Being white in America

Blogging early today after missing yesterday. I get a handful of political emails that I read in the morning. Most want me to click a link sending some boilerplate text to politicians for what gets labeled as left-wing or liberal causes, which I see as libertarian , and then hit me up for money after clicking on the link. I clink the links a couple of times a week. Tried to give money earlier week to a group that duals with the FCC by fighting things such as: AT&T buying T-mobile creating effectively a duopoly for cell service in America; or barring Verizon from blocking apps on Android phones per Verizon's 4G licensing agreement with the FCC.

One email with a refreshingly different twist is Dr. Boyce Watkins: Your Black World. All of the stories deal with events involving black people in America getting abused in a way that rarely happens to rich white people. Some are non-criminal events such as Lebron James being abused by sportswriters as a loser because he played on a team that was only second-best in the NBA and did not win a championship. Many articles deal with black Americans and the criminal justice system. One (of many) black kid in Texas was wrongfully convicted of murder only to be proven innocent and released 18 years later. White folks get a check for $$$ when this happens to them, this black guy got charged by the TX Attorney General for failure to pay child support while locked in prison for a crime he did not commit. These stories rarely show-up in the white-owned mainstream media, but happen every day in Your Black World.

As a person who uses a wheelchair for mobility, I face horrific discrimination every day being blocked by stairs, steps, a lack of access and statistically low employment opportunities. At least I don't have to worry about the cops arresting me every time I see one. I have seen many black guys in wheelchairs, I can only think of one that was a part of the working middle class in America. Most of the black guys in wheelchairs I have seen appeared to be quasi-homeless on the streets of Seattle.

I am grateful to be a white guy in America (and sad that skin color/culture make such a big difference in socioeconomic status).