Racism and sexism: how are they different?

I'm not bitching that my gender has kept me from being successful. I'm suggesting it would be nice if it didn't have to be *in spite* of my gender.

Jeebus. You guys are a laugh riot.

 

Who said that's all I focus on I just acknowledge it. My point is and has always been that in this country because of our racial history being black especially a bm carries a heavier burden.
You make it sound like its an unfair statement. Its no different than saying living in the ghettos of Hati carrier a heavier burden than living in Yonkers, NY. Its not a poverty Olympics just a statement of fact.

 

Women have plenty of privileges in todays society. Just today I heard on a radio advertisement for a night club that women get in for FREE before 11pm. They don't have to pay cover while men DO.

Shit, thats gotta be nice lol.

 

U on point

 

Wait.....negroes are now hatin' on Ladies Night in the clubs??? The Ladies Night that been around forever and a day and in theory is to get as many women in the club as possible there by giving mufukkas a wide selection of women to possibly pick from?? Ya'll negroes hatin' on that Ladies Night??? Damn. I'm real old & out of touch then, cuz that's some backward ass ballin' ass shit right there.........

 

Of course, not paying a $10 cover charge doesnt actually make up for lack of equal pay, the cost of beauty, or the fact that 1 in 6 women get raped, but hey! I understand totally how the guys are willing to skip the cover charge and get raped instead.

Me, I'd pay the damned cover charge, or go elsewhere. But I know I don't matter anymore because I'm so ancient. Ra, wanna help me over to the rocking chair? ;-)

 

The Black Male Privileges Checklist
Leadership & Politics

1. I don't have to choose my race over my sex in political matters.
2. When I read African American History textbooks, I will learn mainly about black men.
3. When I learn about the Civil Rights Movement & the Black Power Movements, most of the leaders that I will learn about will be black men.
4. I can rely on the fact that in the near 100-year history of national civil rights organizations such as the NAACP and the Urban League, virtually all of the executive directors have been male.
5. I will be taken more seriously as a political leader than black women.
6. Despite the substantial role that black women played in the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement, currently there is no black female that is considered a "race leader".
7. I can live my life without ever having read black feminist authors, or knowing about black women's history, or black women's issues.
8. I can be a part of a black liberation organization like the Black Panther Party where an "out" rapist Eldridge Cleaver can assume leadership position.
9. I will make more money than black women at equal levels of education and occupation.
10. Most of the national "opinion framers" in Black America including talk show hosts and politicians are men.

Beauty
11. I have the ability to define black women's beauty by European standards in terms of skin tone, hair, and body size. In comparison, black women rarely define me by European standards of beauty in terms of skin tone, hair, or body size.
12. I do not have to worry about the daily hassles of having my hair conforming to any standard image of beauty the way black women do.
13. I do not have to worry about the daily hassles of being terrorized by the fear of gaining weight. In fact, in many instances bigger is better for my sex.
14. My looks will not be the central standard by which my worth is valued by members of the opposite sex.

Sex & Sexuality
15. I can purchase pornography that typically shows men defile women by the common practice of the "money shot.”
16. I can believe that causing pain during sex is connected with a woman's pleasure without ever asking her.
17. I have the privilege of not wanting to be a virgin, but preferring that my wife or significant other be a virgin.
18. When it comes to sex if I say "No", chances are that it will not be mistaken for “Yes".
19. If I am raped, no one will assume that "I should have known better" or suggest that my being raped had something to do with how I was dressed.
20. I can use sexist language like bonin’, laying the pipe, hittin-it, and banging that convey images of sexual acts based on dominance and performance.
21. I can live in a world where polygamy is still an option for men in the United States as well as around the world.
22. In general, I prefer being involved with younger women socially and sexually
23. In general, the more sexual partners that I have the more stature I receive among my peers.
24. I have easy access to pornography that involves virtually any category of sex where men degrade women, often young women.
25. I have the privilege of being a part of a sex where "purity balls" apply to girls but not to boys.
26. When I consume pornography, I can gain pleasure from images and sounds of men causing women pain.

Popular Culture
27. I come from a tradition of humor that is based largely on insulting and disrespecting women; especially mothers.
28. I have the privilege of not having black women, dress up and play funny characters- often overweight- that are supposed to look like me for the entire nation to laugh.
29. When I go to the movies, I know that most of the leads in black films are men. I also know that all of the action heroes in black film are men.
30. I can easily imagine that most of the artists in Hip Hop are members of my sex.
31. I can easily imagine that most of the women that appear in Hip Hop videos are there solely to please men
32. Most of lyrics I listen to in hip-hop perpetuate the ideas of males dominating women, sexually and socially.
33. I have the privilege of consuming and popularizing the word pimp, which is based on the exploitation of women with virtually no opposition from other men.
34. I can hear and use language bitches and hoes that demean women, with virtually no opposition from men.
35. I can wear a shirt that others and I commonly refer to as a "wife beater" and never have the language challenged.
36. Many of my favorite movies include images of strength that do not include members of the opposite sex and often are based on violence.
37. Many of my favorite genres of films, such as martial arts, are based on violence.
38. I have the privilege of popularizing or consuming the idea of a thug, which is based on the violence and victimization of others with virtually no opposition from other men.

Attitudes/Ideology
39. I have the privilege to define black women as having "an attitude" without referencing the range of attitudes that black women have.
40. I have the privilege of defining black women's attitudes without defining my attitudes as a black man.
41. I can believe that the success of the black family is dependent on returning men to their historical place within the family, rather than in promoting policies that strengthen black women's independence, or that provide social benefits to black children.
42. I have the privilege of believing that a woman cannot raise a son to be a man.
43. I have the privilege of believing that a woman must submit to her man.
44. I have the privilege of believing that before slavery gender relationships between black men and women were perfect.
45. I have the privilege of believing that feminism is anti-black.
46. I have the privilege of believing that the failure of the black family is due to the black matriarchy.
47. I have the privilege of believing that household responsibilities are women's roles.
48. I have the privilege of believing that black women are different sexually than other women and judging them negatively based on this belief.

Sports
49. I will make significantly more money as a professional athlete than members of the opposite sex will.
50. In school, girls are cheerleaders for male athletes, but there is no such role for males to cheerlead for women athletes.
51. My financial success or popularity as a professional athlete will not be associated with my looks.
52. I can talk about sports or spend large portions of the day playing video games while women are most likely involved with household or childcare duties.
53. I can spend endless hours watching sports TV and have it considered natural.
54. I can touch, hug, or be emotionally expressive with other men while watching sports without observers perceiving this behavior as sexual.
55. I know that most sports analysts are male.
56. If I am a coach, I can motivate, punish, or embarrass a player by saying that the player plays like a girl.
57. Most sports talk show hosts that are members of my race are men.
58. I can rest assured that most of the coaches -even in predominately-female sports within my race are male.
59. I am able to play sports outside without my shirt on and it not be considered a problem.
60. I am essentially able to do anything inside or outside without my shirt on, whereas women are always required to cover up.

Diaspora/Global
61. I have the privilege of being a part of a sex where the mutilation and disfigurement of a girl’s genitalia is used to deny her sexual sensations or to protect her virginity for males.
62. I have the privilege of not having rape be used as a primary tactic or tool to terrorize my sex during war and times of conflict.
63. I have the privilege of not being able to name one female leader in Africa or Asia, past or present, that I pay homage to the way I do male leaders in Africa and/or Asia.
64. I have the ability to travel around the world and have access to women in developing countries both sexually and socially.
65. I have the privilege of being a part of the sex that starts wars and that wields control of almost all the existing weapons of war and mass destruction.
College
66. In college, I will have the opportunity to date outside of the race at a much higher rate than black women will.
67. I have the privilege of having the phrase "sewing my wild oats" apply to my sex as if it were natural.
68. I know that the further I go in education the more success I will have with women.
69. In college, black male professors will be involved in interracial marriages at much higher rates than members of the opposite sex will.
70. By the time I enter college, and even through college, I have the privilege of not having to worry whether I will be able to marry a black woman.
71. In college, I will experience a level of status and prestige that is not offered to black women even though black women may outnumber me and out perform me academically.
72. If I go to an HBCU, I will have incredible opportunities to exploit black women

Communication/Language
73. What is defined as "News" in Black America is defined by men.
74. I can choose to be emotionally withdrawn and not communicate in a relationships and it be considered unfortunate but normal.
75. I can dismissively refer to another persons grievances as ^*ing.
76. I have the privilege of not knowing what words and concepts like patriarchy, phallocentric, complicity, colluding, and obfuscation mean.

To be continued...

 

The Black Male Privileges Checklist, Part 2


Relationships
77. I have the privilege of marrying outside of the race at a much higher rate than black women marry.
78. My "strength" as a man is never connected with the failure of the black family, whereas the strength of black women is routinely associated with the failure of the black family.
79. If I am considering a divorce, I know that I have substantially more marriage, and cohabitation options than my spouse.
80. Chances are I will be defined as a "good man" by things I do not do as much as what I do. If I don't beat, cheat, or lie, then I am a considered a "good man". In comparison, women are rarely defined as "good women" based on what they do not do.
81. I have the privilege of not having to assume most of the household or child-care responsibilities.
82. I have the privilege of having not been raised with domestic responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, and washing that takes up disproportionately more time as adults.

Church & Religious Traditions
83. In the Black Church, the majority of the pastoral leadership is male.
84. In the Black Church Tradition, most of the theology has a male point of view. For example, most will assume that the man is the head of household.

Physical Safety
85. I do not have to worry about being considered a traitor to my race if I call the police on a member of the opposite sex.
86. I have the privilege of knowing men who are physically or sexually abusive to women and yet I still call them friends.
87. I can video tape women in public- often without their consent - with male complicity.
88. I can be courteous to a person of the opposite sex that I do not know and say "Hello" or "Hi" and not fear that it will be taken as a come-on or fear being stalked because of it.
89. I can use physical violence or the threat of physical violence to get what I want when other tactics fail in a relationship.
90. If I get into a physical altercation with a person of the opposite sex, I will most likely be able to impose my will physically on that person
91. I can go to parades or other public events and not worry about being physically and sexually molested by persons of the opposite sex.
92. I can touch and physically grope women's bodies in public- often without their consent- with male complicity.
93. In general, I have the freedom to travel in the night without fear.
94. I am able to be out in public without fear of being sexually harassed by individuals or groups of the opposite sex.

Copyright, Jewel Woods

http://www.jewelwoods.com/node/9

 

That list is a bunch of anti-black male horseshit that was clearly written by an angry black woman. It's quite amusing that is was posted on this forum by a so-called brother lover. I'd go point by point and refute all of the bullshit, but it's a waste of my time because a lot of people here don't like to deal with facts. It also does nothing to validate the farcical claims that are being made here about white women facing worse oppression that black men in the U.S. because of their gender.

 

Actually, it's written by a black man who's had a lot of experience working with men's groups and wrote, if you follow the link, a rather lengthy discussion about BM privilege and why/how he developed the list. He acknowledges that it's an oxymoron to most BM, but there's validity in what he says- if you take the time to read the link, which you wont, your 'refutes' would have more validity if you'd taken the time to actually read it to bother understanding why I'd even post it here.

And to edit- no one is saying white women face worse oppression. No one is saying anyone is worse off than anyone else- WHAT WE WERE SAYING- was that we BOTH face oppression and it's stupid to try to argue that it doesn't exist on both sides simply because one doesn't see it as being 'as bad as' another person's situation. We should be on the same side, but ya'll are too busy talking about ladies' night and playing oppression olympics to see that.

 

Good luck DB, I've given out too much rep today. That's going to be used to say "yeah, but that's only privilege over black women, you ww are privileged" without realizing how much of that list would remain the same if race were removed from the statements.

Thanks for finding that - I'm familiar with a lot of privilege checklists but I was not aware there was a specific one for black men.

 

On a whim, I googled it. Lo and behold.

Written by a black man, who's also a social worker and is highly educated. I thought it was worth posting for consideration before I disappeared again. I'm so busy lately with things that I haven't had much interest in playing with the kids in the sandbox around here lately.

 

And there you have.

DB admits it.

Don't worry, DB. I've got your back, my Italian sister from another mister.

 

Uhmmm ok, so you think a sales person will go up to a male customer and the first think he say to the male after the male say he is there to buy a car is "what color car are you looking for?"... riiiiiiiiiight.

Since it is something said to a woman based on a number of ass-umptions - its very condescending and you would never hear that happen to a man.
If you don't see that - you are very naive.

Not that its a big deal - its more amusing than anything else - its still sexist.

 

Thanks, LA.

And my apologies over the avatar comment. I was a tad hot under the collar with...he-who-spells-his-name-with-k, and didn't mean to direct that at you.

 

Playing the Oppression Olympics is a waste of energy. Winning the gold medal is losing. But I hope DB's list will prompt a bit of thinking on the part of a few posters.

 

Nope, not hating on ladies night at all. Just makin a point that women have PLENTY of privileges in today's society thats all. This is just one of them. With some feminists on here, you would think that all white women are all being brutally tortured and raped 24/7 in this country:smt043

 

Gotcha but I still think you're reaching quite a bit. When I went to get a car I've been asked what color are you looking for early on in the conversaton. Its a standard question they ask. Sheesh.

 

Also, black men get pulled over for just being black...another black man privilege right there DB lol:smt042

 

You keep using that term" oppression olympics" and I don't get it. If someone said that poverty in Chile is far harsher than the US and have a hard time empthasizing with American poverty are they playing the poverty olympics. Btw thanks for replying to my previous post lol.
Btw in regards to that checklist im sure that was in relation to bw not all women as you guys are trying to suggest. This has always been my problem with the feminist movement, you always try to align your suffering with everyone as if its the same thing. You can not seperate race from personhood anymore than you can gender and while that checklist might apply to bm vs bw it sure as hell doesn't apply to bm vs ww. You're singing your song to the wrong people my friend.

Btw can one of you educated women tell me what the title of thread is also created by a woman.

Edit: you and DB love to throw around rape as a consequence of gender when many women on here make the point to educate us that its not about sex its about power. So women aren't being raped because of gender but lack of physical power no?
Why do you think so many men are afraid of jail?