Denial

[redbird]

When I spoke to my mother last week, I mentioned (among many other things) that when I want to see papersky, rysmiel, and zorinth, I have to visit Montreal, because they don't feel safe coming to the United States to visit me.

Mom asked why, and I explained. This involved me giving a three-sentence summary of what happened to Maher Arar. Her response was that they had nothing to worry about because "They don't look Arab."

Right. I'm sure that's a great reassurance to them.

Comments

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Oh, lord. I'm not saying white privilege doesn't exist, but it's a poor and unreliable substitute for actual rights even if we set aside queasy ethical qualms about benefiting from a double standard. If people fail to give you your rights, you have recourse.

[xopher-vh.livejournal.com]

It's called "riding in the front of the bus." As in "I refuse to ride in the front of the bus when others are forced into the back." The trouble is, sometimes you can't TELL. How do you know if you're NOT being hassled because you're white?

This sort of thing drives me crazy.