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Editorial/Column
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A Game We Can All Play
I f you've been watching the news recently, you've probably noticed
that what they call "white privilege" has been on full display across the country. From a judge going well below federal guidelines to sentence Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, to 3 years in prison for money laundering and wire fraud, to the exposure of a corrupt college admission scandal that allowed aca- demically ineligible white kids into prestigious uni- versities, to the four teenagers in Maryland who were only sentenced to sev- eral weekends in jail for en- gaging in a series of crude hate crimes, classic exam- ples of how the presence of white skin seems to lessen the consequences of bad behavior, or allow certain perks, have been very ap- parent lately.
What I can't understand is why there has been such an emphasis placed on something we've known for years? I mean it isn't like this is an occurrence that no one knew was taking place. To the contrary, this is a concept that has been accepted since this nation was founded.
From the very begin-
ning, the laws of this land were created to benefit a certain wealthy segment of society. But, once those in power came to the conclu- sion that it would be more beneficial to them if all Eu- ropean immigrants were classified under one in- vented race (white), as a way to divide a growing sol- idarity between poor whites and former slaves, those benefits began to extend to everyone who carried the same light-skinned com- plexion.
Since then it has always been an unwritten rule that white people should look after other white people whenever possible. It is a strategy that helps to main- tain the American status quo due to the fact that it allows numerous opportu- nities for upward mobility so that every white person, who takes advantage of his or her preferred classifica- tion, is set up in a winning position. Those whites who find themselves in prisons, strung out on dope or living in poverty are looked upon as "white trash" because they, somehow, found a way to fail within a system that was rigged solely for them to succeed.
Of course, it isn't just white people who look after
their own. Asians, Arabs, Hispanics and even Gays have discovered the bene- fits that come with using preferential tactics to ad- vance their causes.
For some reason, though, Blacks have yet to figure out how to master the same game. Instead of bending the rules, like everyone else, Blacks who are in positions to make a difference tend to go above and beyond in an attempt to prove to their white col- leagues how much they're willing to refrain from showing favoritism.
This inability to occa- sionally turn-a-blind-eye or offer even subtle assistance to members of their ilk, not only, becomes a hindrance to the progress of Black people as whole, but it also inadvertently helps those, who view the application of white preference as a means to an end, to further achieve their goals.
At the end of the day complaining about white privilege comes off as a huge waste of time and en- ergy, basically because those who benefit the most from it aren't willing to give up everything it entails. And, since that's the case, the only true way of leveling the playing field is by get- ting with the program and making sure that we exer- cise some form of Black privilege just as liberally.
Reality On Ice is © by the Florida Sentinel Bulletin Publishing Company. You can contact Mr. Barr at: cbarronice@gmail.co m.
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While Your Back Was Turned
ast week, while most Americans were focused on
the outcome of the Mueller investigation, there were numerous events that didn’t make front page news, but should have grabbed your attention. Among the things some of you may have missed are the following:
On the healthcare issue for Americans, President Don- ald Trump proposed large cuts to Medicaid and Medicare and the complete shutdown of Obamacare, signaling to the poor, elderly and disabled that he really does not care about people’s health.
There were cuts of $4.5 billion to the National Insti- tutes of Health’s cancer research. We are thankful, how- ever, that the GOP rebelled and told Trump to leave Obamacare alone.
On the climate change front, a federal judge in Alaska ruled that President Trump’s plan to allow drilling off- shore in the Arctic Ocean exceeded the President’s au- thority when he signed an executive order to allow oil drilling in and around 125 million acres of the Arctic Ocean.
His action was deemed to have been “unlawful and in- valid.” Meanwhile, another Alaskan federal judge ruled that a planned road cutting through an Alaskan wildlife refuge was in violation of federal law.
The Department of Interior’s acting Secretary negoti- ated an agreement to build the road after several other administrations had decided the project was too detri- mental to the refuge’s wildlife.
On the forefront of Trump’s budget cuts are proposed budget decreases of 15 percent or more to the State De- partment, the Environment Protection Agency (25%), Small Businesses (25%), Transportation (18%), Agricul- ture (15%), Department of Interior (15%), and the Hous- ing and Urban Development (14%).
Moreover, Trump proposes to eliminate all funding for public radio over a two-year period. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and National Public Radio (NPR) will probably cease to exist under the planned cuts.
Knowing, of course, how Trump feels about the news media industry, an attempt to silence public radio was in- evitable. For voters in the Tampa Bay Area, stations WEDU-PBS, WEDQ, WUSF and WMNF will be affected by the cuts.
Therefore, when things like this happen, we must make our voices heard by our elected leadership. Call your representative Kathy Castor at 813-871-2817 and share your concerns about these life-changing issues.
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