On the other hand if you go to the Kotel, there is a contingency of orthodox women ready to hound you away if you are wearing something too revealing. So dress codes do exist, but not for not being formal enough, which I think is what Alessan is referencing.
Ah, ninja’d by Alessan saying the same thing
As a white person, I also had a bank manager walk me out, hold the door for me and shake my hand… when I opened a business checking account. I have never had a banker give me anything resembling this level of consideration before or since.
There was something one of our African-American board members, @monstro IIRC - posted that affected me very deeply.
It was one of those posts that clarified the issue for me.
Her mother got suddenly and seriously ill, and had to go to the ER. But before going, she insisted on changing clothes, putting on a nice outfit and doing her hair and make-up.
This wasn’t done out of vanity. Her mom dressed up for a trip to the ER so she wouldn’t be mistaken for a vagrant and she’d get the care she deserved. Which is something my white mother never would’ve needed to do.
I apologize for telling a story that’s not mine and I hope I remembered it correctly in the broad details- but I was very moved by it and it helped me see something I’d missed.
That’s a terrible thing and no one should be treated in a way that forces them to behave like this just to get by in our society. From that perspective, I think it is fine to point out that Bernie Sanders getting to look a bit frumpy at the inauguration is something he gets to enjoy but a black politician would not. I think it is also fine to point out that a female politician would also be judged much more harshly - look at how obsessed people are with how Hillary is dressed.
However, I think claiming that Sanders did something WRONG is going too far. If Sanders benefited from some privilege due to being white, it is a privilege that all people should get to enjoy. We should slap down people who attack underdressed black politicians through social pressure, for example. But I do think attacking Sanders is misguided.
It’s more than just dress, though…it’s an attitude thing.
It’s the whole “treating the five star restaurant like it’s McDonalds” thing.
Now that I think about it, I did that more than once. I had a client that was a NYC real estate magnate (not Trump) and about 10 years ago, I did some work on a mid-town apartment he was renovating. Sometimes he’d stop by with his architect or one of his project managers, and if that happened at lunchtime, he’d invite me to join them for lunch.
I’d join them, in my jeans and T-shirt, usually — and we’d all walk over to Le Cirque, which was a seriously nice world class restaurant and get a table.
It wasn’t just that we were completely underdressed. My client would complain constantly about how long everything took and we can’t take forever we need to get back to work, I’ve been here 10 minutes, why is there not a steak in front of me. But he’d never complain about the food, he’d kind of eat it without tasting it, like it was a Big Mac.
Treating LeCirque like a fast food restaurant was a total power move.
And it was totally freaking awesome. It was a rush.
Now these are really exaggerated examples of privilege. I’ve experienced quite a bit of high level privilege moments ( I once was allowed to enter a foreign country without going through customs)… being not only white but white, female, attractive - and, once upon a time, young - and working around a lot of people with a lot of money.
But when it’s that exaggerated, you learn to see it. And once you learn to see it, you know how to see it everywhere.
Hold up…you have “sightseeing clothes”?
I’m not claiming he did anything wrong. I think that’s the basic misunderstanding about the whole privilege thing.
You can’t help how other people see you or treat you. It’s not my fault that the greeter never checks my receipt and the security guard never follows me. It’s not my fault that cab drivers stop when I hail a cab.
But by being aware of things, I acknowledge that my whiteness makes my life a little smoother, a little easier, than the lives of people that aren’t white. It gives my compassion and understanding.
I’m not apologizing for who I am, just like I wouldn’t apologize if I won the lottery. I’m just acknowledging my advantages.
Strictly speaking - I think Bernie’s casual dress was more of a power move than straight-up white privilege. I said as much a few days after, I think I said” Looking like you’re stopping by the inauguration because you’ve got errands to run in the neighborhood is a total power move.”
Saying $2000 czechs!
Offering ($1300 plus $700 if you got that with means testing now)
Hmm just seems bad optics even if they meant that.
Lots of statements of libs promising 2000 cquesq, not saying they meant 1400 more.
Just looks bad, liberals.
Come on, man.
I sure as hell don’t want 2000 Czechs showing up at my door. Cquesq either.
When you say “bad optics” do you mean “I need new glasses”? Because that’s a hot mess of a post.
Give him a break, as cold as it is in the US this week, it’s even colder in Moscow. I know that I have had a bunch of typos due to chilly hands.
Wasn’t he the head of Romania?
Dead too. Stupid liberals want to send me 2000 Czechs and a dead guy. Good thing we have internet pundits like Manwich to set us straight.
Still waiting to hear what “sightseeing clothes” are 
That better than 2000 canceled Czechs.
Shorts and tee-shirts, IIRC.
Loose-fitting loud attire. Americans are well known in other parts of the world for being loudly loud.
Bavarian Lives Matter. 
I too have heard accounts from, or about, African-Americans that they typically do or need to dress up to be accepted or tolerated in places else they are thought of as criminal or homeless or something along those lines. So I would say there’s privilege white people have in not having to worry about those assumptions as much or at all, even if it isn’t an active usage.
Re: the $2000 checks. To people who were paying attention, the timeline of Republicans want $600 checks, Democrats want $2000 dollar checks, Republicans send $600 checks, Democrats campaign on “If we were in charge, you’d have gotten $2000”, Democrats win and send $1400 checks to make up the difference makes sense. However, I’m not sure a ton of people pay that much attention, and not sending $2000 will seem like breaking a campaign promise to them. I also think some Democratic messaging about this either isn’t clear about the distinction or promises $2000.