On the subject of "pride days"

[Oryx]

Affirmative Action is crap. Not only because the fact that your not white, is your ticket to work, but it makes it seem like minorities can't get a job based on qualifications. In short, I don't need to be auto approved because I'm biracial. I'd rather be accepted for what I can bring to the table. If someone else has it better, then so be it.

The point is that it's been proven that you won't be given an equal shake just because of your race. That's the idea behind affirmative action - it's forcing companies to give people of every race an equal chance at something, which doesn't always happen.

However, I have mixed feelings. When you think about the big picture it's all well and good, but it does frustrate me a bit that I can be just as qualified as the next person, sometimes even more so, and get rejected for the job just because they need to fill a quota of black people and I'm white.

 

[-ty-]

Affirmative Action is crap. Not only because the fact that your not white, is your ticket to work, but it makes it seem like minorities can't get a job based on qualifications. In short, I don't need to be auto approved because I'm biracial. I'd rather be accepted for what I can bring to the table. If someone else has it better, then so be it.

In short, I do believe that we are all treated equal. Now all I am seeing is one side trying to get more. Which, in short, if we didn't have ANY pride, days....

Ticket to work!!!??? Really?
Black unemployment 15.8 percent.
White unemployment 7.7 percent.

Also, how are gay and straight people treated as equals. I cannot marry, adopt, or be a boy scout leader, lol. But really the Supreme Court ruled that the Boy Scouts are permitted to ban homosexuals as leaders b/c they have the potential to be pedophiles! Aside from legalities, gay, Muslim, transgender, and so on and so forth, do not have social equity. The media is dominated by straight Christian culture. These pride days are for social awareness, that minority groups are also part of our culture, even though much less recognized.

 

[Anders]

You guys are saying white people have got it all, but for me where I live, if you aren't part of one of the minorities that make up the majority then you're made fun of for being a white boy.

I'm not saying we need a day to celebrate ourselves any more than every other day celebrating something. Just pointing out that this is the 21st century, being white doesn't give you superiority or more respect over anybody else.

I'm surprised to see people actually fighting the idea though.

 

[Gymnotide]

People who are cheering the feminazi movement....

Even if they are extremists, the reason they are is because they realize that men have rights. You said pretty clearly that people need to "realize" this, but I was saying that feminism (as a whole, extremists and all) wouldn't exist if they didn't recognize that some groups are freer than others. It's a distinction to be made between "realizing that men have rights" and "men have rights and that isn't fair, so I'm going to be a douche and oppose them".

 

[Blue Nocturne]

Why celebrate acceptance for those that were already accepted? The only people that seem to have been born with acceptance are white heterosexual males. Head of house, slave owners, majority of presidents of the USA, etc. We study white males in history every day (in America anyway, so I'm speaking from an American standpoint) so why should whites, heterosexuals, and/or men have a day dedicated to them when every day/month that's not dedicated to a minority is technically dedicated to them? I see where you're coming from, and it's a shame it'd be viewed as racist, etc, but it's just not needed. They didn't overcome things women, blacks, hispanics, homosexuals, etc have overcome, and unfortunately, not even everything has been overcome. These days/months dedicated to minorities and the steps they've taken give hope to this generation, whether in that minority group or not, so that we can continue to rise above and eliminate the racism, sexism, etc that exists.

I agree with you, but if minorities continue pride days, wouldn't that just continue any prejudices that remain that we're different and deserve to be treated as such?

 

[Margot]

Affirmative Action is crap. Not only because the fact that your not white, is your ticket to work, but it makes it seem like minorities can't get a job based on qualifications. In short, I don't need to be auto approved because I'm biracial. I'd rather be accepted for what I can bring to the table. If someone else has it better, then so be it.

In short, I do believe that we are all treated equal. Now all I am seeing is one side trying to get more. Which, in short, if we didn't have ANY pride, days....

I personally believe affirmative action does more harm than good, but I apologize for not making it clear in my first post. I was trying to show the reason behind having it in the first place was to ensure minorities were getting a chance at work and education because they were getting denied for being a minority. So while it may not be helpful now, it certainly was back when the policy was introduced. And I also proved that exact statement in my last post, employers are still unfortunately biased or racist and even though minorities have the same qualifications as someone white, the white person got the job first in the study. It was a recent study too. Sad, but true.

Except we're not. Why else are there fights for gay rights? Why did we have affirmative action in the first place? If we were always equal, why the need for social movements? We might all be people, but there still is prejudice out there.

 

[Steven]

I agree with you, but if minorities continue pride days, wouldn't that just continue any prejudices that remain that we're different and deserve to be treated as such?

Only a truly horrible person would really think someone should be treated with hatred because they're proud of who they are.

They're celebrating themselves being accepted, not themselves being different.

Me: Oh my god! I am so proud that I am a college graduate!
Person: OMGZORZ I HATE YOU AND ALL COLLEGE GRADUATES!

 

[Shining Raichu]

as long as they don't flaunt it, well gays do that....

Oh Bluerang, you came so close to not showing your prejudices. THIS CLOSE *makes small gap between fingers*... Ah well, maybe next time.

Anyway, I say let people celebrate what they want. I personally don't see the need for a white pride day or a heterosexual pride day, but if the poor dears don't feel special enough without a parade then they should be able to have one. Tomorrow, I'll start planning my float for the Left-Handers Pride Parade. I'm thinking florals.

 

[Kylie-chan]

Something that always makes me laugh is privilege pride and those who defend the need for it. You're within your rights to have it, but if you think it isn't a kneejerk reaction to minority pride movements then congratulations on colonising Mars.

Be proud of your heritage, regardless of what it is; I fully advocate being proud of who you are. But the mindset behind majority pride days is often dismissive of what minorities have fought for in order to reach this point. White, straight, cvisgendered men have been able to have public pride days forever. There are other ways to express pride in your heritage, rather than appropriating something oppressed groups do to raise awareness and celebrate their accomplishments in fighting for civil rights. The quote Shining Raichu highlighted is the epitome of why straight pride days are seen as in bad taste.

Doesn't help that white supremacist groups have adopted 'white pride' as well; I'm not saying you're a white supremacist for 'white pride', but it's something a lot of people are going to instantly associate it with.

We're so PC nowadays.

I wholeheartedly enjoy being un-PC, but when it's used as a veil for prejudice (and frankly the majority of 'privilege pride' is likely motivated by such, rather than wanting to have a laugh over a touchy subject), no, that's disgraceful.

 

[Livewire]

Don't assume because they are hetro, male or white, they don't go through struggles.

White people were never kidnapped from their homes and sold as slaves. They also weren't forcefully evicted from their ancestral homelands, They never were the victims of ethnic genocide, and they weren't shepparded like cattle along a 3,000 mile trek to the American Midwest, without food or water. White people were also never sent to concentration camps without just cause, just because they were Japanese. On that sort of level, white people as a race have never experienced any sort of discrimination or hardship, your view of history is completely jaded and backwards.

 

[pokecole]

From all this talk I start to think that some of you might not know what pride really means.

Pride: A feeling of pleasure from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.

White people, straight people, gays, black people, asians, and whoever else all have achievements of their own. Why not just let them all be proud of it? It's not exactly hurting anyone being proud.

Shining Raichu, I have one question. Can I join you in the left-handed parade? lol

 

[Kylie-chan]

From all this talk I start to think that some of you might not know what pride really means.

Pride: A feeling of pleasure from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.

White people, straight people, gays, black people, asians, and whoever else all have achievements of their own. Why not just let them all be proud of it? It's not exactly hurting anyone being proud.

Shining Raichu, I have one question. Can I join you in the left-handed parade? lol

I'm a little confused here. What is it you are arguing white people should be proud of? If you mean overcoming discrimination and hardship targeted at their race, then I point at you at Live_Wire's post. If you mean personal accomplishments, then a white pride day isn't really appropriate for that.

I by no means intend to disparage anyone's right to be proud of their heritage, but pride days (pride days is a phrase, not two separate words to be interpreted differently) are supposed to be about celebrating the success of a group in becoming accepted. Everyone should be proud of who they are, but if their group has never been mass-targeted by the atrocities historically committed upon certain minority groups, then why do they need a pride day?

 

[Oryx]

I would like to point out here the difference between race and heritage. There are white people that have experienced hardships, discrimination, hate in the past. Take, for example, the Irish when they came over to America after the potato famine. But they weren't hated because they were white - they were hated because they were Irish. If you asked to make an Irish Pride Day, you wouldn't be considered racist or anything like that I'm fairly certain, in fact I've actually been to a few of those (Us Notre Dame students take our Irish heritage pretty seriously haha). White people were never discriminated against as a race, but different heritages were at times.

It actually makes me feel bad that while white people can have Irish Pride, English Pride, any kind of country they're from pride, but black people don't often have that luxury. How many people do you know have Botswana, Chad, Kenya, Ghana pride? I never see that; only black pride.

 

[luke]

People can be proud of whatever the hell they want as long as it's not hurting anyone and it's not anyone's goddamn business in the end. People who say "straight pride needs to exist too" or "where's white history month?" can rot in hell to be honest with you.

However, most days are straight white pride days where they can be like "heck yes I'm super privileged and don't really have to worry about someone hating me for something I can't control today!" Only white straight women have any idea of what it feels like to be discriminated against. White straight guys have it sooooooo good and they don't even realize it. They haven't really faced that much discrimination and have no right to police other people's pride days. The "straight pride" crap is just a reactionary, idiotic idea that means to mock/demean what gay people like me do to feel better about ourselves. Most straight white people aren't made fun of being that and have no idea what the pride events mean to us. It's nice to feel pride about who we are instead of being marginalized by mainstream society in general. So back off.

 

[Anders]

However, most days are straight white pride days where they can be like "heck yes I'm super privileged and don't really have to worry about someone hating me for something I can't control today!" Only white straight women have any idea of what it feels like to be discriminated against. White straight guys have it sooooooo good and they don't even realize it. They haven't really faced that much discrimination and have no right to police other people's pride days. The "straight pride" crap is just a reactionary, idiotic idea that means to mock/demean what gay people like me do to feel better about ourselves. Most straight white people aren't made fun of being that and have no idea what the pride events mean to us. It's nice to feel pride about who we are instead of being marginalized by mainstream society in general. So back off.

I'm gay and I haven't gone through a struggle. I mean, we don't shoulder the weight of what people had to go through over hundreds of years just because we're gay. Yeah we definitely aren't fully equal in some facets of life, but I just find it incredibly pointless to actively protest and even find disgust in the idea of a white pride day.

So maybe it is an idiotic maneuver akin to monkey see monkey do, what does it effect? Nothing, you can still be prideful on whatever day it is to be prideful for.

I guess I just don't take offense to things as easily as some people, but I feel like this is really being blown out of proportion.

People can be proud of whatever the hell they want as long as it's not hurting anyone and it's not anyone's goddamn business in the end.

People who say "straight pride needs to exist too" or "where's white history month?" can rot in hell to be honest with you.

Well okay then. :paranoid:

 

[meowthy]

You haven't gone through any struggles being gay?

No one has ever teased you about your sexuality?
Or threatened you?
Your parents were not upset?
You don't care that (depending on where you live) you can't get married or adopt?
You have never been judged based off your sexuality?
People have not made remarks about you while holding hands or kissing your boyfriend?

If none of these things happened, then you are one in a million.

 

[Anders]

I specifically said we definitely aren't fully equal in some facets of life. When I say we I mean gay people as a collective, because not all of those things have affected me, so I'm not going to whine about them as if they do.

And none of that has any bearing on why anybody needs to be offended or angry at a white pride day or history month, instead of just shrugging it off or being amused by it. This isn't all about gay people.

 

[Melody]

It's one thing for minorities and once-trodden-upon groups to have their own "pride days".

For a majority group which was the main source of repression to demand a "pride day" is like a troll mocking someone, plain and simple. It's not cool. It should NEVER be considered acceptable even to the most "Politically Correct" person.


HOWEVER, there is a lot to be said about equality in that little restriction. Surely that majority has the right to have a "pride day". But if doing so is rude...why do it? Where's the fun in that, if everybody can't enjoy it equally?

 

[Gothitelle.]

You know, I can be proud that I am 50% white, I can but there are people like me who are proud to be straight as well. There's a Straight Pride club on DeviantArt that I am in that gets bashed but the Gay/lesbian/trans clubs get a pat on the back.

I mean just because we have a club dedicated to heterosexual pride doesn't mean that we are homophobic. Homosexuals and politically correct people hate it when we have pride because they think pride is only for the minorities. They are wrong.

I am also in a group called MenHaveRightsTo, which doesn't get flack but I believe in men having rights and against women using the fact that they have a vagina to portray men as evil people. Yes, I do believe that they use the fact that they are a woman to get what they want from the government at the expense of man.

 

[Atomic Pirate]

You know, I can be proud that I am 50% white, I can but there are people like me who are proud to be straight as well. There's a Straight Pride club on DeviantArt that I am in that gets bashed but the Gay/lesbian/trans clubs get a pat on the back.

I mean just because we have a club dedicated to heterosexual pride doesn't mean that we are homophobic. Homosexuals and politically correct people hate it when we have pride because they think pride is only for the minorities. They are wrong.

I am also in a group called MenHaveRightsTo, which doesn't get flack but I believe in men having rights and against women using the fact that they have a vagina to portray men as evil people. Yes, I do believe that they use the fact that they are a woman to get what they want from the government at the expense of man.

There's nothing wrong with being politically correct. Haven't you heard of giving a crap about others' feelings? Black Pride is OK because they have gone through lynchings, slavery, refusal of rights, and much more. Gay Pride is OK because gays have always been mistreated by others. Straight Pride is really kind of arrogant, I mean I'm straight, but I think that the whole "Straight Pride" thing is arrogantly quipping "We're not gay! We are so great because we aren't gay!". Gay people are born that way. Deal with it.