MY PRIVILEGE
Recently a friend, who happens to be a Black female tried to convince me that I was the beneficiary of White privilege. I can't remember what we were talking about at the time but I passionately replied that that was bovine scatology. Was there such a thing as White privilege in 1950, the year I was born? Absolutely!!! A better description would be White Male privilege. White males were more privileged than just about everyone when it came to getting a job, or an education. Most White women were stay at home moms and if they did work they were only allowed to work in jobs traditionally set aside for women. Retail, telephone operators, nurses, and teachers for the most part. Black men were lucky if they could find jobs in construction, gardening, restaurant work, such as short order cooks, farming or retail. Black women were usually confined to being maids for the upper middle class and wealthier Whites. There was a Black professional class that was generally confined to serving their Black clientele. Doctor's, lawyers, teachers and the clergy for the most part.
I was privileged growing up in the 1950's and early 1960's. My childhood was stereotypical White middle class. The Beaver had nothing on me. I was raised by two loving parents who spoiled me and sheltered me from the world. They taught me great values and I was secure in their love. The thing that was constantly drummed into my head was the love of God, country, and a good work ethic. I was taught that America had it's flaws but it was the greatest country in the world. Opportunities abounded in America. I could grow up and become anything that I wanted to be. Even president of the United States some day. I never once, however; heard my parents tell me that I could do these things because I was a White male. If I had been a Black male I could understand it if my parents said something like Greg, you are a Negro and your opportunities are very limited. The best you can hope for is being a laborer for the rest of your life. That is if you are not arrested or killed first. This might have been the message that he heard. I wonder what Condeleeza Rice's parents were telling her? She was born in Birmingham Alabama in 1954. A city that came to be called Bombingham and the home of Bull Connors dogs and fire hoses. Or Colin Powell who was born in 1937. His parents immigrated from the West Indies. Were they crippling Colin by discouraging him or was their message positive about America? We know that Barack Obama was raised hating this country, and himself, but that didn't stop him from rising to the highest office in the land. What about race merchants like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson or Jeremiah Wright? Could they have become millionaires in Russia spreading their hatred over there? I don't think so.
Only in a democracy, such as America and Britain could a man like Martin Luther King even had the opportunity to bring about change through the tactic of non violence. Non-violence doesn't work in countries like China, Russia, Saudi-Arabia or Iran. In those countries you die and are never heard from again. Martin Luther King and Mahatma Ghandi would be quick to tell you the same thing if they were able. The greatest gift that an American parent of any color can give their child is a hope. Larry Elder is a Black Conservative talk show host. He is about my age and will tell you in a heartbeat that there is no such thing as White privilege today. Larry does it by using logic and facts. He tells the story of his father who was forced to leave his dysfunctional Southern family as a child. His father roamed the country as a hobo during the depression. Everywhere his father traveled he encountered racism. His father joined the Marines during WW2 and learned to be a cook. After the war he met his wife in Chattanooga but no one would hire him there. He was familiar with Los Angeles and decided that race relations were better there so he moved.
In L.A. he still couldn't find a job as a cook because he was Black. Eventually he found a job cleaning toilets. Larry said that his father was mean to him and they didn't speak to each other for years. In later years Larry decided to reconcile with his dad. His father cried as he told him why he was so mean. He was only getting a couple of hours of sleep each day trying to support his family and he was simply exhausted. Larry has such a positive attitude about America because his parents, and especially his father, refused to be bitter. He taught him that life is all about choices and we can choose the attitude in life that makes us better people. Larry is a wealthy and successful man today. My parents influence helped me to survive the trauma of losing them when I was 12 years old in 1963. I was no longer a sheltered, spoiled child after that day. You grow up pretty quick. At no time did I blame God or the gun that ended their lives. I am a rich man today. Not in wealth or possessions, but privileged to have the greatest family in the world and to live in the greatest country on earth, even with it's flaws. Many times I marvel at the fact that I was so lucky to have been born in America. I could just as easily have been born in Russia, China or some dilapidated shack in Haiti. As a parent and as a man I have many flaws. I wish that I had spent more quality time with my children when they were small. I am proudest of the fact, however; that I had a part in raising children who love God, their family, and their country. Just all around good people. Yes, it has been my privilege living in this great country called America..
I was privileged growing up in the 1950's and early 1960's. My childhood was stereotypical White middle class. The Beaver had nothing on me. I was raised by two loving parents who spoiled me and sheltered me from the world. They taught me great values and I was secure in their love. The thing that was constantly drummed into my head was the love of God, country, and a good work ethic. I was taught that America had it's flaws but it was the greatest country in the world. Opportunities abounded in America. I could grow up and become anything that I wanted to be. Even president of the United States some day. I never once, however; heard my parents tell me that I could do these things because I was a White male. If I had been a Black male I could understand it if my parents said something like Greg, you are a Negro and your opportunities are very limited. The best you can hope for is being a laborer for the rest of your life. That is if you are not arrested or killed first. This might have been the message that he heard. I wonder what Condeleeza Rice's parents were telling her? She was born in Birmingham Alabama in 1954. A city that came to be called Bombingham and the home of Bull Connors dogs and fire hoses. Or Colin Powell who was born in 1937. His parents immigrated from the West Indies. Were they crippling Colin by discouraging him or was their message positive about America? We know that Barack Obama was raised hating this country, and himself, but that didn't stop him from rising to the highest office in the land. What about race merchants like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson or Jeremiah Wright? Could they have become millionaires in Russia spreading their hatred over there? I don't think so.
Only in a democracy, such as America and Britain could a man like Martin Luther King even had the opportunity to bring about change through the tactic of non violence. Non-violence doesn't work in countries like China, Russia, Saudi-Arabia or Iran. In those countries you die and are never heard from again. Martin Luther King and Mahatma Ghandi would be quick to tell you the same thing if they were able. The greatest gift that an American parent of any color can give their child is a hope. Larry Elder is a Black Conservative talk show host. He is about my age and will tell you in a heartbeat that there is no such thing as White privilege today. Larry does it by using logic and facts. He tells the story of his father who was forced to leave his dysfunctional Southern family as a child. His father roamed the country as a hobo during the depression. Everywhere his father traveled he encountered racism. His father joined the Marines during WW2 and learned to be a cook. After the war he met his wife in Chattanooga but no one would hire him there. He was familiar with Los Angeles and decided that race relations were better there so he moved.
In L.A. he still couldn't find a job as a cook because he was Black. Eventually he found a job cleaning toilets. Larry said that his father was mean to him and they didn't speak to each other for years. In later years Larry decided to reconcile with his dad. His father cried as he told him why he was so mean. He was only getting a couple of hours of sleep each day trying to support his family and he was simply exhausted. Larry has such a positive attitude about America because his parents, and especially his father, refused to be bitter. He taught him that life is all about choices and we can choose the attitude in life that makes us better people. Larry is a wealthy and successful man today. My parents influence helped me to survive the trauma of losing them when I was 12 years old in 1963. I was no longer a sheltered, spoiled child after that day. You grow up pretty quick. At no time did I blame God or the gun that ended their lives. I am a rich man today. Not in wealth or possessions, but privileged to have the greatest family in the world and to live in the greatest country on earth, even with it's flaws. Many times I marvel at the fact that I was so lucky to have been born in America. I could just as easily have been born in Russia, China or some dilapidated shack in Haiti. As a parent and as a man I have many flaws. I wish that I had spent more quality time with my children when they were small. I am proudest of the fact, however; that I had a part in raising children who love God, their family, and their country. Just all around good people. Yes, it has been my privilege living in this great country called America..
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