouble. Dems come in and clean it up and then we vote in a republican again. So at this point, I’m expecting Obama to get elected. Not because of Palin (though she’s helping) but because of the economy and the fact that we live in a culture that can’t survive without credit. And folks can’t get credit right now.
Jesse wrote: “Under the guise of being pro-family, you have endorsed a candidate (or couple?!) for office, and that is not what I was here to read. ” Why “guise”? What the heck is “pro-family” anyway? Is there an “anti-family” movement? I’m here to read Heather’s opinion, because it gets me thinking, makes me angry, makes me laugh and inspires me. She’s an ARTIST. What good is an artist who fears offending those who are paying attention? And who would read anyone’s blog if they didn’t want to read a personal opinion. That is not the place to “hang on every word.”
This is the bio of Tim Wise the author of the white privilege piece :
Tim Wise is among the most prominent anti-racist writers and activists in the U.S., and has been called, “One of the most brilliant, articulate and courageous critics of white privilege in the nation,” by… read more (and see his photo): http://www.redroom.com/author/tim-wise/bio
He also has written a response to the overwhelming vitriol that has been the response to his writing on white privilege that you can read here, if you’re interested:
http://www.redroom.com/blog/tim-wise/explaining-white-privilege-deniers-and-haters
When I read the White Privilege article, I thought, “hmmm, interesting. Now that makes me think.” It never dawned on me that some would take it as so personally insulting, even to the point of outrage. I’m surprised, but hey, a little outrage every now and again is a good thing. Heck, it’s practically my main motive ;o)
And the umbrage over Mama throwing up on the Formula Fiend, alas. I warned you it wasn’t a pretty superpower, and as someone commented, perhaps I made him a little too cute. Again though, I’m talking about the big themes, the wider paradigms, and not talking about you, personally. I never speak badly about people that I know and love, especially when they might overhear me ;o)
enjoy your weekend!
xox,
Heather aka Mama
Mama, I read the response article – much better. If I would have just read that article I would not have such a bad taste in my mouth from the first one. Maybe he was trying to shock people and get his name out there. It worked.
Lisa
I don’t want to comment on this post, I want to comment about your ‘barf’ comic. I really, really, really recommend “MotherRisk” (Toronto’s Hospital For SIck CHildren) and their nausea/morning sickness hotline. They gave me some great suggestions, some simple, some more involved. I had been at the point with #3 that I silently wished for another miscarriage. They helped tremendously.
Just a quick comment – I like your new blog and new look, but the font’s a lot smaller and harder to read, especially in the inverted background when you quote an article. So, I’d like to read more, but for now I’m mostly just looking at the comics…
Disgusting. Baba Wawa says she’s “uncomfortable” with the poor baby being brought forth – well SHE WAS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE BABY NURSING ON THE PLANE TOO WASN’T SHE???!
And NOW people are calling that poor little baby an “IT”???? Liz Trotta is the worst kind of despicable scum for calling that baby an “it”. That baby is OBVIOUSLY an important baby in that family and I abhor her despicable terminology.
Right or left (and we all remember fondly the pictures of Kennedy with his tiny children in the white house) we ALL ought to oppose this despicable representation of nursing babies in the white house. YES they belong there too! Dammit!
The truth is refreshing