Revolution and White Privilege
Posted by Jack Stephens on May 12, 2008
Neela blogs:
I’ve recently watched a couple of documentaries about radical movements in the 1960s and 70s:Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst, The Weather Underground and a narrative film about the Naxalite movement in West Bengal called Calcutta My Love.
Both of the first two films were fascinating but left me feeling irritated at the ludicrousness of it all – especially at the white privilege that protected many of these so-called revolutionaries, whereas members of the Black Panther Party faced a decidedly different fate.
makeitmove said
Definitely interesting. It’s something that comes up a lot looking at 60s movements, and it’s got a legacy, too- the popular memory of the sixties is flower-in-the-gun student hippies, rather than people demanding justice for themselves.
But I want to challenge the white privilege tip. I think it’s class privilege & whiteness. Not like you can break it down easy, but there were and are white communities that, if organized (and some were, back then), would definitely not have that level of privilege.
supergrover said
Speaking of the Black Panthers I recommend all to check out the Huey P. Newton Story @ PBS. I don’t think the film itself is posted, but look for it at your local library (or anywhere).