I'm sorry this happened to you. I will take this into consideration (I am going into social work) because we are moving to England with a large Muslim/Arabic speaking demographic. We have experienced some prejudice from Indian families because my husband is from Zimbabwe. Always, somewhere, someone is better than…

I agree,

White people don't get any special prizes for having black friends either! I have black friends because I chose to hang out with some black people in college, nothing more. I didn't do it because I wanted to be considered hip or forward-thinking or because of "white guilt" or any other dumb crap.

@heans.. I can't believe you have been rejected by the white community when you say things like. "Most white people don't tell the truth" nothing like lumping a whole segment of society into a generalized statement. If your example had been "most black people......." The uproar would be deafening.

I can completely relate to what you are saying. Thank you for spelling it out because this has been such a confusing topic for me! I have had the same feelings and responses you had when hearing my black friends' stories. I felt immediately defensive. I did think in some way, maybe they assume I am that white person…

"I don't give a shit about you and your feelings. I don't care whether you are being sincere or not. It's easier for me to avoid the likes of you— black people don't get ally cards for having white friends."

I sort of suspected as much. You're clearly coming from a place of hurt, so I won't press you.

I don't come from an experience of privilege. I was raised by poor people who made terrible choices and have been homeless, so I'm very used to people seeing me as a waste of skin and organ and learned not to give those limited perceptions a lot of value. It is, after all, mostly what you make it (hint).

You make a valid point.
I would empathize with you, but then I'd just be accused of being a "nice white person."
So fuck it, it's your problem and it's not worth my trouble. There are plenty of other pressing issues I can worry about where I won't face completely unfounded, knee-jerk accusations about my sincerity.

I think it's important to make the distinction between "good white people" and "white people who are good for the purpose of letting people and themselves know they are good". In fact, this article can really be more general: if you remove the "white" qualifier from those two descriptions, they're general concepts of…

Jaysus, don't take it so damn personally. I'm a white person and who gives a shit? Are you that desperately in need of praise? You don't even need to agree with all of the essay, because part of treating people like real live adults is the ability to disagree with them without attempting to treat them like they are a…

Thank you for your story I really appreciate that you took the time to tell me how it affected you. We've been trying to limit contact to holidays where there are a whole lot of people around so that a scene can't be made. He also tells her all kinds of religious stuff after I patiently told him that I don't think…

And Malcolm X, before his murder, recanted this sentiment. Completely.

Good people just ARE good because they know it's how they are supposed to behave. They don't expect anything for it. Same reason we get so freakin pissed at the "Nice Guy" who expects access freely granted to our body because he didn't try to TAKE it. But be careful when you judge - that white woman posting…

I found this out when I got the same treatment from a blind friend who got annoyed at people being "overly nice" to people. He was kind of dick to this woman and I basically called him on it and he said something I will never forget. "Thanks for treating me like a person instead of a cause." Maybe not the exact…

"l just wanted to ask you what can a white person like me, who isn't prejudiced, what can l do to help you and further your cause?"

Really great article. I am one of those "good white people" and never noticed how every time one of my black friends talked about racism here in the Netherlands, I immediately needed to show them I wasn't one of those white people... until one day one of my friends got frustrated with me and said: It's not about you!…

I am not a white person on the surface. My father is white but my mother is southeast asian and I am like a stretched out portrait of her– big american bones in brown asian skin. My husband is from the Virgin Islands and we have a beautiful curly haired little girl with sweet dimples and whenever she asks questions…

That line made me think of the 100,000 damn times I have argued on this site about how intentions don't matter if you consistently do the wrong thing. Your intention can only be pure once (if that); after that it's willful ignorance.

This is a great piece. One thing I will say, in my experience has someone who is half white and half brown, is that the same system that keeps people of color "in their place" after all of these years is the same one that blinds a lot of white people who mean well. Is this an excuse for their behavior? No, maybe not,…