Minorities apply to twice as many residency programs

[Dave89]

haha your view of Eugenics gets a big F. In case you are actually serious....There is a difference between mate selection and the situation where government forcibly isolates, then proceeds to forcibly sterilize, then selectively kills and then finally commit genocide of the feeble minded, all in the name of Eugenics.

You're right; there is a difference. I never claimed otherwise.

Nice try, champ.

---

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[CherryRedDracul]

Because this ain't Nazi Germany

We have invoked Godwin's Law. This thread can now be closed.

 

[Psai]

It ain't over until we get Burnett's Law too

I can tell from your posts that you don't deserve to be a physician and i feel bad for your future patients

 

[touchpause13]

 

[FranzLO]

1: White people created race and racial labels. So, don't blame non-Whites for that.

2: White people founded medicine in the U.S. on the backs of slaves. There was rampant experimentation during chattel slavery.

3: White people founded America. I mean that's true but White people practically enslaved or discriminated against every person in America to do so including other White people (Jews, Catholics, Irish), Chinese, Japanese (WWII), Blacks (goes without saying) etc.

Tis funny how quickly people forget history. Watch how somebody Will post and get upset. Don't even start with the guilt. Nobody is pointing fingers this is just facts. Tis crazy how from the creation of this country until the 1970's my people couldn't even go to most medical schools... I digress.

What is your opinion then on the general subject of race in med school/residency that this thread was made for?

 

[GunnerBMS]

I'm part of MENSA

 

[Aloft085]

Complains about lumping all Asians together..lumps all "white" people together. Makes sense; I saw Angus McGregor and Kerem Ataman sharing a whisky and some baklava at the local hookah pub just last week.

Lumping Africans together is an overgeneralization as well. I read once that there's greater genetic difference within African populations than between Africans and the entire rest of the world. It's a massive continent, that is often underestimated in size due to our flat-map mercator projections. "Races" in general are massive over-generalities. Dividing people into well-defined racial groups is largely a social construct, and it should be done away with.

 

[colbgw02]

Lumping Africans together is an overgeneralization as well. I read once that there's greater genetic difference within African populations than between Africans and the entire rest of the world. It's a massive continent, that is often underestimated in size due to our flat-map mercator projections. "Races" in general are massive over-generalities. Dividing people into well-defined racial groups is largely a social construct, and it should be done away with.

You're exactly right, and I hope no one inferred that my comments were exclusive to Caucasians. In fact, people from the U.S. generally take a very monolithic approach to the continent of Africa. You will probably notice someone, a news anchor, for example, will list a series of countries and then throw Africa in on the end, as if it's just one big nation.

And your comments about genetic variation are not only true, but can be expanded to include all races. To wit, there is more genetic variation (to include phenotypically) within a race than there is between them. The boundaries are arbitrary, borne purely of social conventions.

 

[Dave89]

You're exactly right, and I hope no one inferred that my comments were exclusive to Caucasians. In fact, people from the U.S. generally take a very monolithic approach to the continent of Africa. You will probably notice someone, a news anchor, for example, will list a series of countries and then throw Africa in on the end, as if it's just one big nation.

And your comments about genetic variation are not only true, but can be expanded to include all races. To wit, there is more genetic variation (to include phenotypically) within a race than there is between them. The boundaries are arbitrary, borne purely of social conventions.

Would you prefer the "subspecies" classification?

See 4:45:

 

[colbgw02]

Would you prefer the "subspecies" classification?

See 4:45:

Permit me to dismantle your strawman. I've never claimed that races don't exist; it's self-evident that they do. To reiterate, I have only claimed that the boundaries between races are arbitrary, a result of social constructs. An individual may be both genotypically and phenotypically most similar to a particular race, but is classified as part of a different race because of random social considerations. It does not follow that my assertion means we cannot reliably assign many people to a race, or subspecies as your speaker prefers.

 

[Dave89]

Permit me to dismantle your strawman. I've never claimed that races don't exist; it's self-evident that they do. To reiterate, I have only claimed that the boundaries between races are arbitrary, a result of social constructs. An individual may be both genotypically and phenotypically most similar to a particular race, but is classified as part of a different race because of random social considerations. It does not follow that my assertion means we cannot reliably assign many people to a race, or subspecies as your speaker prefers.

What strawman? It was not a loaded question.

 

[colbgw02]

What strawman? It was not a loaded question.

My apologies.

I do not prefer the subspecies classification, but I do not find fault with it. I think racial classifications will suffice, although I understand a scientist's desire to divorce himself with all of the baggage that accompanies the term race and its derivatives.

 

[PL198]

Why can't we all agree that caucasians are genetically superior than other races?

why can't we all agree that caucasians are inferior to all other races? have you seen the nba? J lin balls on fools. White people suck

 

[PL198]

I'm part of MENSA

that explains a lot

 

[touchpause13]

why can't we all agree that caucasians are inferior to all other races? have you seen the nba? J lin balls on fools. White people suck

Everyone sucks.

 

[Perseverance06]

1: White people created race and racial labels. So, don't blame non-Whites for that.

2: White people founded medicine in the U.S. on the backs of slaves. There was rampant experimentation during chattel slavery.

3: White people founded America. I mean that's true but White people practically enslaved or discriminated against every person in America to do so including other White people (Jews, Catholics, Irish), Chinese, Japanese (WWII), Blacks (goes without saying) etc.

It's funny how quickly people forget history. Watch how somebody Will post and get upset. Don't even start with the guilt. Nobody is pointing fingers this is just facts. It's crazy how from the creation of this country until the 1970's my people couldn't even go to most medical schools... I digress.

PREACH.

 

[chronicidal]

It would take a whole lot more than just race data. You'd have to have a short questionnaire as well, with 1-5 rated questions like:

How confident do you feel that you will match successfully?

How important is location to you?

Are you confident that your application process will be fair and unbiased?

Do you feel like your medical education has been negatively impacted by your race, gender, sexuality, or ethnicity?

Do you feel like you applied to more programs than might be necessary to maximize your chances of acceptance?

...etc.

Combine these things with race, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality data and you could probably learn a lot about why people match the way they do. But we'll probably never see a survey like this, as the current match appears to work very well, so there's not a whole lot of incentive to slice and dice data to improve it.

The NRMP already asks in its applicant survey questions on the importance of various factors (e.g. geography) in deciding where to apply/interview/rank. The other questions are worth considering though.

 

[Mad Jack]

Would you prefer the "subspecies" classification?

See 4:45:

White guy named Whitman discussing race in a post by a white nationalist? I think I'm good with just skipping that one.

 

[Mad Jack]

The NRMP already asks in its applicant survey questions on the importance of various factors in deciding where to apply/interview/rank.

Well then your answers probably lie somewhere in that data.

 

[Dave89]

Why can't we all agree that caucasians are genetically superior than other races?

Because this ain't Nazi Germany

While this is not particularly relevant to the subject of the thread, I feel compelled to point out that the policies and attitudes of Nazi Germany did not consider "caucasians [sic]" to be "superior" to "other races."

 

[chronicidal]

Well then your answers probably lie somewhere in that data.

It doesn't because the NRMP doesn't collect race data.

 

[JP2740]

Not sure what pictures I can post without getting banned lol. I mean, I don't really think they're that big of a deal, but people get emotional, nomisayin

 

[PL198]

While this is not particularly relevant to the subject of the thread, I feel compelled to point out that the policies and attitudes of Nazi Germany did not consider "caucasians [sic]" to be "superior" to "other races."

isn't there some theory where every debate devolves into someone calling someone else a nazi? we've officially reached that point

 

[colbgw02]

isn't there some theory where every debate devolves into someone calling someone else a nazi? we've officially reached that point

that's godwin's law, no?

 

[PL198]

that's godwin's law, no?

oh yeah cherryred my brah called this out earlier

 

[deleted647155]

look, all im saying is that white people did a lot of bad things to minorities and remnants of that badness (eg discrimination, stereotypes, lack of political representation) continue to exist today.

the stereotypes that exist today--who do you think made them and why? political suppression?

and also, yes of course i know that white people come from many different backgrounds, but you're still white. i cant hide the fact that im asian or black or latino. white people have a privilege, believe me. so many white people are what are called "good racist people, read the nytimes article" whom through their actions and words unintentionally perpetuate racial stereotypes and discrimination based on false symbolic packagges and generalizations created by white society. so yes take responsibility by getting rid of your assumptions about minorities and races and treat a person like a person. and guys, med schools and medicine are overwhelmingly controlled by whites. this is a problem. give minorities equal political powwr and representation. im asian and passive i aint nor will i conform to the stupid stereotypes u assign to me just bc of how i look. peace

 

[deleted647155]

and believe me, discrimination against minorities is still embarassingly rampant in medicine, which many students experience during their clinical rotations.

 

[Dave89]

look, all im saying is that white people did a lot of bad things to minorities

All peoples have had evil in their past. Why are the sins of White people any more notable than the butchering in Africa and Arabia; the human sacrifices in Aztec civilization; the rampant slavery still present in China, India, Pakistan, and Africa; the torture of American soldiers in Vietnam; or the cannibalism of Papua New Guinea?

Europeans and European-Americans have been far more benevolent toward vulnerable people of other races than any other race has been toward us.

Trillions of dollars' worth of food, medicine, and infrastructure to foreign countries.

Affirmative action.

Refusal to honestly report the reality of interracial crime in America (and Europe).

We're pretty much through with feeling guilty.

and remnants of that badness (eg discrimination, stereotypes, lack of political representation) continue to exist today.

Discrimination and stereotypes are never based on statistical reality, right?

and also, yes of course i know that white people come from many different backgrounds, but you're still white. i cant hide the fact that im asian or black or latino.

Exactly. We are all White. We are a people in your eyes*.



*Note: in this instance, this statement is primarily an acknowledgement of the reality that others essentially see us as a single group. Obviously, this is true in some ways and untrue in others. Generally speaking, I see the White race (well, all races, for that matter) as being composed of multiple peoples.

white people have a privilege, believe me.

Right. Is one of those privileges the fact that White women are far more likely to be raped by Black men than Black women are to be raped by White men?

Speaking of privilege, "Asian" households had the highest median income in 2012. I declare "Asians" to be the race that must bear the cross of "Privilege."

so many white people are what are called "good racist people, read the nytimes article" whom through their actions and words unintentionally perpetuate racial stereotypes and discrimination based on false symbolic packagges and generalizations created by white society.

Incoherent mush.

so yes take responsibility by getting rid of your assumptions about minorities and races and treat a person like a person.

How heartwarmingly inspiring!

and guys, med schools and medicine are overwhelmingly controlled by whites.

this is a problem. give minorities equal political powwr and representation. im asian and passive i aint nor will i conform to the stupid stereotypes u assign to me just bc of how i look. peace

Peace, yo!

 

[deleted647155]

All peoples have had evil in their past. Why are the sins of White people any more notable than the butchering in Africa and Arabia; the human sacrifices in Aztec civilization; the rampant slavery still present in China, India, Pakistan, and Africa; the torture of American soldiers in Vietnam; or the cannibalism of Papua New Guinea?

Europeans and European-Americans have been far more benevolent toward vulnerable people of other races than any other race has been toward us.

Trillions of dollars' worth of food, medicine, and infrastructure to foreign countries.

Affirmative action.

Refusal to honestly report the reality of interracial crime in America (and Europe).

We're pretty much through with feeling guilty.



Discrimination and stereotypes are never based on statistical reality, right?



Exactly. We are all White. We are a people in your eyes*.



*Note: in this instance, this statement is primarily an acknowledgement of the reality that others essentially see us as a single group. Obviously, this is true in some ways and untrue in others. Generally speaking, I see the White race (well, all races, for that matter) as being composed of multiple peoples.



Right. Is one of those privileges the fact that White women are far more likely to be raped by Black men than Black women are to be raped by White men?

Speaking of privilege, "Asian" households had the highest median income in 2012. I declare "Asians" to be the race that must bear the cross of "Privilege."



Incoherent mush.



How heartwarmingly inspiring!







Peace, yo!

honestly u miss the forest for the trees. u totally missed my point. firat off im talking about the minority experience in America. these things might not matter to you as a white person but they matter to me as a minority.

those stereotypes on minorities are created by whites and yes they are to an extemt based on evidence and statistics.

but my point is that a power differential exists in that society thinks that it's okay to make stereotypes on monorities based on statistics but white people are not subjected to such scrutinization and stereotypes. do u honestly think American society treats minorities the same as whites today?

we still have a long way to go. too often white society dismisses an important discussion as incoherent nonsense.

do an exercise: think about exactly where your perceptions of minority groups come from. when u see a black person, what are u thinking? what are you assuming? and why?where do those generalizations come from?

until uve been called a g**k or a ni**** u wont realize how big of a problem this is.

 

[Dave89]

honestly u miss the forest for the trees. u totally missed my point. firat off im talking about the minority experience in America.

We've been over this. You said that you're an "Asian", and we now know that "Asians" are a privileged class in America.

You must acknowledge and own your Asian Privilege.

I recommend that you sit down and think about how you can rectify the disproportionate incomes that "Asians" are earning. It is a travesty.

these things might not matter to you as a white person but they matter to me as a minority.

As of 2012 or so, White babies have been a minority in America.

Perhaps it's time for us to start demanding handouts and preferential treatment.

those stereotypes on minorities are created by whites and yes they are to an extemt based on evidence and statistics.

but my point is that a power differential exists in that society thinks that it's okay to make stereotypes on monorities based on statistics but white people are not subjected to such scrutinization and stereotypes.

A laughably absurd notion.

do u honestly think American society treats minorities the same as whites today?

No. Non-Whites are treated far better.

we still have a long way to go. too often white society dismisses an important discussion as incoherent nonsense.

It is almost always incoherent, but is sometimes made glaringly so due to certain people participating therein.

do an exercise: think about exactly where your perceptions of minority groups come from. when u see a black person, what are u thinking? what are you assuming? and why?where do those generalizations come from?

Played it before.

It turns out that my experiences with all sorts of people have influenced me.

 

[PL198]

if you every want to complain about how white people are so terrible to other races and nations, compare the aid the US received after katrina to the aid given out by the US to other nations during crises. it's on the magnitudes of between 100:1 and 1000:1

 

[TheBunkMD]

No. Non-Whites are treated far better.

If this is how you honestly feel, then there really is no point in having a discussion you with.
The more people that accept that racism, discrimination, and flat out HATE still exists the better off we will be. Combine that with minorities taking responsibility of our actions as a whole group and we have hope.
Outside of that it's just going to be the same rehashed bull-****ing-**** arguments until we are all blue in the face and dead.
Gotta love the weekly race threads.
Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays.

 

[Zedor]

if you every want to complain about how white people are so terrible to other races and nations, compare the aid the US received after katrina to the aid given out by the US to other nations during crises. it's on the magnitudes of between 100:1 and 1000:1

www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/27/color-codes review of Citizen: an American lyric. Good read for those interested in the subtleties of 21st century racism. No spoilers, but a short excerpt of the Serena Williams chapter:

"In any case, it is difficult not to think that if Serena lost by abandoning all rules of civility, it could be because her body, trapped in racial imaginary, trapped in disbelief--code for being black in America--is being governed not by the tennis match she is participating in but by a collapsed relationship that had promised to play by the rules. Perhaps this is how racism feels no matter the context--randomly the rules everyone else gets to play by no longer apply to you, and to call this out by calling out "I swear to God!" is to be called insane, crass, crazy. Bad sportmanship."

I think you get the point trying to be conveyed, but if you want context, pick up the text.

 

[redpanda]

The nuance has long escaped this thread. Let's all make ridiculously general statements and interpret things as concretely as possible, because absolutes!

 

[PL198]

www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/27/color-codes review of Citizen: an American lyric. Good read for those interested in the subtleties of 21st century racism. No spoilers, but a short excerpt of the Serena Williams chapter:

"In any case, it is difficult not to think that if Serena lost by abandoning all rules of civility, it could be because her body, trapped in racial imaginary, trapped in disbelief--code for being black in America--is being governed not by the tennis match she is participating in but by a collapsed relationship that had promised to play by the rules. Perhaps this is how racism feels no matter the context--randomly the rules everyone else gets to play by no longer apply to you, and to call this out by calling out "I swear to God!" is to be called insane, crass, crazy. Bad sportmanship."

I think you get the point trying to be conveyed, but if you want context, pick up the text.

I have literally no idea what that means. More academics trying to be academic for the fun of it. Communicating is overrated

 

[altblue]

I think I'll tiptoe back to pre-allo...

 

[PL198]

I think I'll tiptoe back to pre-allo...

no there's white people there

 

[TheBunkMD]

And the award for the worst thread of 2014 goes to.......drum roll please

 

[deleted647155]

I have literally no idea what that means. More academics trying to be academic for the fun of it. Communicating is overrated

I recommend you take a few courses in history, sociology, and anthropology. The constructs we accept are a lot more constructed than we would hope to believe.

here's an article to start off:: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/opinion/coates-the-good-racist-people.html?_r=0

and here's a video (yes from 2014) that shows how far america still has to go--until we can treat each other based on the content of one's character and not on the color of one's skin.

(this kid is bat **** crazy, needs a psychiatric intervention.)

 

[BobbyB]

why is it that when institutions use race to benefit blacks everyone is fine with the arbitrary classifications?

it is only when there is a result that isn't favorable toward blacks that every liberal busts out the problems with race classification

racial classifications are fine when discussing affirmative action, black oppression, and white privilege. bring up race in any other context and everyone loses their mind.

 

[purphant]

lol

 

[Mad Jack]

honestly u miss the forest for the trees. u totally missed my point. firat off im talking about the minority experience in America. these things might not matter to you as a white person but they matter to me as a minority.

those stereotypes on minorities are created by whites and yes they are to an extemt based on evidence and statistics.

but my point is that a power differential exists in that society thinks that it's okay to make stereotypes on monorities based on statistics but white people are not subjected to such scrutinization and stereotypes. do u honestly think American society treats minorities the same as whites today?

we still have a long way to go. too often white society dismisses an important discussion as incoherent nonsense.

do an exercise: think about exactly where your perceptions of minority groups come from. when u see a black person, what are u thinking? what are you assuming? and why?where do those generalizations come from?

until uve been called a g**k or a ni**** u wont realize how big of a problem this is.

What kind of pisses me off is I had to deal with a lot of discrimination and stereotypes from other white people when I was growing up despite the fact that I was white. Why? Because I had a thick southern drawl and lived in the Northwest. People assumed I was ignorant, unintelligent, and a racist just because I sounded different than them. The same goes for a "white" person that is an immigrant from Europe or Russia- they are not treated like every other "white" person. You don't get a free pass because if your skin color. I had to spend more than 10 years perfecting a "Northern" accent just so people would treat me like I wasn't "different." Yeah, I got a free pass visually, but the second I opened my mouth, people assumed I was lesser than them because I sounded like some anachronistic uneducated Southerner.

I guess it pisses me off that people who complain that they are being judged be the color of their skin assume life is easy for me because of the color of my skin. You totally neglect the fact that lines are far more arbitrary than just skin color- even if all of our skin were the same, mankind would start drawing distinctions on everything from eye color to accents to religion. We're terrible like that, we focus so much on what isn't the same rather than the 99.9% that is.

 

[touchpause13]

What kind of pisses me off is I had to deal with a lot of discrimination and stereotypes from other white people when I was growing up despite the fact that I was white. Why? Because I had a thick southern drawl and lived in the Northwest. People assumed I was ignorant, unintelligent, and a racist just because I sounded different than them. The same goes for a "white" person that is an immigrant from Europe or Russia- they are not treated like every other "white" person. You don't get a free pass because if your skin color. I had to spend more than 10 years perfecting a "Northern" accent just so people would treat me like I wasn't "different." Yeah, I got a free pass visually, but the second I opened my mouth, people assumed I was lesser than them because I sounded like some anachronistic uneducated Southerner.

I guess it pisses me off that people who complain that they are being judged be the color of their skin assume life is easy for me because of the color of my skin. You totally neglect the fact that lines are far more arbitrary than just skin color- even if all of our skin were the same, mankind would start drawing distinctions on everything from eye color to accents to religion. We're terrible like that, we focus so much on what isn't the same rather than the 99.9% that is.

Getting stereotyped sucks regardless of the reason it's for. I don't really see a lot of assuming going on here that all white people have it the best ever ermegerd, seeing as there are different axises (sp?) Of oppression/privilege and all of that combined with the fact that you can be both a member of am oppressed group and a majority group at the same time. .. basically it's complicated. Injustice isn't binary or simplistic but those on both sides tend to over simplify (especially on sites such as these) and it just ends up a mess.

 

[Meh.meh]

Oh look, another member of the lets keep our heads in the sand ignorance is more comfortable movement.

I think the point was that this rarely leads to productive conversation.

There is an entire board dedicated to social issues and discussing them. Use it if you want to.

Edit:commented, then read through this thread. Someone please kill this thing with fire

 

[altblue]

Getting stereotyped sucks regardless of the reason it's for. I don't really see a lot of assuming going on here that all white people have it the best ever ermegerd, seeing as there are different axises (sp?) Of oppression/privilege and all of that combined with the fact that you can be both a member of am oppressed group and a majority group at the same time. .. basically it's complicated. Injustice isn't binary or simplistic but those on both sides tend to over simplify (especially on sites such as these) and it just ends up a mess.

I totally agree.

I'm priviledged in that I'm white - and I won't generally have to deal with certain things that black or Hispanic people of any economic standing deal with!

I don't know how to properly say it, but I'm oppressed in my economic standing regardless of my race. I didn't grow up too poor, but neither of my parents had any sort of formal post-secondary training and barely broke working class as a result. I didn't have any of the incentives that my middle-class peers had in getting good grades or honoring their family, I was encouraged to avoid seeing a doctor as much as possible for financial reasons, and eating out was pretty much limited to the fast food dollar menu.

I wish people realized that priviledge or the lack thereof comes in different forms - maybe there would be less "criticism" of upper middle-class minorities.

 

[Mad Jack]

Getting stereotyped sucks regardless of the reason it's for. I don't really see a lot of assuming going on here that all white people have it the best ever ermegerd, seeing as there are different axises (sp?) Of oppression/privilege and all of that combined with the fact that you can be both a member of am oppressed group and a majority group at the same time. .. basically it's complicated. Injustice isn't binary or simplistic but those on both sides tend to over simplify (especially on sites such as these) and it just ends up a mess.

TP, I was mostly referring to the following:

white people are not subjected to such scrutinization and stereotypes.

until uve been called a g**k or a ni**** u wont realize how big of a problem this is.

I've been called a redneck and a hick and a racist because of the way I speak, or spoke, until I learned to talk like a proper Northerner. And that's aside from my other issues, which I don't care to share with the public at large but which you know because I've told you personally. Those have caused me a great bit of trouble as well. There's much more to discrimination than race in this wonderful world of ours unfortunately.

 

[BobbyB]

What kind of pisses me off is I had to deal with a lot of discrimination and stereotypes from other white people when I was growing up despite the fact that I was white. Why? Because I had a thick southern drawl and lived in the Northwest. People assumed I was ignorant, unintelligent, and a racist just because I sounded different than them. The same goes for a "white" person that is an immigrant from Europe or Russia- they are not treated like every other "white" person. You don't get a free pass because if your skin color. I had to spend more than 10 years perfecting a "Northern" accent just so people would treat me like I wasn't "different." Yeah, I got a free pass visually, but the second I opened my mouth, people assumed I was lesser than them because I sounded like some anachronistic uneducated Southerner.

I guess it pisses me off that people who complain that they are being judged be the color of their skin assume life is easy for me because of the color of my skin. You totally neglect the fact that lines are far more arbitrary than just skin color- even if all of our skin were the same, mankind would start drawing distinctions on everything from eye color to accents to religion. We're terrible like that, we focus so much on what isn't the same rather than the 99.9% that is.

saying all whites are privileged and all blacks are oppressed is an inaccurate generalization, but you always hear it quoted as a fact

the truth is that there are too many mitigating circumstances to assume a person's advantages and disadvantages based on the color of their skin

yet, it is used to promote institutionally racist policies such as affirmative action and racial job quotas. it is also used to excuse any black from being held accountable for their actions.

 

[deleted647155]

saying all whites are privileged and all blacks are oppressed is an inaccurate generalization, but you always hear it quoted as a fact

the truth is that there are too many mitigating circumstances to assume a person's advantages and disadvantages based on the color of their skin

yet, it is used to promote institutionally racist policies such as affirmative action and racial job quotas. it is also used to excuse any black from being held accountable for their actions.

The fact is that the solution to racism and discrimination and prejudice is to look at each person as a human being and not as a label--as white, black, asian whatever.

Unfortunately however, that is not the world that we live in, that is not what America is today. What every minority wants is to be treated fairly, equally, and not have to worry that he or she will be treated differently because of his or her skin color. and you know what, that's what lgbtq people want and feminists want. what is hard for me to grasp is why it is so difficult for so many americans do just treat people equally and simply see people as people. but alas we are imperfect beings in an imperfect world.

What's the great privilege of being white?--you will never have to attribute anything, any action, comment, treatment, to the color of your skin in America. you'll never be followed in a store. you'll never be the subject of racial jokes or slurs. noone will make assumptions about you based on your appearance. that's why people talk about white privilege--because it's real.

It's important to recognize that many minorities are in unsavory situations today because of systemic factors--I mean, the African American community, who can really blame them--I mean if your race went through many years of slavery followed by decades of racial discrimination that still persist today, what friggin result would you expect?

and then people judge the black community for a situation that isn't exactly a result of their own actions.
the problem with this mentality is that when you have low expectations of someone, they will internalize it, and those low expectations will become a reality.

also, i absolutely detest people that use the success of Asian americans as an argument against blacks--we aren't your puppets to justify something whites created. also, not all Asian americans are high achieving--Camobidans, laotians, vietnamese americans struggle academically and economically compared to chinese, korean, and japanese americans.

this forum is not normally a place to discuss race matters and social politics but i think it's important for medical students, doctors, and health professionals to discuss these things. id like to believe that medical students are capable of thinking about such issues in a deeper, intellectual manner rather than the superficial manner that most of america perceives them to be (e.g. "all whites are racists"). the issues are extremely complex but that doesn't mean we shouldn't discuss them. i think an issue i see in america is that there is not enough of this dialogue--we need to have more of this dialogue in k12 education, in college, between whites and minorities, among whites, among minorities.

don't be pc but don't make superficial arguments.

 

[BobbyB]

What every minority wants is to be treated fairly, equally, and not have to worry that he or she will be treated differently because of his or her skin color. and you know what, that's what lgbtq people want and feminists want.

What's the great privilege of being white?--you will never have to attribute anything, any action, comment, treatment, to the color of your skin in America. you'll never be followed in a store. you'll never be the subject of racial jokes or slurs. noone will make assumptions about you based on your appearance.

thank you for proving my point with your blatant generalizations

 

[reapplicanthelpme2014]

Seriously? So if I'm black and wealthy, I'm good to go? No struggles? Please stop. You can be financially well off as a black person and still undergo racially stimulated struggles that a white person, rich OR poor, will never have to deal with. A wealthy black person will still get pulled over for driving black, still get followed in an upscale store, and still have patients refuse to see them based SOLELY on their skin tone. The fact that you want to equate financial stability alone with "privilege" is a bit much. A black individual can have these so called "privileges" (financial security, upper class, whatever) and still be subject to racial injustices that occur today. Not the same for a white person. THATS the privilege that is being referred to.

If you want to deny that it exists, it's because you don't have to deal with it, not because it's false.