# Responses to a straight, white male complaining on these message boards. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 3, 2014, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-a-straight-white-male-complaining-on-these-message-boards/682754 "2014-03-03T15:01:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Donna\_Lange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Donna\_Lange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donna_Lange)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-a-straight-white-male-complaining-on-these-message-boards/682754/201 "2014-03-10T15:16:23Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > The problem is that you think the ONLY bitch people can make must be related to their sex or race, thereby pretending that ALL white males can’t possibly have any problems no matter what, simply because as a group they tend to be better off. > > But a white male can lose his job, become homeless, get cancer, whatever too. He’s an individual person, not just a white male. That’s why judging people by their race and sex is wrong, always, and it’s why this thread is corrupt. No, I don’t think that at all. I was poking fun at the whole damn thing and it flew right over your head… Many wealthy older gentlemen visit this board, and as you didn’t notice, I capitalized Straight. As in the Straight Dope. As in these boards. They are quite able to afford the price of “having it so hard” with their pal Viagra. (If needed that is ^\_- ) They also usually are more with evolution than religious creation and Darwin had a bitchin beard. But anyone growing long beards now will more likely be compared to Duck Dynasty than a great thinker. I think you need to chill out and relax a bit. You are taking this entirely to hard. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-a-straight-white-male-complaining-on-these-message-boards/682754/202 "2014-03-10T15:27:12Z")
The person I see focusing way too hard on gender and race is lance. Who ever said a white male with cancer or who is facing homeless has no legitimate gripes? There’re a lot of threads on this board of men who’ve experienced trauma and really bad luck and they get sympathy just like anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-a-straight-white-male-complaining-on-these-message-boards/682754/203 "2014-03-10T15:55:14Z")
> [@Donna\_Lange](#): > > No, I don’t think that at all. I was poking fun at the whole damn thing and it flew right over your head… I actually did realize that. Your post just got me thinking. Sorry to take it too seriously. > [@](#): > > I think you need to chill out and relax a bit. You are taking this entirely to hard. Consider my previous response a general comment not aimed at your post. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-a-straight-white-male-complaining-on-these-message-boards/682754/204 "2014-03-10T15:57:39Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Who ever said a white male with cancer or who is facing homeless has no legitimate gripes? Lots of people say that, or at least imply it. Happens all the time. Any time someone says white males have it easy, white males are rich and privileged, etc. It’s implied by the OP! > [@](#): > > There’re a lot of threads on this board of men who’ve experienced trauma and really bad luck and they get sympathy just like anyone else. Yes, and that’s great. People should think about that next time they go around claiming that we should treat white males or any other group as a group and judge them accordingly. This isn’t rocket science either. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-a-straight-white-male-complaining-on-these-message-boards/682754/205 "2014-03-10T15:59:53Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > The problem is that you think the ONLY bitch people can make must be related to their sex or race, thereby pretending that ALL white males can’t possibly have any problems no matter what, simply because as a group they tend to be better off. I don’t think that’s the spirit this thread is about. I think the criticism is towards straight white men who complain about some sort of disadvantage they are suffering _due to being straight white men_, not because they’re poor, sick, etc. And because straight white men are less disadvantaged, usually to a hugely significant degree, then people who are not straight white men, I think such complaints deserve criticism. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-a-straight-white-male-complaining-on-these-message-boards/682754/206 "2014-03-10T16:15:11Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I don’t think that’s the spirit this thread is about. I think the criticism is towards straight white men who complain about some sort of disadvantage they are suffering _due to being straight white men_, not because they’re poor, sick, etc. Not quite. The OP said: > [@](#): > > If you ever hear a straight, white male complain about a situation that specifically concerns straight people, white people, and especially males on this message boards; the common response is; “Oh, you must have it SO hard, poor you!” > > Currently, this irks me. > > I understand that we, for the most part, have it good. However, if someone has an issue that’s specific to straight, white males, people just dismiss it. Why? Obviously straight white men in general don’t suffer disadvantages specific to their orientation/race/sex. In general. If you add them all up, they come out ahead. But again, adding them up leads to distortions when you apply that to real life. There can be disadvantages in specific areas. For instance, a man trying to get a job caring for children will face discrimination. That’s just one of several examples. (And if there are policies like AA that actually disadvantage white males in hiring or college admissions, that’s a disadvantage right there.) > [@](#): > > And because straight white men are less disadvantaged, usually to a hugely significant degree, then people who are not straight white men, I think such complaints deserve criticism. See, that’s the problem. Just because white males have it good in most cases doesn’t mean they have it good all the time. They (as a group) have a right to complain about unfair treatment based on their race or sex as much as anyone else. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-a-straight-white-male-complaining-on-these-message-boards/682754/207 "2014-03-10T16:20:30Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > See, that’s the problem. Just because white males have it good in most cases doesn’t mean they have it good all the time. They (as a group) have a right to complain about unfair treatment based on their race or sex as much as anyone else. Yes, they do. And if they do it in a way that discounts the general overall advantages they have, then they deserve criticism, mockery, and/or derision, depending on the egregiousness of their errors. For example – if someone (like **Der Trihs** ) were to say that, overall, men are less advantaged then women (which is quite obviously untrue), then he deserves criticism, mockery, and derision. ---
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-a-straight-white-male-complaining-on-these-message-boards/682754/208 "2014-03-10T16:40:31Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > I guess it kind of just sucks that you’re told by the left that “people like you” are the cause of all the evils and prejudices in the world. It really isn’t fair since white people and men are far from the only oppressors and bullies in history (or now). I recommend being Jewish. It helps give you some perspective on where to bucket the people telling you that you’re responsible for all the evil in the world. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-a-straight-white-male-complaining-on-these-message-boards/682754/209 "2014-03-10T16:52:47Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Yes, they do. And if they do it in a way that discounts the general overall advantages they have, then they deserve criticism, mockery, and/or derision, depending on the egregiousness of their errors. Nobody should be required to always list all their advantages when making a complaint about something. > [@](#): > > For example – if someone (like **Der Trihs** ) were to say that, overall, men are less advantaged then women (which is quite obviously untrue), then he deserves criticism, mockery, and derision. Sure, but that’s because it’s false. It’s not “overall.” But if he said “men are disadvantaged in X way” he shouldn’t have to always add a footnote that men are advantaged in other ways. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-a-straight-white-male-complaining-on-these-message-boards/682754/210 "2014-03-10T16:53:55Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Nobody should be required to always list all their advantages when making a complaint about something. > > Sure, but that’s because it’s false. It’s not “overall.” > > But if he said “men are disadvantaged in X way” he shouldn’t have to always add a footnote that men are advantaged in other ways. So you agree with me, because none of this contradicts anything I’ve said. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-a-straight-white-male-complaining-on-these-message-boards/682754/211 "2014-03-10T16:54:15Z")
> [@robertliguori](#): > > I recommend being Jewish. It helps give you some perspective on where to bucket the people telling you that you’re responsible for all the evil in the world. I’m glad you also noticed the similarity. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-a-straight-white-male-complaining-on-these-message-boards/682754/212 "2014-03-10T16:55:17Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > So you agree with me, because none of this contradicts anything I’ve said. Okay. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/responses-to-a-straight-white-male-complaining-on-these-message-boards/682754.md?page=10)