On Being White

IN 0.63 SECONDS, I RECEIVED 4,480,000,000 RESULTS ON GOOGLE AFTER TYPING IN "On Being White."

Most of the results through which I quickly browsed were all directed against the WHITE MAN because ALL WHITE PEOPLE were born into a white world of PRIVILEGE...  or, so it is assumed.

I had WHITE PARENTS who were educated and who raised me to treat all people equally as long as their behavior suggested it...  and, that is exactly how I lived my life.

My father accepted a DIPLOMATIC post overseas at an American Embassy and to tell you the truth, I have no idea if his bosses even considered a black man for the job...  but, if there were no black men available, then it would have been difficult to hire a black man for the job.

Going to high school in Cairo, Egypt, I experienced NO RACISM or PREDJUDICE at all among the students with whom I attended this school...  and yes, there were many people of color attending that school.

When I attended college in NC in 1966, that was the first time that I experienced racism and witnessed white people treating black people differently...  including professors.  However, once I enlisted into the US Navy, there was no racism expressed at all and I remember that my Communications Officer was a black man and I showed him the same respect that I showed all officers in the military.

After college, I had several jobs and I have no idea nor did I ask the person doing the hiring if I was competing with any black people.  However, when I was Dean of a proprietary school, I hired both black and white instructors as long as they had the appropriate credentials and/or qualifications...  and, in my experience, I was never put in a position where there was a white and a black equally qualified and I had to chose one over the other.

Whenever I was promoted inside the ranks of education from instructor to Assistant Dean and then to Dean, there WAS NEVER ANY COMPETITION for the position from either other whites or any blacks that were employed.

NOW...

I am being confronted with WHITE PRIVILEGE and how the WHITE MAN/WOMAN has always had the advantage over BLACKS...

I just don't see it...  making it difficult for me to believe it exists...  and yet, logically, I know it exists...  but, NOT ALL WHITE PEOPLE have had a life of privilege...  and, it is that distinction that pisses me off the most about blacks thinking I have had it easy simply because I am WHITE.

I had NO CHOICE in my BIRTH...

and I damn sure had no choice in my birth parents...

NO ONE DOES...  unless they have a direct line to GOD...  and believe that they can influence HIM.