Huffpo occasionally publishes an interesting article, this would be one of them.
“What I want to point out here is how the category of “young white men” has emerged from all of these horrible incidents unscathed as a group – and how this is one of the starkest examples of white male privilege imaginable (or another term I use, “unearned advantage”). Unearned advantage is how we
describe the fact, for example, that virtually all of the culprits on Wall Street who were responsible for bringing our economy to its knees in 2008, the politicians and corporate figures found guilty of premeditated, injurious and heedlessly greedy crimes are white men, but white men are not condemned as a group for their behavior. In fact, some part of us thinks that would be silly.
However, whenever a black man appears on the nightly news or in the newspaper having committed a crime, the automatic association, the schema or framework that most people default to renders black men (as a group) as mostly dangerous, menacing and scary. I believe it is even worse for young black men. In fact, in 2014 the American Psychological Association released a study found that, “Black boys as young as 10 may not be viewed in the same light of childhood innocence as their white peers, but are instead more likely to be mistaken as older, be perceived as guilty and face police violence if accused of a crime…”
short answer: White Men control the discourse. Our failure to properly evaluate white male criminality is a side effect of the privilege, entitlement and institutional protection that create the environment for these crimes to thrive.
bleatmop
Mystro
The Arbourist
Dead Wild Roses 
4 comments
August 8, 2015 at 5:43 am
Steve Ruis
Well, and then there was the propaganda campaign to paint young black men as dangerous as a form of social control. Since Jim Crow laws were outlawed, there had to be another way to control “them” and this was the way chosen.
So, white privilege and modern propaganda. BTW it is so bad now that the police have entrapped themselves in their own memes. They now view all young black males as dangerous (Shoot, shoot!).
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August 8, 2015 at 9:55 am
VR Kaine
As someone who works directly with law enforcement in this regard, I strongly disagree. Racism exists to a certain degree as it does in any society (go to China or Japan and see if it doesn’t exist there), however it’s nowhere near to the degree liberals and race-baiters want to make it out to be. More at the cause of the issue is how black kids see themselves and their own community.
The two most hated black actors? Will Smith and Denzel Washington. They’re considered sell outs because basically, they “talk white”. Those who aren’t sell outs in entertainment? Take any black rap artist who talks about all women being “ho’s” and sex objects, talking about drugs and fast money, glorifying cop killers, threatening snitches, bragging about guns, fame, smoking pot, snorting cocaine, drinking to excess, etc.. Largest purchasers of that music? Take a guess.
People who loot, rob, and burn down stores in their own neighborhoods (and many owned by minorities, btw) only to complain right after how none of these companies want to have businesses there? Guess who’s doing the bulk of that? Same who are killing over a pair of new Air Jordan’s, i.e. young black men.
And how about Black Conservatives, either men or women? People who say that their community needs to stop playing the victim, be accountable for their own lives and their own future, and recognize that there are many opportunities if their communities would just take advantage of them? These people are vilified not just by white people, but black people as well because it means somebody’s going to lose their free shit.
Statistically speaking, we should be naturally afraid of middle-aged, single white men. Most of the serial killers have been. And if you look at the recent loser idiots who have shot up churches and movie theatres, they’re relatively young white kids. Compare this, though, to the black on black shootings that happen every weekend in cities like Chicago, and you’ll see that most inner city black kids are their own worst problem because of their own CHOICES that they’ve made about who and what they want to aspire to. Rap thugs vs. Captains of Industry? Pick up any newspaper, or better yet – talk to any black person who has risen up from a shit neighborhood in the US, and their opinion will likely be the same, which is that for the most part, it’s their community doing it to themselves more than it is the White Devil not helping.
Or what, is the liberal white guilt-laden loser fairytale of the month that we’re now forcing them to listen to their own (c)rap music as part of our oppression of them? Yeah, OK. Enjoy wallowing in that one, homies!
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August 9, 2015 at 12:54 pm
The Arbourist
@Vern
You know Vern, when you post stuff like this, it makes me tired. I think to myself, do I really need to explain why your objection is off-base and why that trying to understand class problems through the lens of “personal choices” is like trying to understand the Andromeda Galaxy using a speculum.
It just doesn’t work.
So, if based on your personal observations, there isn’t racism in the US or that it’s just a minor problem, so be it.
Institutionally/Class Analysis-y [:)] speaking, you would be wrong.
I’d go further, but that would make me tired, and you know, us liberal apologists are lazy.
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August 9, 2015 at 6:16 pm
bob
Re @vern: How a seemingly functioning brain can come up w such a perspective is indeed “tiring” plus sad. Upton Sinclair’s explanation fits.
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