Really, because the percentages of blacks (and one would imagine Latinos and other major groups) in jails would rather imply that there are still humongous issues of racial inequality.
Certainly you have a point here. But it's really all about the community. The broken communities generate these problems, regardless of race. Many predominately black and Latino have these issues, hence they're over-represented in the jails. Now, if you wanted to say some of the problems in those communities are caused by whites.... I wouldn't disagree. But that's a separate issue to what we're discussing here.
I'll simply ask you this, when was the last time someone was pulled over and arrested for driving whilst white?
Well, I wasn't arrested, but I was pulled over for DWW two years ago. I do manufacturing IT, and I was driving to a largely unused plant in a pretty rough neighborhood. Apparently, the adjoining building had been taken by drug squatters, and as a white guy in the area, I was stopped and questioned why I was driving by there. For my trouble I got a ticket for failure to stop at a stop sign that wasn't there (fortunately, I found an honest clerk who found out the sign was reported missing two years earlier, but no one had bothered to put a new one up).
DWB is a problem, though. I know several of my co-workers have had to appeal baseless tickets. A lot is because of quotas, I think.
When I talk of white privilege I talk about not having to wonder if someone is treating me the way they are because of the colour of my skin [...] its the subtle (and not so) undercurrents that we mostly as whites aren't aware of because it simply never hits us that we still have to deal with, this is our privilege.
I think the thing that most stirs these currents (besides the outright bigots who need to be dealt with) is the very subtle discrimination. And, I think that includes things like Affirmative Action and racial "bonuses." When you say blacks or Latinos need assistance... Aren't you really saying they're not as good as us? Isn't that discrimination? I understand why Affirmative Action was needed. It served an amazingly important role in getting change started within a broken system. But, today, you could easily argue that it causes more racism than it cures. It's that subtle poke.... You're not as good as us.
A good friend of mine loves symphonic and Gothic metal groups like within temptation and Evanescence a lot. He would love nothing more than to see them live, but when the opportunity came up early this year, he turned and asked me if it would be safe for him to go, I asked him why wouldn't it? He had to remind me he's half Pakistani and as such it was a genuine concern.
Yup... That's really unfortunate. I worked with a few Iraqis. Let me tell you... They were none-to-quick to mention their heritage. And that's a shame.
Privilege is not having to worry about things like that or even have it cross your mind.
Well, as a white guy, let me tell ya, it crosses my mind, as well. I don't exactly feel safe in a lot of the areas I go to, either. (See above example) I danced a jig when we finally closed that plant for good.
Of course, they aren't helping themselves much. You can't build a coalition of radicals and fanatics - they don't mix.
