Interesting viewpoints here. Guess I'll throw some of my own opinions into the fray.
There are certainly instances when being caucasian provides an advantage, but there are also instances when the reverse is true. For example, a caucasian college student looking for scholarships to apply to...finds plenty of scolarships that require x% of "xyz" ethinicity, but no scholarships for being caucasian. Some would argue that, since s/he is caucasian, then s/he doesn't need a scholarship...but there are plenty of 'poor' caucasians out there struggling to pay for college. That is just an example.
Basically, I think there are some cases where being of "xyz" ethnicity provides advantages over being caucasian. Whether or not those advantages outweigh the disadvantages of not being caucasian is another argument.
As others have noted, a person's ethnicity (whether they're in the majority or minority) is not the only thing that's going to determine the outcome of their lives. No one is destined to be rich or poor just because of their race. There are a lot of other factors that come into play...culture, financial status (not all whites are rich nor all blacks poor), individual personality, intelligence, environment, etc.
The role of culture can be seen in homelessness, for example. The proportion of homeless that are Asian is very small (various surveys that can be googled) - this is not because all Asians are such hard-workers or so smart that they never become homeless, but because of their culture. In many Asian cultures, the extended family is such a huge thing and so if someone is too poor to afford a roof over their head, then they are taken in by other family members.
On a side note...
One thing I've always thought interesting was about ethnicity vs nationality. For example:
"White" vs German, Irish, French, Russian, Australian, etc
"Asian" vs Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, etc
"Black" vs Somali, Zimbabwean, Haitian, Malawi, etc
"Hispanic" vs Mexican, Portugese, Spanish, Brazilian, etc
ETC
The racism that some Hispanics experience (ie, Mexicans) might be different than the racism that other Hispanics experience (ie, Spanish)...so this is an example of where generalizing all "Hispanics" as the same "people" can pose a problem.
I also think it's interesting that people see Obama as "black", even though he's 50%. I wonder if some caucasian voters would have been less likely to vote for him if he was 100% black.
Anyway, not sure where I'm going with all this rambling. Still interested in whether or not a discussion group happens. I agree that there is racism exhibited by white people, so "racism is a white problem". If you meant to say that "racism is ONLY a white problem", then I don't agree...as there are certainly cases of racism amongst and between other ethnicities/nationalities. So, not sure if I'm eligible for the discussion group. :p
For now, I'll finish some work and then read McIntosh and Hsu. :-)
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