# Is Jeff Sessions a racist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 5, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948 "2016-12-05T17:58:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/101 "2016-12-07T14:36:30Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Non-black privilege. šŸ˜‰ This is probably a real thing. So is (probably) non-Hispanic privilege. And cis privilege, and non-ESL privilege, and much more. Not that these things are the only way of looking at society, but IMO they can be helpful in some circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/102 "2016-12-07T15:46:48Z")
The problem is that ā€œprivilegeā€ is an inadequate term. It rarely means ā€œhas things easyā€ in this context. Often what it means is that after youā€™ve finished choking down the shit sandwich youā€™ve been handed, you donā€™t have to have seconds unlike those other people. Iā€™m not aware of another word in English that really covers this properly. The fact is that while most people have to struggle in some form or another in life, some people have additional obstacles placed in front of them for reasons that have nothing to do with them personally and everything to due with a particular demographic group they belong to. The absence of these additional obstacles for some people does not imply the absence of any obstacles nor even the absence of considerable ones. It just means not having the extra overlay of difficulty to deal with. Iā€™m not sure why this is so hard for some people to grasp. ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/103 "2016-12-07T18:09:58Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Iā€™m not sure why this is so hard for some people to grasp. Itā€™s because they donā€™t want to grasp it. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/104 "2016-12-07T18:36:21Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > In what possible way do I have white privilege? By being white (or, if you as a Hispanic/Latino person donā€™t happen to self-identify as white, by having an ethnic identity that our society largely **does** identify as white). Is this really so hard for you to understand? What may be confusing you is the fact that Latino/Hispanic people, although in the US they are frequently categorized as racially white, are ethnically distinct from other white ethnicities, and are themselves subject to bigotry and discrimination on that account. So an American Hispanic guy certainly has **less** white privilege in our society than, say, a guy named Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III. But that doesnā€™t mean that he has **no** white privilege when it comes to anti-black racism. > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > So is (probably) non-Hispanic privilege. And cis privilege, and non-ESL privilege, and much more. Exactly. All of those are also, in various ways, privileged categories in US society. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/105 "2016-12-07T18:48:08Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > This is probably a real thing. So is (probably) non-Hispanic privilege. And cis privilege, and non-ESL privilege, and much more. > > Not that these things are the only way of looking at society, but IMO they can be helpful in some circumstances. In my mind the term is tainted enough that the value is overwhelmed by the baggage. Might as well call it the ā€˜_youā€™re not me-privilege._ā€™ ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/106 "2016-12-07T18:58:32Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > By being white (or, if you as a Hispanic/Latino person donā€™t happen to self-identify as white, by having an ethnic identity that our society largely **does** identify as white). Is this really so hard for you to understand? > > What may be confusing you is the fact that Latino/Hispanic people, although in the US they are frequently categorized as racially white, are ethnically distinct from other white ethnicities, and are themselves subject to bigotry and discrimination on that account. This race vs ethnicity confusion has become serious enough that the Census Bureau is considering combining the ā€œHispanic originā€ and ā€œraceā€ questions on the next census. [source](http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/03/14/u-s-census-looking-at-big-changes-in-how-it-asks-about-race-and-ethnicity/) ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/107 "2016-12-07T19:03:02Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > In my mind the term is tainted enough that the value is overwhelmed by the baggage. Might as well call it the ā€˜_youā€™re not me-privilege._ā€™ Thereā€™s a lot of misunderstanding about privilege. But I donā€™t think the basic idea behind is controversial. Hereā€™s my anecdotal story about privilege, from the experience of a friend: > [@Who's privileged? Who's unprivileged?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-privileged-whos-unprivileged/730256/79): > > Friend of mine (call her S) is a black female psychologist. Upon graduating with her Psy D, S applied for jobs with various therapy groups. One in particular (a family therapy group) liked her a lot ā€“ they had 60 candidates, but they told S that she was by far their favorite. But there was a problem ā€“ they were seriously worried about how they would get patients to sign up with her ā€“ that many patients would not want a black therapist. They were open with her about this worry. > > Side-discussion 1: S is a very intelligent and qualified therapist. Her would-be employers showed no sign of racial bias ā€“ and yet they were worried about their business, and that hiring a black therapist might not be the best move for their business. White applicants had the privilege of there being no concern about their race potentially harming the business of the prospective employer. > > They ended up hiring her despite these concerns because they were so impressed by her interview (and academic history). They put up her picture on their therapy group website. She is an attractive woman who wore her hair naturally. For the first few months, she had zero patients. Her employers were extremely concerned. Someone had the idea of a new picture ā€“ she dressed very conservatively, had her hair styled in a more European (i.e. straightened) fashion, wore glasses (despite no need for glasses), and had the picture taken. Since then, she slowly built up a base of patients and now has as many as her co-therapists (including, paradoxically, an openly racist drug addict who swears that she is the only therapist who can keep him clean). > > Side discussion 2: S is a skilled therapist and an attractive woman, but her picture (even when professionally taken) dissuaded potential patients from choosing her as their therapist. Her white co-therapists have the privilege of being able to present themselves on their website naturally (with their natural hair style) without dissuading patients and harming their business. > > There is a happy ending ā€“ S is very content with her therapy group and has plenty of patients. Sheā€™s not a victim and never has been. This is just (in my view, at least) a realistic description of the challenges she faced due to various forms of privilege, or lack therof. > > Conclusions: Privilege is generally about society, and not so much about individual prejudice. Sā€™s therapy group shows no evidence of racial prejudice, but because their business is in a society in which there can be racial aspects to things as varying as patients choosing a therapist, they were concerned about hiring a black woman. S didnā€™t have to just be a good therapist ā€“ she had to be the best out of a group of 60, and even then there was a good chance she would not have been hired. She doesnā€™t just have to dress well and be attractive, she has to chemically alter her hair, wear glasses she doesnā€™t need, and dress more conservatively then her co-therapists, to get enough patients to be viable. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/108 "2016-12-07T19:03:56Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > By being white (or, if you as a Hispanic/Latino person donā€™t happen to self-identify as white, by having an ethnic identity that our society largely **does** identify as white). Is this really so hard for you to understand? Yes, itā€™s quite hard, as it seems to run counter to other confident assertions from the left. I have heard nothing but accusations of racism against Trump for his comments about Mexicans, and more generally dark imprecations about the fate of brown people, into which category I most assuredly fall, as the child of a Salvadoran immigrant. This led me to conclude that there was general agreement that white privilege was not something available to such folk. So, no, I donā€™t self-identify as white, and this is the first Iā€™m hearing that persons of my genetic heritage are largely considered white. > [@](#): > > What may be confusing you is the fact that Latino/Hispanic people, although in the US they are frequently categorized as racially white, are ethnically distinct from other white ethnicities, and are themselves subject to bigotry and discrimination on that account. > > So an American Hispanic guy certainly has **less** white privilege in our society than, say, a guy named Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III. But that doesnā€™t mean that he has **no** white privilege when it comes to anti-black racism. OK, so let me see if I can capture the new rule here, or perhaps the old rule that I never fully grokked. As an American-born child of a Salvadoran immigrant, what privilege do I still have to ā€œcheck?ā€ And what privilege(s) may I look covetously upon due to my lack of them? ---
**Author:** ![CatandMouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@CatandMouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatandMouse)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/109 "2016-12-07T19:06:20Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > In what possible way do I have white privilege? This should be fascinating. How often do you get pulled over for driving while white? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/110 "2016-12-07T19:08:26Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > This race vs ethnicity confusion has become serious enough that the Census Bureau is considering combining the ā€œHispanic originā€ and ā€œraceā€ questions on the next census. Yep. As that article notes, it is certainly possible for people of Hispanic ethnicity to identify themselves as racially nonwhite: e.g., as black, Native American, etc. But most Hispanic Americans donā€™t identify with those nonwhite racial categories. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/111 "2016-12-07T19:10:37Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > OK, so let me see if I can capture the new rule here, or perhaps the old rule that I never fully grokked. > > As an American-born child of a Salvadoran immigrant, what privilege do I still have to ā€œcheck?ā€ And what privilege(s) may I look covetously upon due to my lack of them? Nearly everyone has experienced some sort of privilege in certain circumstances. You probably have experienced male privilege, non-black privilege, cis privilege, straight privilege, and more, in various circumstances. I see privilege just as a way to demonstrate some of the little injustices, totally beyond oneā€™s control, that many people donā€™t have to face routinely. And I think, in general, a black person (or Hispanic person) faces more of these little injustices than a white person, on average; a woman faces more than a man, in general; a trans person faces more than a cis person, in general; etc. It doesnā€™t mean that every black person has it harder than every white person. And I donā€™t think itā€™s meant to be competitive (though assholes will be assholes, when citing privilege as well as when dishing out injustice) ā€“ itā€™s not useful, IMO, to talk about whether a Hispanic person has more or less privilege than a black person, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/112 "2016-12-07T19:10:56Z")
> [@CatandMouse](#): > > How often do you get pulled over for driving while white? Since Iā€™m not white, my initial assumption is that none of the times Iā€™ve been pulled over were for driving while white. I suppose itā€™s technically possible that the officer(s) who pulled me over mistook me for a white person and initiated the traffic stop on that basis, and then were disappointed to find a driver of Central American descent. How do you suggest I evaluate that possibility to better answer your question? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/113 "2016-12-07T19:14:54Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Nearly everyone has experienced some sort of privilege in certain circumstances. You probably have experienced male privilege, non-black privilege, cis privilege, straight privilege, and more, in various circumstances. > > I see privilege just as a way to demonstrate some of the little injustices, totally beyond oneā€™s control, that many people donā€™t have to face routinely. And I think, in general, a black person (or Hispanic person) faces more of these little injustices than a white person, on average; a woman faces more than a man, in general; a trans person faces more than a cis person, in general; etc. It doesnā€™t mean that every black person has it harder than every white person. And I donā€™t think itā€™s meant to be competitive (though assholes will be assholes, when citing privilege as well as when dishing out injustice) ā€“ itā€™s not useful, IMO, to talk about whether a Hispanic person has more or less privilege than a black person, for example. Stupid people face more difficulties than intelligent ones; lazy people suffer more than industrious ones. Frugal people undoubtedly suffer fewer financial setbacks than their spendthrift counterparts. Indeed, poor people suffer more indignities than their wealthy brethern. Are any of those also categorized as ā€œprivilege?ā€ ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/114 "2016-12-07T19:16:19Z")
Another way to put privilege, IMO: on average, in most given scenarios in the US, being black will be harder than being white, when all else is equal. So a black kid with a GED will have a harder time getting a job than a white kid with a GED with identical resumes, economic background, and criminal record (or lack); a Hispanic male doctor will probably be paid less than a white male doctor with the same qualifications; an openly gay soldier will be less likely to be promoted than a straight soldier; etc. There are exceptions in certain scenarios, but I think this holds most of the time, in most circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/115 "2016-12-07T19:17:56Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Stupid people face more difficulties than intelligent ones; lazy people suffer more than industrious ones. Frugal people undoubtedly suffer fewer financial setbacks than their spendthrift counterparts. Indeed, poor people suffer more indignities than their wealthy brethern. > > Are any of those also categorized as ā€œprivilege?ā€ I donā€™t know. They could be. Maybe itā€™s worth discussing, though in my understanding privilege generally is about characteristics that are entirely beyond oneā€™s control (race, gender, gender ID, sexuality, etc.). ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/116 "2016-12-07T19:19:43Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > [ā€¦] this is the first Iā€™m hearing that persons of my genetic heritage are largely considered white. Golly, you **really** havenā€™t been paying attention. As **HurricaneDitka** notes, that categorization is even part of the standard demographic structure of the Census Bureau. [QUOTE=Bricker] As an American-born child of a Salvadoran immigrant, what privilege do I still have to ā€œcheck?ā€ [/quote] :dubious: Well, the way you put it, it sounds as though you are in the extremely special category of persons with only one biological parent. We will know more about your various kinds of hereditary privilege if you tell us the racial/ethnic identity of your other parent, assuming (not unreasonably) that you had one. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/117 "2016-12-07T19:25:23Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Golly, you **really** havenā€™t been paying attention. As **HurricaneDitka** notes, that categorization is even part of the standard demographic structure of the Census Bureau. > :dubious: Well, the way you put it, it sounds as though you are in the extremely special category of persons with only one biological parent. > > We will know more about your various kinds of hereditary privilege if you tell us the racial/ethnic identity of your other parent, assuming (not unreasonably) that you had one. IMO, this might be slightly missing the point of privilege, at least as I understand it. Itā€™s about society, not biology ā€“ it doesnā€™t matter the race of **Brickerā€™s** parents, except how that influences how he is seen by most of society. Regardless of the race/ethnicity of his parents, if most of society sees him as white (which doesnā€™t sound like itā€™s the case), then he probably experiences white privilege frequently. If most of society sees him as Hispanic, then he probably does not experience white privilege frequently, though he probably does experience other forms of privilege (non-black privilege, male privilege, etc.) sometimes. If a very light skinned black person (since ā€œblackā€ can encompass a variety of skin tones in America) is raised by white parents, and society generally sees them as white, then they likely experience white privilege quite frequently. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/118 "2016-12-07T19:32:59Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Golly, you **really** havenā€™t been paying attention. As **HurricaneDitka** notes, that categorization is even part of the standard demographic structure of the Census Bureau. > :dubious: Well, the way you put it, it sounds as though you are in the extremely special category of persons with only one biological parent. > > We will know more about your various kinds of hereditary privilege if you tell us the racial/ethnic identity of your other parent, assuming (not unreasonably) that you had one. My mother had the following grandparents: Illiniwek Indian, English, American, and Iberian Spanish. I have no idea how to characterize that. My fatherā€™s mother was a dark-skinned Pipil Indian. As he was born out of wedlock, Iā€™m afraid I canā€™t provide the requisite details for this branch of the tree. So do I get in the club? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/119 "2016-12-07T19:34:47Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > IMO, this might be slightly missing the point of privilege, at least as I understand it. Itā€™s about society, not biology ā€“ it doesnā€™t matter the race of **Brickerā€™s** parents, except how that influences how he is seen by most of society. Regardless of the race/ethnicity of his parents, if most of society sees him as white (which doesnā€™t sound like itā€™s the case), then he probably experiences white privilege frequently. If most of society sees him as Hispanic, then he probably does not experience white privilege frequently, though he probably does experience other forms of privilege (non-black privilege, male privilege, etc.) sometimes. If a very light skinned black person (since ā€œblackā€ can encompass a variety of skin tones in America) is raised by white parents, and society generally sees them as white, then they likely experience white privilege quite frequently. Wait, what? One of you doesnā€™t understand privilege, yet both of you are asserting very confident statements concerning it. For what itā€™s worth, if I were speaking to you on the phone you would not hear an accent. But if I were standing in front of you, you would not mistake me for an Irishman. And my surname is so Hispanic it uses a letter thatā€™s not even in the English alphabet. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948/120 "2016-12-07T19:35:25Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Wait, what? > > One of you doesnā€™t understand privilege, yet both of you are asserting very confident statements concerning it. I donā€™t think my statements are all that confident. šŸ˜‰ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeff-sessions-a-racist/773948.md?page=7)