[Home]WhiteMiddleClassLiberalGuilt

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Boo ho hoo oh woe is me I feel so bad I think I'll go and protest about a road or FoxHunting? or something.

Somewhat DevilsAdvocate, as usual here: But why is this actually considered to be a bad thing?  Upper class guilt is called philanthropy and considered just and right.  Lower class don't have "I am higher class" guilt, but generally have "I want to be" and so emulate and are classically presented as being even more generous, giving and striving towards a better world.  (Ok, so I've not seen anything pro scum class that was made after ww2, but that's certainly the old presentation.)  So why is it that those in the middle are lambasted for striving to better themselves, and for striving to better the world?  It just kinda confuses me.  --Vitenka

At least in theory, philanthropism comes from a sense of duty, not guilt. The idea is to do the right thing because it's right, not to salve your conscience so that you can feel good about yourself.  --ChiarkPerson

Consider the question rephrased then.  Why is it that attempting to reshape the world into whatever you see as 'better' is considered a noble duty for the high class and yet considered to be self appeasing for the middle class?  --Vitenka

The page is about white middle class liberal guilt, not about attempting to reshape the world into something better out of a sense of duty.  --ChiarkPerson

That's fine - I don't doubt that such a thing exists.  I was just wondering why it is more common to assume that things are being done from guilt than otherwise in certain situations.  (Specifically, the situation of white, liberal, middle class)  It seemed a relevant side discussion.  --Vitenka
Put it on a new (sub)page, then...

The problem with WhiteMiddleClassLiberalGuilt is that it's usually ineffectual (AIUI).  People afflicted with it generally have comfortable lives, but don't feel that they really deserve to, so they feel that they must spend lots of time 'atoning' for it. -- M-A

See also PreemptiveAntiRacism.

http://www.catandgirl.com/view.cgi?3 - MaintainMe/BrokenLink


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