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Author Tim Wise will speak at a lunch event Jan. 17 at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1000 E. Morehead Street. The event is open to the public, with lunch available for $6; email meckmin@meckmin.org by tomorrow (Jan. 9) to save a spot. Trinity Episcopal School, 750 E. Ninth St., is also hosting a free event with Wise at 7 p.m. Jan. 17; RSVP at this link.
To back up a bit: Mecklenburg Ministries, an interfaith alliance, has been bringing white clergy together for eight-week study groups to talk about how their race and often-unnoticed privilege affect their own spiritual lives and that of their congregations. Some corporate and lay people have also taken part, but religious leaders have been the target audience, says Executive Director Maria Hanlin.
This effort hasn't been as visible as the group's other "Souls of ..." projects, including "Souls of Our Teachers" and "Souls of Our Students." But Wise's talk is designed to bring the discussion into the broader community -- something that meshes well with similar talk in CMS.
I haven't read Wise's book, but Amazon describes it as "a personal examination of the way in which racial privilege shapes the daily lives of white Americans in every realm: employment, education, housing, criminal justice, and elsewhere. ... He explores the ways in which whites can challenge their unjust privileges, and explains in clear and convincing language why it is in the best interest of whites themselves to do so."
At the Mecklenburg Ministries lunch, Wise is scheduled to talk about racial disparities in schools, communities and houses of worship and suggest ways to challenge institutional racism and privilege. "The public is invited to understand the impact of racism on their lives and in our cities, no matter what their skin color, and then work together to dismantle racism in our community," Hanlin said.
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94 comments:
This entire series is such an affront to people of all demographics.
And for the record, not all of us Whities are privileged. Most of us are just as oppressed and poor as the rest of the world. And also for the record, we do challenge the unjust system on a daily basis.
And finally, please stop hating on me; my people had nothing to do with enslaving your people.
Any white person who wants to understand racism in Charlotte just has to ride an inner-city CATS bus during the day.
Then tell us how much "privilege" you have.
White guilt "sells" today.
Under the new "Massa" of political correctness.
I have not read this book, but I have been following the discussion. I taught in CMS and Cleveland County Schools for a total of 10 years and I have 2 adopted African American kids. I am white. It is safe to say I have thought a lot about race over the years.
This book seems to contend that Whites have privileges and unwittingly use them to keep other races lower on the scale. It also seems to suggest that if we are aware of the privileges we will stop using them.
I just have a fundamental disagreement with the idea that successful groups need to change how they behave. I think the best evidence for this is the US military. I was in the USMC (long ago) and it was filled with Americans of every imaginable race, with religions I had never heard of and names I (a white Charlotte native) could not pronounce. Kids from Detroit, WV, east LA and Chicago. They were successful I always thought because they had gotten away from their communities of origin. They told me they believed that.
School don't do kids a favor when they set the bar differently than society. The bar of success is the same everywhere. No matter where you begin your attempt to get over it- it remains the same. A great example of this is that at Eastway Middle School all kids who make a 3 on the EOGs are in "honors" classes. At South Charlotte Middle School to be in honors kids must score at or above 95% on the EOG in that subject.
Let's all goosestep to the 12-step program at our local WA.
All you "whiteys" out there repeat after me:
Hi,
My name is John/Mary and I'm a Whiteaholic...
I do not deserve anything I have because it was stolen from brown people centuries ago who are still powerless in my society.
I know the brown people are powerless because they told me so and made me go to these meetings so that I may be enlightened about their powerlessness and my privilege.
I had no idea what a horrible person I am unconsciously.
If I don't confess to my sins as a white person then my brown-skinned supervisor, mayor or president may fire me from my gubmint job for my racial insensitivity.
So I am at this meeting to be "cured" of my unconscious feelings of white privilege so that I may keep my job and remain in good standing in the "community".
I hope Tim Wise brought up the subject of worshipping a "white" Jesus to all these preacherfolk.
I fully expect to see brown-skinned Jesii and Maries at all the houses of worship next Sunday.
Or I'm telling...
http://www. timwise .org/2000/12/dreaming-of-a-non-white-christmas-santa-jesus-and-the-symbolism-of-racial-supremacy/
What exactly are the important questions Heath is trying to get answered in his upcoming "courageous conversations" about race? CMS per-pupil funding already goes disproportionately to high-minority schools.
I suspect that Heath was hired by a newly elected BOE whose majority believes that institutional racism is what's holding society and CMS back. Whether this is true or not is beside the point. Pleasing the BOE is job number one if you want to keep your job as CMS superintendent.
Keep the bosses happy, young man, and you will go far.
I never had a racial bone in my body until I moved here 10 years ago from the west. I always felt the true color line is green, not brown or black. But I am getting there. Whether it is in a store or a parking lot or driving or wherever. I am so exhausted by the Attitude. I have to suppress the impulse to not scream after people that I owe them nothing. My ancestors came from New England and the West Coast. We never owned or profited from the abuse of other people. Very few people have been poorer than the previous 4 generations of my ancestors. My grandmother lost her mom at birth and was raised in foster care until 14. She had a 3rd grade education. Then she became a live in boarder child until she married. She was widowed at 25 with 3 children under 6 and $2 a month from the county and a small garden to raise them on. My mother had a birth defect that caused mild autism. She was a single mom who supported us as a waitress. She had an 8th grade education. She never took a dime of welfare or unemployment. I raised my child as a single parent after it turned out my husband had severe mental problems that got him sent to prison for life. We never took a dime of welfare or unemployment. I have a high school education. My child, through alot of hard work and sacrifice on both our parts, has a college degree, is a teacher and has a boat load of student loans that will never finish being paid on a teacher's salary. My point is that we are still poor by today's standards, but we don't blame anyone else for the hands we were dealt. And we sincerely wish others would stop with the guilt and attitude.
Are you serious?? I have always worked hard for everything I have earned. The only thing holding back non-whites is themselves. My white kids have gone through CMS alongside children of all races. What has set them apart is two parents at home who care. What holds these other kids back is parents who don't. Now that my kids are heading to college, they won't get any assistance because they aren't "minority". Much to poplular belief, just because we are white does not mean we are weatlhy, affluent or privileged.
Anon 7:24.
I agree. A lot of this reminds me of the fable about the "Goose Who Laid the Golden Egg".
Lots of folks seem eager to kill that white goose to get at what's inside producing all that "gold" they think they deserve but aren't getting fast enough.
It also seems to me that the privileged "white" in the US have been pretty good at allowing others to sit at the table of "their" wealth.
Even shills like Tim Wise have to admit that his "Jewish" heritage (as insignificant as it may be)isn't much of a hindrance in today's society.
That's true of many other deviations from the WASP "standard" than was the case even 60 years ago.
Such as being Irish Catholic.
So, society HAS changed.
As I look around I see all kinds of people in positions of power regardless of my "privileged" opinion of their worth due to their skin colors.
I certainly don't think Eastway Middle school is setting a "good" example by having lower standards, if they do what you are saying.
I've seen the effects of this later in life and it isn't pretty once reality catches up to those who've been "privileged" to be held to lower standards in the beginnings of their life.
BTW, anyone wishing to read some lengthy excerpts from his book can find it on Google books...
As time passed, so will RACISM...but yes today we still have it. Education is the great equalizer. So whether you are in a PRIVATE school or Public, just get educated and you will see a better life. It really doesn't matter if you are PURPLE, education will open DOORS.
Name one prosperous and stable non-white majority country.
Japan and South Korea, maybe, but take away US military protection...
China? No freedoms.
Still waiting on an African country...
Just one.
I am tired of all of this so-called "white privilege." I had to WORK my way through college to get my degree. I didn't get any scholarships nor any other treatment based on my race. It was by hard work, sacrifice, and postponing gratification in order to reach a long-term goal.
I sure didn't have any college professors whisper to me "Just come to class every day and I will make sure you get an A" like what I witnessed with BLACK students. I had to do this thing called STUDY.
In my experience as a teacher (no longer, thank God!) in a high minority school in CMS, I and every other teacher treated all of the students fairly. Guess which demographic chose disproportionately to waste time, not do work, act up, be impulsive, and do poorly on tests? Hint: it wasn't the average poor white kid. Those kids suffered from the same poverty as well but they didn't act like a bunch of wild, out of control jack****s.
When so much taxpayer money is allocated towards the ever-underachieving minorities who don't/won't take advantage of it, when does this BS about white privilege end?????
One more thing: go to a remote hollow in West Virginia or elsewhere in rural Appalachia. Find an unemployed former coal miner living in a rusted out trailer - that won't be hard to do. Talk to HIM about white privilege and see where that gets you.
Dr. Morrison, you can have all of the conversations you like concerning race. However, as a teacher, could I PLEASE be allowed to actually spend my time TEACHING??? Would that be too much to ask for?
Also, conversations aside, could you please explain to a moron such as myself how assigning a minimum grade of 50%, regardless of effort or even completion, is going to raise the levels of acheivement of any student, regardless of race? Apparently, we teachers are too clueless of understand the brilliance of that initiative. We are still stuck in that old paradigm of effort=achievement.
What is extremely sad, and I see it here all the time, is that most of you don't realize that the audience you are trying to make a point to, or complain about, DOES NOT READ THIS WEBSITE!
All the negaitve, trashy comments day in and day out complaining about things that you are so mad about, yet you are actually just complaining to other hateful commenters. All those folks you accuse daily from crime to school problems, NEVER read this and are quite oblivious to what you think. Hope I didn't ruin your week!
What will the observer do when racism is no longer a selling point for them?
When will the Observer do an investigation of how white teachers and staff are treated at majority black schools?
What will they do? Well, they have already restricted comments from being seen on anything except these blog entries. All other stories just show 0 comments. Guess those people really are just complaining and bitching to themselves since the general public no longer can see them.
Exactly how long are we all going to be hit over the head with this type of thing. Meck Ministries and it partner the Community Building Initiative have been promoting this type of "discussion" for years. They specialize in providing excuses and blame, all the while decrying how divided and lacking in trust our community is. Observer editors are usually in lockstep with them--oh those evil racist suburbanites (even as they live amongst them). I wish some civic leader had the guts to say--This is all hogwash. Let's try personal responsibility for a change.
Perhaps is all groups of races would read or attend these meetings all groups would be more educated as to what happens when you are rich black or white or Hispanic..
Kantstanzya,
If you haven't seen it, you should see the Eddie Murphy SNL skit
"Kill the White People".
Your story about the college rally reminded me of that.
I think some people are missing the point. White privilege is something that whites benefit from without even knowing it. The real issue is the powers that be that allow the benefit to take place. Lenders, School system, Hiring Managers, Judges, Law Enforcement etc. These are the ones the bestow the "white privilege" upon whites. Who gets the better mortgage rate? Who gets most of the sales positions? Who gets there car searched when pulled over the most? You blame law enforcement for these tactics. Which kids get labeled as having a "learning disability" the most? You can't blame the couple that applied for a home loan with the same credit and financial background as us but got a better rate for "some reason". You blame the lender. You don't blame the white kid that has the same behavorial/learning issues as the black kid but wasn't labeled as having a learning disability. You blame the teacher. Its a known fact that whites are not percieved as drug users and law breakers, minorities are but the data shows otherwise. Whites are given the benefit of the doubt. That's white privilege at its finest. I think people posting here know exactly what this book is saying. Pretending to not have a clue actually shows the inner guilt.
Your welcome..
Anon 9:13
You probably have no idea who reads or posts to these comments.
Based on CMS comments about all the "bad press" and negative comments, I suspect that someone in their little hierarchy is somewhat aware of what is being said about them.
But, yes, you're right about how the dissent is being suppressed in other ways, so the effectiveness of all this commentary is highly doubtful.
However, it isn't the first time "power" has tried to suppress change.
Maybe the "other" side has learned a few more tricks by now.
Anon 9:48.
Look around you.
Who are the "hiring managers"?
Who is the mayor?
Who is the police chief?
Who sits on the school boards?
And look at the kind of consultants being hired and listened to by the likes of CMS and other "leaders".
It's not the same old world.
As for whites not being "perceived" as law breakers, that's rubbish.
And if you want crime statistics showing otherwise, the FBI has them.
Even Jesse Jackson knows who to cross the street to avoid in a dark alley at night.
But I guess it's just his "white" privilege that's making him feel so guilty about avoiding groups black males on the streets at night.
And not his knowledge of violent crime statistics.
This is all just a lame attempt to blame whitey for everything possible, even their "unconscious" thoughts and feelings.
Basically for "thought" crimes.
Or even "thought" crimes which haven't even crystallized into consciousness yet.
And that's sinking pretty low.
9:48--I would add--who is the county manager? Who is the chair of the school board?
I think Asians are often given the "benefit of the doubt" as well, but no one is talking about their "yellow privilege".
I wonder why not?
Even though all Asians aren't alike, (Chinese and Japanese and Koreans are very different from Cambodians, Vietnamese and Hmong in their culture and achievements), they all get treated as somewhat the same by "society" at large .
Maybe it has something to do with what they've actually done in our society, though.
You know, their track record.
Or maybe it's the screwed-up explanation Glenn Singleton and other "anti-racists" give.
Namely, that Asians do well because whites "expect" them to.
And use that expectation of good behavior to control them and make them behave.
Yeah, that's it.
Whites Supremacy is so pervasive and powerful that we've actually MADE Asians perform BETTER than we do as a consequence of our white privilege.
Gosh, why didn't it occur to us to do that with everyone else, then?
Why did we only make the Asians better than the whites?
Yet another conundrum for the "anti-racists" to solve for us.
I wonder if Lawanna Mayfield, Harold Cogdell and Vilma Leake will attend.
These three racists/hate mongers attended Louis Farrakhan's recent rally in Charlotte, with Leake sitting on stage with him.
Farrakhan and his Nation of Islam are on the Southern Poverty Law Center's list of hate groups, right next to the KKK and Neo-Nazis.
None of these elected officials would denounce what Farrakhan stands for.
Mayfield: Farrakhan ‘doing God’s will’
Mayfield, who in 2011 became the city’s first openly gay or lesbian elected official, was among several other elected officials and politicians at an Oct. 13 Farrakhan speech at Little Rock A.M.E. Zion Church. There, Mayfield sent a message of supposed support for the hate group leader on Twitter.
“Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan at Little Rock AME Zion Church doing God’s will not his own,” Mayfield wrote with an accompanying photograph of Farrakhan at the church’s pulpit.
Mayfield was joined by other local politicians at the Farrakhan event at Little Rock, including Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners Chair Harold Cogdell and Commissioner Vilma Leake. Leake also attended Farrakhan’s Sunday rally at Bojangles Coliseum, where she sat on stage behind Farrakhan, according to The Charlotte Observer.
Anon 8:39
I lived and worked in China for a year.
I wouldn't say they have "no freedoms", just different freedoms.
I never felt the least bit "unfree" in China.
Can't say the same about Indonesia where I've also worked and lived, though.
Suddenly having the urge to read Grapes of Wrath and then watch a re-run of The Waltons.
My grandparents grew up on rural farms and lived through the Great Depression. They were married Christmas day because the church was already decorated. My grandmother wore a simple handmade dress because she couldn't afford a wedding gown. No honeymoon get-a-way either. My grandparents were married 72 years. When things got better after WW II, my grandfather found a job with the U.S. Postal Service. My grandmother continued working as a school teacher and played the organ at the church where she and my grandfather met, married and were both buried. I suppose they were privileged. They had two children, a vegetable garden and each other.
When they finally retired, they traveled all over the U.S. camping in National Parks. They said this was the best time of their lives - being able to see the United States in a tiny hook-up trailer. I never heard a racist comment come out of either one of their mouths - ever. Once and a while, they'd complain about the Amish digging up the paved roads they had to pay taxes on. Amish buggy wheels leave groves in the road but they don't have to pay taxes to maintain them. When my grandparents eventually moved closer to civilization, they'd occasionally get miffed when Catholic parishioners parked their cars in their Presbyterian church lot across the street - but they always forgave them for doing so.
Alicia
LOL @ these comments! Get DEFENSIVE much?? The whole premise of the efforts are for the people who have benefited from the centuries of power gained by violence and oppression in this country. You obviously need to either read this book or attend one of these sessions in order to gain an understanding. It's called EMPATHY folks...and from the comments posted here, that's something that's sorely lacking in your culture.
Instead of bashing non-whites, who have nothing to do with the writing of this book, how about pray for those who lack power to make changes in their lives due to finances, education, support systems, emotional or mental illness, etc.
Let's make some effort to have some understanding and humanity in 2013...instead of all the hateful rhetoric.
And this is a major part of the problem.. lack of understanding or willingness to understand.
Your welcome..
11:04--Perhaps we're lacking in empathy because we've heard this same old song and dance so many times before. And no matter how many gatherings, programs, books, donations, etc. addressing "the gap" there have been, nothing has changed. It would be worthwhile to note exactly who attends these gatherings--I'll bet is the same small group of people over and over again.
Please explain to me how *I* benefitted from systematic oppression of non-whites? I got into college due to studying, not being given preferential treatment. Please explain how the Asians do so well without excuses? Also, it isn't a matter of being "defensive." We are just sick and tired of the same old blame game.
Please explain why, despite massive amounts of taxpayer money pouring into majority black schools, the results are still abysmal. Please explain why, despite the black community courageously struggling to get their civil rights, their children and grandchildren throw away their opportunities to better themselves?
Not one person with his head screwed on right would argue that minorities were blatantly discriminated against. It is a sad chapter in our history that never should have been. However, I still don't see how I was the beneficiary of oppression. Who did my ancestors oppress? They lived in an area with few, if any black residents who were fairly treated. Excuses excuses excuses.
We need another rally to show that everyone is happy with our schools.
11:04, please tell the unemployed hillbilly in Appalachia how powerful he is and how much he has benefitted from centuries of oppression.
While you're at it, go up north and tell that to the unemployed white factory worker who lost his job to outsourcing. Tell him not to worry since his white male privilege will surely bring him wealth and prosperity.
Anon 11:04....
I'll pray for all races to have the power to succeed, however, I will not for those of ALL races who use the system to do nothing for themselves, which is a sizeable group in this country and has been for decades.
Tell us, at what point can us Whites - in your opinion - cease to "stop feeling guilty" about what was done over the centuries? About 2035 when Whites will be the minority race in this country? So we have to deal with the guilt for another 23 or so years?
Personally, I have no guilt. I live each day treating others as I want to be treated. That's it, no more no less.
George F. Will wrote: "[White guilt is] a form of self-congratulation, where whites initiate "compassionate policies" toward people of color, to showcase their innocence to racism liberals).
Commentator Sunny Hundal, writing for The Guardian, stated that it is "reductionist" to assign political opinions to a collective guilt such as "white guilt" and that few people on the left actually hold the views being ascribed to them by the conservative writers who expound on the concept of "white guilt" and its implications. Hundal concludes: "Not much annoys me more than the stereotype that to be liberal is to be full of guilt. To be socially liberal, in my view, is to be more mindful of compassion and empathy for others."
Good luck with your understanding humanity wish.
Help me understand.... Is black poverty worse than white poverty?
For three years, I lived in one of the most rural and poorest counties in upstate NY. My best friend lived in a shack with a dirt floor. A lot of my classmates lived in dilapidated trailers and one student lived in an unfinished basement with a makeshift roof. Most residences were heated by wood burning stoves. A few classmates lived on farms. Most of my classmates received free lunch tickets - they were blue. I remember. My dad was the school principal/superintendent at the 450 student K-12 school so I always thought we were rich, or, I guess you could say I considered myself privileged.
Since when did poverty become a color contest? Am I missing something?
Alicia
I wonder how many of these commenters are planning to attend either talk - your eyes might be opened! Some of your comments show clearly you have no idea what white privilege is. I have to admit, neither did I, until our church held a Souls of White Folks series of classes. Being educated and open-minded, and "not racist", I thought I understood racism & white privilege, but I was blind. I hope you'll take the chance and learn something that can help bring our community together. If not Mr. Wise's talks, then by arranging to take the "Souls of White Folks" class. If you aren't willing to do that much, your protestations here don't mean much at all.
The five poorest counties in North Carolina are (by poverty rate):
Robeson (23.8%)
Tyrrell (23.5%)
Halifax (23.2%)
Warren (21.8%)
Edgecombe (21.5%)
Charlotte-Meck (21.2%)
Poorest families: 57% female, no husband.
Why not bring gender into the discussion? Anyone? The poorest people in our state are female. White woman and black women.
Alicia
While we're at it, how about having a courageous conversation about persistent pay disparity gaps between men and women? Anyone?
Alicia
Women working full-time earn just 77 cents for every dollar that men earn, contributing to a $431,000 lifetime wage gap, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Seems to me that men are walking around with a lot more privileges- or at least a lot more cash in their wallets - than women.
Alicia
Also:
Among college graduates, women earned 5 percent less than men one year after graduation, and the gap grew to 12 percent among full-time workers a decade after graduation, according to Catherine Hill, director of research at the American Association of University Women, or AAUW.
Alicia
Soooo.. you don't think for one minute that "some" whites in position of authority or power, use race as a factor when hiring or during college admission, giving loans etc.. Do you really believe that?
Yes, I know whites in hiring positions and college admission offices use race as an affirmative action tool.
My husband used to be a college recruiter for NCNB and Nations Bank. He was given a list of black candidates to interview and was told he better hire a certain percentage of them. He had to meet a minority hiring quota. I also know someone who was a former college admissions officer at a very elite private liberal arts college. She was expected to fill each incoming class with "diverse" students.
So, yes! Whites do use their power in the hiring and college admissions process!
Next....
And the reason affirmative action exist is because........
I will let you fill that in..
Don't be shy now...
Your Welcome...
Affirmative Action exists because and one time affirmative action was necessary.
The problem is, there is no expiration date on Affirmative Action so I guess we simply continue on this highly successful path as we did with forced cross-town busing which, we all know, solved all sorts of problems. Just look how far we've come!
You mean to tell me Denise Watts race had NOTHING to do with her being hired as the Project LIFT leader? You mean to tell me a white candidate would have been on the same level playing field for the position?
I have some swamp land for sale in Florida.
Affirmative Action refers to positive steps aimed at increasing the inclusion of historically excluded groups (race, gender, sex) in employment, education and business. Such steps are not designed to offer preferential treatment to, or exclude from participation, any group. To the contrary, Affirmative Action policies are intended to promote access for the traditionally underrepresented through heightened outreach and efforts at inclusion.
Your Welcome..
12:37 How much do you want for your swamp land? I would rather take my chances with gators than continue to teach in CMS.
"Humanity" has a funny way of abusing power the minute it's attained. Pick up any history book. It's not just about race- it's about gender, it's about religion, it's about sexual orientation, it's about ethnicity (which is not the same as race), it's about intelligence, it's about physical prowess, it's about everything.
Alicia
12:28
Since we've been on the subject of courageous conversations, why so shy using your real name? Is this how we solve things? Hiding behind an alias? Have some courage. People might not like what you have to say and might disagree with you, but so what? I'm OK, You're OK. Right?
If Jimmy the Greek was still alive, he would tell his experience with the "courageous conversation" on race.
12:40/ 12:28
Thank you for the 1970's textbook definition of affirmative action. I can't argue with it. I think there was a time and a place for affirmative action practices. I do.
I'm interested in your thoughts on the subject of "underreptesentaion"? What does this mean? Less than 32% of students in CMS are white. Majority white schools, by and large, receive less per-pupil spending than majority black schools - keeping in mind that race and poverty are not mutually exclusive things in CMS.
And please, feel free to use your real name.
Alicia
I think Bill Cosby could tell us a thing or two about courageous conversations also.
A prominent black woman here in Charlotte, who had been president of a suburban PTA, once told me that "we all know why whites don't want thugs (her word) in their schools and it's not racism. We don't want them there either. But politically I can't say that if I want to maintain my standing in my community."
12:40/12:28
Should CMS "promote access for underrepresented white students through heightened outreach and efforts at inclusion"?
In 250 words or less... (no high-stakes bubble sheet nonsense).
Alicia
Ah, yes...
There is a group of middle/upper middle class south Charlotte African-American families who have had conversations with CMS leaders about their specific needs which they don't feel reflect the needs of African-American's in poorer areas of town.
Ann, I remember you writing something about this.
Alicia
You're welcome (grammar by CMS perhaps?)
Women earn 77 cents on the dollar for "comparable" work, not their actual work.
That myth has been around for decades and depends on the definition of "comparable".
Sure, teachers earn less than engineers with similar degrees (comparing a typical "male" to a typical "female" occupation, which is what is typically done), but there's no comparison between the actual jobs.
It's the same trickery, being used by the new anti-racists, though.
Produce a good-sounding sound bite and throw it out as a "fact"...
How about all of you get off of your high and mighty and get your racial chip off your shoulder and "get with the program"? Public education is the best odds for getting out of pverty.
Pull up your pants, cover your body and act civilized!
Alicia,
The women receiving 77% of what men get in pay is a reference to recent Census information on total pay for men vs. total pay for women in aggregate without looking at specific pay for specific jobs.
It is not a direct comparison of male vs. female salaries for the same job, or even similar, or comparable jobs.
Just for 40 hours "worked" by men vs. 40 hours "worked" by women.
Women make different choices in employment than men.
That has something to do with the pay discrepancies.
This "pay gap" is totally bogus and is typical of the leftist thinking of today that all things should be "equal".
To this way of thinking, everyone working 40 hours a week should earn the same amount of money.
And that is totally ridiculous.
However, even Forbes lets people get away with this stupid comparison...
http://www. forbes .com/sites/jennagoudreau/2012/04/17/today-women-need-to-demand-equal-pay/
"Women working full time, year round in the U.S. earn a median annual salary of $36,931, compared to men’s $47,715. That means American women earn $10,784 less than men each year. "
Well, there's your 77%...
$36931/$47715=.77399
Well, DUH...
That's some pretty deep analysis there.
Maybe it has something to do with the KIND of work they're doing.
But our society has become so STUPID that the 77% "fact" has become "truth".
Anon 11:04.
DEFENSIVE?
Sure, that's just common sense when attacked and bullied in some sort of "group" session.
I've seen this all before from the feminists. I think it is something taken directly from the typical leftist feminazi handbook.
I even unwittingly attended a "group meeting" for a volunteer organization which turned out to be something like these "courageous conversations".
Only it was run by feminists and designed to lay a heavy guilt trip on males for their privilege.
It looked a lot like the same crap to me.
So at least my "consciousness" about my "privilege" for being male has been "raised".
Does that mean that I'm at least half-way enlightened?
Does that count?
The people in support of this groups goals are the ones that need to 'learn something'. They specifically need to understand where political correctness came from and why it was created and unleashed on our country. The article goes into good detail on cultural Marxism/polictical correctness. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/viewSubCategory.asp?id=552
Ann likes to make posts about race like this because she wants lots of people commenting on her blog. This story has virtually nothing to do with the education of children. The community would be better served if Ann would spend more time covering education.
Shamash,
I agree with you that the kind of work women chose impacts their salaries which validates your argument. When we talk about the glass ceiling we often forget to consider the fact that a lot of women simply aren't interested in being a COE of a Fortune 500 company. 90% of school teachers are women. School teachers aren't paid a lot but women still chose to go into this profession. A disproportionate number of men have dangerous and physically high-risk careers - think coal mining. You make a good point that It's important to put wage disparity in context.
4:28
Too much Rush this morning? Whatever. Hear me roar.
7:01
If you think race is an irrelevant CMS issue, than I can only assume you just arrived off some boat yesterday. Ever heard of something called the Achievement Gap? Forced busing? No Child Left Behind? Teach for America? Perhaps we should start with a refresher course here. BTW, these things are national issues too.
Alicia
Here's my knee-jerk reaction to the "Souls of Teachers" movement as I prepare to become a licensed elementary school teacher (post-baccalaureate program career change that still honors who I am, what I'm passionate about and what I do best).
The best thing CEO's, faith leaders, hot-shot philanthropists, politicians, lawyers and other "stakeholder" education reformists can do for my soul is to stay the (blank) out of my way and the way of my cohorts and colleagues who just want to teach. I wouldn't come into your place of business and start telling you how to do things. CMS set up 22 task-forces to address critical education issues and not ONE leader - NOT ONE - is a teacher, school administrator, school support staff member or anything else related to education. And being a former school board member does not make you an educational expert. I think a lot of teacher souls are fed-up with being bullied, marginalized and pushed around by others who think they know everything and would never have the courage or guts to get in the tenches and put themselves on front-line of an actual classroom everyday. My soul might benefit from having a lot of "experts" stay out of my business.
There. I said it.
Alicia
Organizations like Meck Ministries, Community Building Initiatives, and Crossroads Charlotte would be out of business if controversy over race died down. Therefore in order to continue extorting money from corporations and government they need to keep the pot boiling (yes, some of your tax dollars have in the past have gone to CBI, Crossroads, and (I think) Meck Ministries, although county gov. at least is now demanding some accountability before paying up).
Black Women a Minority?
How many "sistas" are working in the downtown halls of CMeS?
I am a white McDonalds worker in Ballantyne. My child goes to Ardrey Kell. She is in classes of almost 40. The statistics say that CMS is spending around $4,000 to educate her per year. If I lived on the Westside of town she would receive more individual instruction and around $12,000 in spending. This is before the $55 million of private funds that are set to kick in.
Why does she not have the same advantages? The only assistance she receives is FRL.
Please explain CMS ?!?
Ever wonder why there is always a "lone" white woman in all these black power groups like the Black Panthers and Wilmington 10?
STRANGE
Anon 8:54...
Because not enough of the other students at your daughter's school receive FRL. Only about 9% of the over 2,000 students receive the assistance.
With the FRL designation, she gets her AP/IB test for free if she takes them and can play sports for free.
Shamash,
The most fun and interesting thing to me about this blog is the ability to be able to easily distinguish the difference between a male voice and female voice. Doing so doesn't require a name tip-off.
However, you've been here a while but have remained a mystery. I was surprised Ann thought you might be Wiley although I strongly suspect Wiley's posted here at least once or twice since going incognito, or camo, or whatever he's doing.
Seriously Wiley, you're killing me.
Alicia
Play sports for free? No, I dont think so. She just doesnt have to pay the $100 participation fee. Do you have any idea of all the other dues and fees these sports program ask from the families!
NO THANKS.She would rather work to save for CPCC.
8:54
A fair hypothetical question. Or, is it a rhetorical question?
9:21
Last spring, I was invited to attend a documentary film debut at the Mint Museum featuring CMS students. The documentary is entitled; "From the Heart - Transferring Bullying into Caring" and was featured on WTVI. I believe the documentary is being shown at all CMS middle and high schools this year.
Since the subject of feminism has been brought up;
The Jr. League of Charlotte funded the documentary film with the support of North Carolina's first openly gay attorney general - Ann Caulkins. The Junior League leaders all wore the most awesome shoes I have ever seen. We're talking to-die-for shoes (shoe porn at it's absolute finest). On the other hand, lesbian leaders all wore shoes that didn't require a first-aid kit plus two glasses of Chardonnay at lunch. This is what feminism looks like today. For the most part, it's all good.
Alicia
Alicia, I assure you Wiley is not on here incognito or camo.
Bill,
Well that's a shame.
Alicia
Bill Diehl was also in attendance at the opening premier of "From the Hear - Transferring Bullying into Caring".
The invitation only film premier at the Mint Museum of this documentary film was certainly - without question - the most interesting assembly of people I've ever experienced in Charlotte. I can't think of a single other Charlotte event that was equally or more enlightening than this.
Alicia
Alicia--Only Ann Caulkins I am aware of is publisher of the Observer. I've never heard of an Ann Caulkins, Attorney General of NC. Are you just checking to see who's paying attention? This kinda makes all the other information you've put out a bit suspect, doesn't it?
Alicia,
I am not Wiley, as I've said before.
Having said that, I did often agree with what he had to say.
Maybe I've been "unconsciously" filling the Wiley "gap" lately in his absence, though.
Just as I "unconsciously" practice racial and gender superiority everyday.
If I have a particular agenda, though, I guess it would have to be anti-political-correctness.
I see the PC movement as an irrational attempt to make people behave in ways that run counter to their common sense, experience, and observable facts in the real world.
Basically, I am a New Age, touchy-feely counselor's worst nightmare.
I prefer to remain anonymous, of course, because I see that despite my "privileges", my mere existence as an older, less than poor, white male is considered a threat to so many.
All I really want, though, is for people to look at the facts, not a bunch of silly conjecture, when looking for solutions to problems.
Which, despite what some may think, means that I am not a fan of the likes of Rush and Beck.
(Unless you're referring to the musical groups...)
But I will freely admit to being racist, sexist, classist, and just about every other evilist the do-gooders can imagine.
Because to deny this wouldn't matter anyway, as they have "ways to make you talk"...
I do agree with you that things would be better if EVERYONE just stepped back a bit and just let the teachers teach.
That and stop spending so much effort on the ones who apparently do not want to succeed.
I try to "help" my teachers by seeing to it that my child behaves and studies.
And we also send in some free supplies now and then...
Oh, and pay those taxes, too.
Anon 8:54---
That's the penalty you pay for escaping the ghetto and living in the "privileged" world.Maybe if you could get your child to misbehave a lot in class, they could get a "disability" label and receive more personalized attention.
Ardrey Kell probably has a "gap" to fill in their behaviorally disordered statistics.
Wrong Ann. With apologies. Anne Tompkins. US Attorney General Anne Tompkins.
Alicia
Ann ....kins. Anne ....kins.
Having grown up in the 1960's and 1970's, I think feminism has successfully embraced more diversity of thought (and certainly more diversity of shoes) than affirmative action. The film premier was a feminist gathering. It wasn't promoted as one, but in a way, it really was. The Jr. League and the Amendment One crowd making things happen.
Alicia
Does racism manifest itself differently between and among genders?
What about sexism? Does sexism exist between heterosexual women and lesbians? What about gay men and straight men? I served on a school leadership team. The Costa Ricans didn't like the El Salvadorians. Neither group liked the Mexicans. The parent from Spain got irked when people assumed she was from South or Central America. Mennonites are considered a distinct ETHNIC group. My grandmother was born and raised Mennonite - on a farm. Therefore, Mr. Wise in NOT "White like Me". Our races are similar but our ethnicities and religious cultures are not.
Alicia
Cut and paste:
In contemporary society, Mennonites are both an ethnic group and a religious denomination. There is, however, still ambiguity and controversy among Mennonites about this issue, with some insisting that they are simply a religious group while others argue that they form a distinct ethnic group. Increasingly historians and sociologists treat Mennonites as an ethno-religious group.
See, my ancestry is entho-religious. I'm sorry, Mr. Wise, but I'm not just another Episcopalian whose soul needs to be saved.
Alicia
Alicia, Anne Tompkins (and certainly not Anne Caulkins) is not and never was NC Attorney General. She is, however, U.S. Attorney for Western N. Carolina (nominated by Barak Obama in Dec. 2009 and unanimously approved by the full Senate in April, 2010).
Wow, all these Ann(e) strands get confusing! Just think what it would have been like if Ann Clark had been chosen superintendent.
Alicia, be careful about that stereotyping -- I wear sensible shoes and I'm straight :-)
Ann,
I own several pairs of hiking boots but still have some old ballet pointe shoes lying around which even the most to-die-for designer stilettos can't hold a candle to in terms of shear physical torture. Straight-feminist, Martha Graham, decided to go radically barefoot. Therefore, it is important to never judge a woman by the contents of her shoe closet.
Alicia
1:31
Well, I certainly learned something today!
Anne Tompkins (not Ann Caulkins, or Anne Clark or Ann Doss Helms) is a U.S. Attorney for Western N. Carolina (nominated by Barak Obama in Dec. 2009 and unanimously approved by the full Senate in April, 2010).
Please tell me I finally got it right?
Alicia
Alicia,
Apparently there is a LOT of animosity between some feminists and the "transgendered" "community".
I was surprised to see how bitter this gets at times, but there is a lot of bad blood out there.
I guess some women get a bit "defensive" when all it takes is an operation and some hormonal therapy to "transform" someone from their most despised and feared enemy into one of their own.
I guess the same thing would happen if "whites" could take a "black" pill, or vice-versa.
Everyone seems to want to hang on to their "special" claim as the most downtrodden group.
But, hey, as an atheist, I don't even consider my white "soul" as worth a moment's discussion.
Much less a SEVEN YEAR project(?) as the Mecklenburg Ministry has done...
And everyone knows that us atheists are REALLY the most hated minority in the US.
Thank goodness we aren't color-coded.
Thats the problem my family is having. We do not live in the "ghetto" but we have to live off of almost ghetto wages. My daughter does not get the spending or individual attention at school that the ghetto students do. I pay the same taxes but receive 1/3 of the benefits.
Explain why CMS?
Shamash,
I had the opportunity to attend graduate school at Smith College. Back in my day, this might have required artificial insemination in order to have children which hadn't been invented yet so I decided to go elsewhere (since one of my life goals was meeting someone to marry and have children with which I decided might be more difficult to do at Smith). Smith College is one of the most elite woman's colleges in the world but the prevailing culture (during MY 20's) required me to thoughtfully consider my life goals - not just my career goals. The program I applied to at Smith was actually superior to the program I chose elsewhere. Culture and sexual orientation did come into play as I was making my decision.
If there was any animosity between different kinds of feminism (however you chose to define it) at the premier of the documentary I attended at the Mint Museum, I failed to experience it. This is what was so awesome and really cool about the evening. Being a bystander in the middle of the Junior League crowd and the Amendment One crowd. The visual distinctions were obvious and quite apparent (the shoes, oh, the shoes). However, I experienced no distinction between the hearts and souls of the women who were there in an effort to achieve a common goal.
Alicia
Alicia,
Well, one meeting probably isn't enough to see what's going on among the "sistas".
I just googled the topic and found a lot of controversy.
Try it, you can learn about Angry Birds there, too, if you haven't actually played the game.
I'd suggest googling "trandgender feminism".
I swear there are feminists who are very upset about these unnatural women out there.
You could call them "birthers" in a sense, in that they only consider you a "womyn" if you were "born that way" (Lady Gaga reference, in case you missed it. You can google her, too)
Maybe you were in "polite" company, as they used to say, where such matters weren't discussed in the open.
Keeping the dirty laundry out of sight, you know.
But there is a LOT of dissent between the transsexual/transgenders and natural born female feminists out there.
Alicia,
Here's an article on the Womyns Music Festival which bars the trans from even attending.
I'd say they have some "issues" to resolve...
http://www. alternet .org/story/93826/rethinking_sexism%3A_how_trans_women_challenge_feminism
Sometimes all is not well in liberal-land and some of the worst discrimination can be dished out by the "downtrodden" against those who are just a little different from themselves.
Surely, you've seen this in religion, where the greatest hatred (oh, polite society doesn't call it "hatred", though) is often reserved for those who are just "slightly" different in their theology.
Shamash,
I was once told that part of my problem was a lack of sista' friends. To remedy my problem, I was officially inducted into the black sista'hood (right here in Charlotte). Honest to God. Therefore, I'm an ethno-religous adopted black sista'hood Mennonite.
"White Sista' Like Me!", my second book.
Some days, I really, really miss Mr. Rogers.
Alicia
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