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From: ellis@spar.UUCP (Michael Ellis)
Newsgroups: net.women,net.flame
Subject: The Suffering of the Overprivileged or White Man's Burden
Message-ID: <260@spar.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-May-85 16:17:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: spar.260
Posted: Thu May 23 16:17:46 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 25-May-85 06:09:22 EDT
References: <354@iham1.UUCP> <250@spar.UUCP> <1391@watdcsu.UUCP>
Reply-To: ellis@spar.UUCP (Michael Ellis)
Distribution: net
Organization: Schlumberger Palo Alto Research, CA
Lines: 82
Keywords: Snake handling, Guilt tripping
Xref: linus net.women:4784 net.flame:9212

I am amazed at the perverse uses people out there have found for `guilt':

>>> ...didn't hold any slaves, *I* didn't force any Orientals into ghettos in
>>> San Francisco, *I* didn't lynch any black p... And don't give me any of
>>> these arguments based on the notion of 'original sin'..{Mr.D}
>>
>>    *Your* white ancestors intelligently came to this `land of opportunity'
>>    where `ALL WHITE MALES ARE CREATED SUPERIOR', lived decent, hard...
>>    ...their labor were usurped by a system that favored *YOUR* FAMILY.{ME}
>
>It's hard for me to imagine the above...serving any
>purpose other than to try to make Mr. D. feel guilty.  You would
>not be trying to make him feel guilty if he wasn't white and male, and
>you are well aware that he had nothing to do with the assorted nasty
>acts committed by other white men.  The only thing I can conclude,
>therefore, is that you hold him guilty for being a white man.  You hold
>him guilty, not for what he has done, but for what he *is*.

>Something in our upbringing encourages us to feel guilty for the acts
>of other people, acts we have no control over, for no reason other than
>some accidental resemblance, such as being of the same race or sex.
>People should recognize this and resist it.  It makes no sense for so
>many people to go around feeling guilty for the way they are born.  And
>that includes *you*, Mr. Ellis. -- David Canzi

    This is self-serving horse-shit, Mr. Canzi.

    Apparently your feeble mind can perceive no other motivations besides
    self-interest and guilt.

    With all your nauseating talk of guilt, you conveniently lose sight of
    YOUR real problem -- SELFISHNESS, a PARANOID DESIRE to be free from
    guilt or social responsibility, and LACK OF HUMANITY.

    I DON'T GIVE A DAMN whether our long suffering Overprivileged class
    feels guilt -- in fact, any psychic effort wasted thereby should better
    be spent cultivating such worthwhile virtues as COMPASSION, CHARITY,
    LOVE and UNDERSTANDING. 

    The point of my original article was very clear:

	The Overprivileged innocently possess that which partly should have
	gone to the Underprivileged (STOLEN INHERITANCE). The Overprivileged
	then noisily protest at the slightest effort to achieve
	recompensation, typically crying `unfair'. 

    So now you hypocritically condemn me for MAKING YOU BOYS FEEL GUILTY? 

    You have told me what is in my mind, Mr Kanzi. My turn now. Here is what
    I think goes on inside YOUR head:

	If I am guilty, I will have to PAY
	If I have to pay, I must be GUILTY
	I do not want to be GUILTY

        I do not believe in inherited guilt
	Why do *I* have to pay for something *I* didn't do?
	I did not steal the inheritance of the poor
	Even though it's mine now

	*I* am blameless
	This wealth is *Mine*
	**MINE**

    Guilt is a primitive and inefficient way to run one's life, Mr Canzi.
    When you can free yourself from it, whether through snake-handling,
    maturity, or divine grace, goodwill might just take its place.

    `Affirmative Action' is not REWARD or PUNISHMENT; it is a simple attempt
    to help those in dire need -- like graduated income tax, welfare,
    government funding to minority students and businesses, $c. -- but I
    suppose that you're probably against these as well. 

    You favor doing nothing. I wonder why?

    Mr Canzi, if you are called on to sacrifice in some small way to
    help some underprivileged soul, please STOP THINKING THAT YOU ARE
    BEING PUNISHED. 

    Nobody blames you for accidentally being born Overprivileged.

-michael