The "Unfair Campaign"
Sorry I'm White...

The University of Minnesota in Duluth, decided to start an ad campaign to let people know about racism. In the process, they have decided to make it seem like one race in particular is bad and is the cause of all problems. The ad campaign features white people with writing all over their faces. Some which read, "Is white skin really fair skin?"

According to the campaign ads, white people are priveleged. Anyonw who goes through a teaching, sociology, political science, or liberal history course (to name a few) will learn that white people are apparently, as a whole, more priveleged than any other race. Which, is absolutely untrue. Perhaps, these white people featured in the video are previleged enough to feel guilty about their race, but as for many others, they work and struggle and may have many of the same problems and more as any other race. To say that this university is trying to speak out against racism by promoting a theory that all whites are "priveleged" or better than other races, is racist.

As for better pay, better jobs, and better everything, perhaps these people do live in a priveleged area because most of us, even with college degrees, do not get those better pay and better jobs right off the bat. In fact, most have to work their rears off from the bottom of the pack in order to even get the pay one feels comfortable with. As for being a white female, priveleged is hardly the term one would use in the work place. In fact, most work places (especially office settings) are unforgiving to females in general, especially those who have families, and make it obvious that everything is about business and family emergencies or kids do not matter. In fact, females of all races are treated unfairly in the workforce in many cases because of gender. Perhaps, if these people really wanted to start an "unfair campaign," they could focus on the gender gap and not being racist in order to campaign against racism.

The website even includes focus videos, blogs, and information on how different races are treated. One information piece is called, "The Game of Life." The first stop is the doctor, where the group tries to emphasize that whites are generally in good health when they go to the doctor. There is nothing about unfair treatment, just about health, which seems to indicate that other races are not as healthy due their race or that perhaps, and somehow the university has turned it into a racial issue (and apparently not many of them have lost health insurance or ever had to worry about paying 100s or 1000s of dollars because of lack of insurance-both medical and dental- and coverage, which many white people end up doing).

The game goes on to focus on jobs, school, the store (which is nuts, because even though Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders might make a few thousand more than other groups, their cost of living is much more than those living in many states), on the highways, streets, and so on. Another feature is that of, what "standard of beauty" is placed on African American girls. REALLY? Is this really just a one race problem? So, no other race has standards of beauty that are emphasized via the media, marketing, local influence, and other factors?

Granted, there is a history of racism, not just in America but throughout the world. In fact, it was Portugal who actually started the slave trade, and if one really wants to go back in time, it was the Egyptians who enslaved the jews (people from the same geographic area as themselves) during Biblical times. Racism has been a problem from the beginning of time, but what this group is doing is another form of racism and stereotyping that they seem to be unaware of.

If this group truly believes they are overly priveleged, here's a suggestion, go somewhere in the world where you will not be the dominate skin color. Move to another country and put your actions where your mouth is. Become part of a society where it is believed that whites are not a dominate race nor will they be given special priveleges.

Of course, race is an area that is important and it is important to realize that there are people out there who are racist, but it is not confined to one race. Also, racism does not mean being judgemental due to skin color-it also means being prejudice against a person because of their area of origin, not just skin color.

Maybe UM Duluth is having trouble understanding race because of their lack of diversity, which is why they are running this campaign. Just because they are not considered diverse enough does not make them a racist school, it could possibly mean others are just not interested in going to the school. The school should also realize that this campaign is racial and that they should not be making anyone feel guilty about their race.