It swings both ways. The anger is understandable but not defensible.

It probably did put you in better standing, at least until speaking. Things like not being side-eyed when walking into a shop etc.

We were ok until we opened our mouths? Ok so.

Kow wrote:

We were ok until we opened our mouths? Ok so.

I'm not arguing in favour of the discrimination, was just saying that until an Irish accent was heard you'd have most likely have been assumed 'one of us', I'd have thought.

Well yeah, I'd agree it's about class. And also a sense of 'otherness' which is definitely not limited to white.

Reminds me of a book by Antonio Salas in which he infiltrated the neo nazi groups in the Real Madrid Ultras. They were contacted by South American white power groups looking for possible coordination opportunities but offended them greatly by telling them that they didn't consider them to be actually white.

Anyone who chose to live here in NI during the troubles tended to be eccentric. The guy who ran the Belfast City bus service was a German who at times drove a bus himself and on at least one occasion carried hoax bombs off the bus and carried on with his route.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Heubeck

Armitage_Shankburn wrote:

I don't find the concept of white privilege useful, helpful or tactically astute...

It is tactically astute, because it's helped attract attention to a group of problems that do have a cumulative, negative effect on minority groups in the UK west.

The problems found in the justice system are well known. 

Then there is also empirical evidence for bias against black people specifically, in the education system. 
But that's much harder to unpack, because, as others have stated, class issues blatantly distract from the subtle problems that do affect race when it comes to education.

Then after that, there are so many seemingly glaring instances of bias that appear in far less scrutable areas of society. And it is in these areas, where you can find the building blocks upon which someone can build an idea like "white privilege". 

For example, it's amazing to think that:

On average, 24% of applicants of white British origin received a positive response from employers, compared with 15% of minority ethnic applicants applying with identical CVs and cover letters. All of the minority applications clearly stated that they were either British-born or had arrived in the country by the age of six and had obtained all their education and training in Britain.

 
Source - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/17/minority-ethnic-britons-face-shocking-job-discrimination

No one can refute this problem.
And if it happens in the employment market, you can be as sure as fuck it's happening else where. 
Personal finance definitely comes to mind. 

How would you legislate against such clear injustices? 
Even with empirical evidence, how do you raise a debate around that?
Attempts to isolate problems like these for objective discussion are often stonewalled, even within the communities that have to deal with them.

Framing these issues with a rhetoric banner though, has appeared to have forced a general discussion about them, and their apparent roots. edit - And not all of these issues can be covered by class alone.

I mean, I don't like the corny way the term is rattled around, but I certainly appreciate the dialogue it's started.

I find BLM as a slogan to be a crass reduction personally, but everything being discussed in it's name so far, is welcome.
Even this idea of 'Defunding the Police', while stupid, at least focusses attention on what they are actually supposed to do, and how they do it.

And that's a useful conversation for the public, no matter what race you are.

There are some really good ideas that could potentially be described as 'defunding'. Like the kind of stuff they've been doing in Scotland for the past 15 years.

But it's still stupid to champion 'defunding', because the people currently in the position to do that, can use the cost cutting resource allocation process as a great excuse to lower standards even further.

It's better not to float the idea of cutting any form of public service funding.

That's actually the 'end game' the conservatives want to effect.

Because then you can eventually push the case for privatising the police.

On some OCP shit.

It's already been attempted (in the UK at least):

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/mar/02/police-privatisation-security-firms-crime

Requests for proposals and everything.
But unsurprisingly, things went quiet, after the facts became known.

I understand the anger in the US very well, but I think the US ringleaders of the movement need to put more care into the craft of some of these ideas.

nick_md wrote:

Kow wrote:

We were ok until we opened our mouths? Ok so.

I'm not arguing in favour of the discrimination, was just saying that until an Irish accent was heard you'd have most likely have been assumed 'one of us', I'd have thought.

Why do you think red hair is hated

FA Chairman Greg Clarke resigns after 'coloured footballers' remark

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/nov/10/fa-chairman-greg-clarke-forced-to-apologise-after-using-the-term-coloured

https://f7td5.app.goo.gl/9fwFsx

Maybe let's not have an old white man please.
Cpuld even get someone who gives a shit about football.

What would have been less offensive? Doesn't seem like something worth resigning over to me.