Friday, May 1, 2009

accept villification despite creating the modern world

It's actually pretty damn nice to live in this modern world, all things considered. We've got lights that go on and off whenever you want them to, water (cold OR hot) at the turn of a knob, refrigerators to keep our food edible (not to mention plenty of food to keep edible), speedy and reliable transportation across the world, a say (however minimal) in our government, clean hospitals with effective medicines, and general enforcement of basic human rights. Things are quite good. 

"But wait," you say, "what about most of Africa, where many people are without clean water? What about the Middle East, where women are consistently oppressed? What about India, where half of the children don't have enough to eat?" Oh, right. Sorry. I should've been more specific: I meant the modern white world. 

Interesting what's green, isn't it...

It's terrible to have to say so, but everyone knows it's true. Historically white countries are vastly better off than primarily non-white countries. Of the countries with the top-ten standards of living in the world (as measured by the Human Development Index), only one (Japan) is not historically white. You have to go all the way down to #22 to find another one (Hong Kong). Perhaps more strikingly, not a single one of the countries with a low HDI is historically white, and, of the ones rated "medium," only two are historically white. (1)

So why do white countries live better? Well, it's unpleasant to say it, but maybe it's due in part to the white people. For one thing, the vast majority of our modern conveniences were invented by whites. As far as electricity goes, its study was founded by William Gilbert: a white man. The study was continued by Benjamin Franklin, Luigi Galvani, Michael Faraday, George Ohm, Nikola Tesla, and many many more: all white. (2) The modern refrigerator was developed by Carl von Linde, building on work by Ferdinand Carre, James Harrison, William Cullen, and more: again, all white. (3) The first car was invented by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, or Ferdinand Verbiest, or Richard Trevithick, depending on whom you ask, but for our purposes it doesn't really matter which one it was: they're all white. (4)

Of course, the argument could be made that scientific developments do not in themselves mean a good standard of living, and that's correct. Social institutions are also quite important. Look at the big one, for example: democracy. Where'd it start? The Greeks (white, of course) came up with the idea, but our modern idea of it stems largely from Thomas Hobbes (white), James Harrington (white), John Locke (white), Charles de Montesquieu (white), and a whole host of others. (5)  

Despite constant claims of oppression, even minorities live better in primarily white countries than they do in primarily nonwhite countries. African-Americans, for example, have an average income of around $27,000/year in the US. (6) In Africa itself, the per capita GDP of many countries is under $1,000, and even the richest countries do not exceed $15,000/year per capita. (7) These statistics are similar for practically any minority group living in white countries: despite not yet being as well-off as whites, they're still vastly better off than they would be in a nonwhite country. And judging by the rates of immigration, everyone is aware of that.

Despite all of these contributions to the world we live in, whites somehow seem to be the only safe target left. Racism is bad, unless you're pointing it at whites. Take for example the highly publicised comment by economic advisor Robert Reich, in which he said, on public television, without apology, that he didn't want any stimulus money to go to "white male construction workers." (8) This would obviously never have been said about blacks or Hispanics or Asians. There's the simple fact that whites can't really get it right. If they leave minorities alone, they are ignoring their problems and being insensitive and racist. If they try to help minorities, they are being condescending and paternalistic, thus making them even more insensitive and racist. The popular culture portrays white men as alternately bumbling and violent, while portraying white women as airheads, bitches, and sluts. Whites are the only race who are not allowed to be proud of their culture. Black pride? Good for you - have a parade! White pride? That phrase is practically profane.  

For some reason, whites think that they deserve this kind of treatment and allow themselves to be bullied into thinking that whites have never contributed anything to the world but racism and oppression. Well, the opposite is quite true. There are a lot of things white people do, and many of them are worth a little pride.


1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity#History
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator#History
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile#History
5. http://www.usconstitution.net/philosophers.html
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_income_in_the_United_States
7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Africa#Regional_variation
8. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1411081/robert_reich_excludes_white_male_construction.html?cat=3

14 comments:

  1. saw the post at SF. good work

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  2. I'm curious, are you posting this as a sort of counter to stuffwhitepeopledo? The entire downright racist attitude (All white people are responsible for all the suffering in the world, whites cannot do anything good -whites moving into poor neighborhoods is bad because they force minority residents out, whites moving out of poor neighborhoods is bad because they're moving away from minorities-) is quite annoying

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  3. Excellent. Will you be doing more of these?

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  4. Awesome! This is what I've been saying forever! Preach on!

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  5. I agree with Anonymous (the first one). This is terrible.

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  6. Just kidding, I don't agree with the first anon. I meant that THIS blog is terrible. Bye.

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  7. stuff white people do: run successful countries

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  8. A Non-White PersonMarch 27, 2011 at 4:55 AM

    Has it never occurred to you that the reason white countries may be better off as of now is because they spent centuries looting, plundering and stealing the natural and human wealth of the non-white nations? Proof of this fact is that many of the now-independent non-white nations are doing exceedingly well, e.g. Malaysia, S.Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, many of the Arab nations, and some African countries as well as island nations. And many of the non-white nations that are making great social progress, e.g. Cuba, are presented negatively by the Western press (I'm not suggesting a racial conspiracy, just that people's opinions have already been tainted by ethnocentrism). Even South Africa has improved in every way except for crime ever since apartheid ended. The reason for nations' progress is not their race; if it was, then the white nations of southeastern Europe would not be so bad. In fact, racially even the people of the 'Stan' republics of Central Asia are white, and they're not doing great either. So please do not try to attribute it wrongly.

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    1. if we had left it to all the non-whites, we'd all be living in mud huts, scared of our own shadows & dying of every disease.

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  9. A Non-White PersonMarch 27, 2011 at 4:57 AM

    And, by the way, a lot of other inventions that modern society is based on were invented by non white people in China, India, Arabia, Africa, etc. Plus in the 21st century, the Asians are increasingly living better and better lifestyles and soon will be, on average, comparable to white nations. Look how civilized, orderly, efficiently and generously the Japanese are making it through their disaster. Better than many white folk would have done. I'm not arguing against white people, I'm arguing against this attitude people like you have that you can attribute entire nations' development to their race.

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  10. A Non-White PersonMarch 27, 2011 at 4:59 AM

    Oh, and, lastly, a lot of the progress America is making today is because of the brain drain from countries with Asian/African racial people. So it's not race that determines the level of development of a nation. White nations happen to be more developed on average, I agree, but black and brown and yellow nations only suffered a disadvantage because of colonialism. India was the richest country in the world before the Brits colonized it.

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  11. Look at these delusional mentally deficient clowns. Still not enough evidence for them. You're living off the white man's work. If black people did half this stuff yOu'd be raving about how superior they are.

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  12. Asians & Africans are negative people from backward failed countries & cultures. Go home & leave the white folks to get on with their modern , progressive lives.

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  13. While these people were throwing rocks at their wives and brothers for not covering there faces or for eating pork, or while these people where forcing slaves to build thousands of clay statues to protect them in the afterlife, the White man was creating history, building colonies, inventing, mapping the globe, and sending man to the moon. Don't ever say that we aren't the reason for every achievement In this time. Because it is us who never gave up. It was us who never fell even after countless falls of empires. It was us who helped our fellow man and worked together to create everything you see. Without us you would all suffer horribly. All these countries you've listed saying are going great and aren't white is because they rely off these white nations. We are the race of the titans

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