The Power of Positive Thinking (When You’re White)

The line at the post office was 18 people deep.

I’d been waiting awhile, and was thinking about something I’d read: that in Europe, public services are for the public — meaning everyone — whereas in the US, public services are for those who can’t afford a private alternative. Hence the wait.

I looked around and noticed that no one among the patrons or the employees was a white man. At the Hanover Street post office, a half block off Wall Street, that was notable.

A white man walked in. He surveyed the line and confidently jetted past it, over to an employee pushing a wheeled bin across the floor. He put his hand on the employee’s back. He said, “Hey buddy … can you do me a favor? I just have this one thing.”

This Jen Dziura piece, “When Life Hacking Is Really White Privilege” is definitely worth reading. As a bonus, it is mostly about the money guru dude James Altucher — our friend from yesterday who runs a fund of hedge funds and said he felt poor because he had ten million dollars instead of 100 million.

A useful thought exercise, from Dziura:

You know that fun game you play at Chinese restaurants, where you add “in bed” to everybody’s fortune? You will achieve great success this year … in bed.

I have a related suggestion for Altucher’s article. Just add “if you’re white” or “because I’m white” to each generalization or anecdote in the article.

Photo: Rusty Clark