Article on white privilege

[MEmama]

Perhaps I'm a bit slow on the uptake and for sure I'm generally sheltered due to geography and upbringing, so I'll freely admit I've had some difficulty in fully grasping what, exactly, the term white privilege means. Probably it doesn't help that it can be used in both a derogatory, inflammatory way and also matter of factly. At any rate, the thread on learning to change inspired me to want to share this essay that helped clarify the term to me. Hopefully it might help open other minds as well.

 

https://qz.com/257474/what-riding-my-bike-has-taught-me-about-white-privilege/

[Ottakee]

Wow

I really like this.

 

My husband is Native and has experienced negatives due to that.....other assuming we live off "gambling" money and other stereotypes.

 

I see this even more in the children of some of my friends. Parents are white and some of their children are black. Her teen boys can not walk around town on a cold day with the hood of their hoodie up and hands in their pockets. They just can't. Suspicion is immediately raised when people in a mostly white area see a larger black teen (one of her kids plays big 10 football so not a tiny kid) walking around town with their hands in their pockets and their hood up.....even if it is 40° and all of the white teen boys can do it. They often avoid black or other dark colored hoodies for the same reason.....just because they have black skin and not white.

 

You go into a store with them and employees track them and offer to "help" them over and over as of they are suspect...again, just because they are black.

 

I thought I realized how things were until I started hanging with her family and teens more....then I realized I didn't really have a clue.

[Guest]

The end is an attempt to excuse poor manners because of having a rough day.  No one deserves to be the recipient of that choice.

[Guest]

I know, Karen. I've never not regretted getting into a discussion on this and related topics. Some day I'll learn.

Edited September 26, 2017 by Arctic Mama

[Guest]

Nm. I should know better.

Edited September 26, 2017 by Kinsa

[bibiche]

Perhaps I'm a bit slow on the uptake and for sure I'm generally sheltered due to geography and upbringing, so I'll freely admit I've had some difficulty in fully grasping what, exactly, the term white privilege means. Probably it doesn't help that it can be used in both a derogatory, inflammatory way and also matter of factly. At any rate, the thread on learning to change inspired me to want to share this essay that helped clarify the term to me. Hopefully it might help open other minds as well.

 

https://qz.com/257474/what-riding-my-bike-has-taught-me-about-white-privilege/

I haven't seen this one before, thank you for posting it. I think that is a really good analogy. I will add that article to the anti-racism resources thread (link in my signature) that a number of people here helped me compile.

 

And don't let the haters get you down: there is a certain vocal percentage of the population who, for who knows what reason (okay, we do know), get very threatened by this topic. But your post will reach a lot of other people and help them to think about things they might not otherwise have done. So thanks again. :)

[TravelingChris]

I don't see the analogy at all.  I think it is a bad analogy.    A lot of prejudice is out of ignorance and stupidity.  Humans also use clues to figure out who is dangerous just like animals.  Some people are bad at clue reading and depend only on broad generalities- I saw that with my work in immigration.

[Noreen Claire]

Thank you for posting this.

[Innisfree]

Makes sense to me, thanks. That is useful.

[fraidycat]

I think it is an easy to understand analogy for anyone willing to try to understand what privilege looks like. Including myself. Thank you for sharing.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

nm

Edited September 27, 2017 by ChocolateReignRemix
Nasty.

[Word Nerd]

And don't let the haters get you down: there is a certain vocal percentage of the population who, for who knows what reason (okay, we do know), get very threatened by this topic.

 

Disagreeing with an article's premise does not make one a "hater." Questioning the narrative does not equal racism. 

Edited September 26, 2017 by Word Nerd

[MotherGoose]

Interesting analogy. I believe in white privilege, but I've never thought about it in that way. I'm glad I live in a place where, although it's traditionally racist (Southern US) there is a large population of people of color, who live in my neighborhood, go to my church, and shop at my stores etc. I may not be in the majority in many places I go. The population is very nicely integrated in my suburban area. Now if you get into the city, it's not as integrated. Not to say there aren't problems, because there are. But my kids aren't growing up as I did and as many people around the country still do, if my travels to the Midwest and PNW are any indication, in segregated societies. The integration is the key to removing white privilege. Actually I just went to the grocery store and there were these two black young men, who were nicely dressed, sitting out front and smoking cigarettes...it's common for people to do that here. I made sure I smiled and said hello to them, just as I would do for anyone. I don't want to be that white lady who seems scared or something. I wasn't scared, by the way. I just figured their mamas were going to hear about them out there smoking from someone and I hoped she was mad!

[fraidycat]

I don't see the analogy at all. I think it is a bad analogy. A lot of prejudice is out of ignorance and stupidity. Humans also use clues to figure out who is dangerous just like animals. Some people are bad at clue reading and depend only on broad generalities- I saw that with my work in immigration.

The article is about Privilege. Not prejudice. They are two very different words.

 

It's like your post about clues and dangerous animals is posted on the wrong thread. They have nothing to do with the article.

[6packofun]

I have understood white privilege to mean in a very basic sense that I, as a white person, live in the "default" of society.  And, although I like this article, it is lacking what nearly every other article (and conversation) on the topic fails to address, which is 1) what if I don't feel sorry/guilty about the circumstances of my birth and upbringing when I had little control over it, and 2) what beyond "acknowledging it" I can actually do aside from be a good listener to others who don't live in the default.  Kwim?  "Acknowledge" is the big buzzword but it sort of equates to a big ol' mental "YEP." And now...?  Because many of us want to do something, but then get shot down for trying, in our own awkward and probably not completely perfect or accurate way. So we listen a lot, and that's not DOING anything.

 

To use this analogy: Now that I, the privileged driver, "acknowledge" my privilege, should I work harder to get bike lanes installed in my city's streets?  What happens when those are in and someone accidentally gets hit anyway?  What is the "right" response then?  Should I advocate for a specific punishment for those who accidentally hit a cyclist and why?  What if putting bike lanes in conflicts with some other legitimate issue I care about?  How do I choose which things to support or do I just have to follow along and say, "YES!" to anything that's asked of me even if I think it's ineffective because I don't want to be considered a racist? These are the thoughts and questions of a white housewife who wants to understand.   :crying: I'm kind of a do-er, and I like concrete, substantial answers so this issue is difficult for me!

 

Thank you for the article.

[JIN MOUSA]

I have understood white privilege to mean in a very basic sense that I, as a white person, live in the "default" of society.  And, although I like this article, it is lacking what nearly every other article (and conversation) on the topic fails to address, which is 1) what if I don't feel sorry/guilty about the circumstances of my birth and upbringing when I had little control over it, and 2) what beyond "acknowledging it" I can actually do aside from be a good listener to others who don't live in the default.  Kwim?  "Acknowledge" is the big buzzword but it sort of equates to a big ol' mental "YEP." And now...?  Because many of us want to do something, but then get shot down for trying, in our own awkward and probably not completely perfect or accurate way. So we listen a lot, and that's not DOING anything.

 

To use this analogy: Now that I, the privileged driver, "acknowledge" my privilege, should I work harder to get bike lanes installed in my city's streets?  What happens when those are in and someone accidentally gets hit anyway?  What is the "right" response then?  Should I advocate for a specific punishment for those who accidentally hit a cyclist and why?  What if putting bike lanes in conflicts with some other legitimate issue I care about?  How do I choose which things to support or do I just have to follow along and say, "YES!" to anything that's asked of me even if I think it's ineffective because I don't want to be considered a racist? These are the thoughts and questions of a white housewife who wants to understand.   :crying: I'm kind of a do-er, and I like concrete, substantial answers so this issue is difficult for me!

 

Thank you for the article.

 

Do you think that being privileged should carry guilt with it? I'm honestly asking because I want to understand.

[MotherGoose]

Do you think that being privileged should carry guilt with it? I'm honestly asking because I want to understand.

 

I don't but plenty of people appear to. "People" is a general term, not applying to anyone here specifically. Should you feel guilty because you drive a truck instead of a bike? No. It is what it is and, even more so than bike versus truck, you have absolutey no choice in the matter. So there is no reason to feel guilty about it or do or say things to put yourself down.

[Ottakee]

Do you think that being privileged should carry guilt with it? I'm honestly asking because I want to understand.

I don't think you need to feel guilty about it but you can acknowledge it and work to make changes big or small.

[Murphy101]

I do think white privledge is real and I can think of examples of it.

 

But his analogy makes no sense to me. Because none of the things he mentions are okay and the majority of them could justify a ticket by a cop. I am supposed to give space and caution to bike riders and to share the road with them. If I don't I'm a bad driver and would be rightly at fault if something horrible happened.

 

I completely agree with him about why people get defensive or angry when told they have or are exhibiting white privledge. Idk what to do about that bc I do share those feeling he mentions when someone says it. I tend to try to ignore those feelings and focus on the logic of their conversation to avoid that conflict and further discussion. But it's no simple thing and I don't think many people can do that. It shuts down conversation bc here I am sincerely trying not to be a racist asshole and being told conversing with me is pointless because I'm privileged. I know they don't intend it that way, but it does come across that way.

 

I wonder if there's a better term that would both not come across so aggressively and yet express the concept? Profiling bias? Idk. Open to suggestions. Not that it matters. They can call it anything they want and have no obligation to try choose words less likely to cause someone to go on defense.

[Ottakee]

 

To use this analogy: Now that I, the privileged driver, "acknowledge" my privilege, should I work harder to get bike lanes installed in my city's streets?  What happens when those are in and someone accidentally gets hit anyway?  What is the "right" response then?  Should I advocate for a specific punishment for those who accidentally hit a cyclist and why?  What if putting bike lanes in conflicts with some other legitimate issue I care about?  How do I choose which things to support or do I just have to follow along and say, "YES!" to anything that's asked of me even if I think it's ineffective because I don't want to be considered a racist? These are the thoughts and questions of a white housewife who wants to understand.   :crying: I'm kind of a do-er, and I like concrete, substantial answers so this issue is difficult for me!

 

Thank you for the article.

I think you can stand up against racist comments, jokes, etc.  Even asking the simple question, "what does that mean?" or "what do you mean by that?" often makes the person speaking stop and take a pause.

 

Expose your kids and yourself to people of other cultures/races through books, music, movies, cultural festivals, etc.  Help your kids recognize the positives of those that are different from them.

 

You do not have to agree with others on everything so you won't be considered a racist.  Feel free to ask questions and learn their point of view even if you don't agree.  Not all African Americans agree on everything either as to how this should be handled.

 

Volunteer in ministries with people of other races/cultures.....not just as someone "helping them" but also working right along side of them.  If you want to help a ministry in the inner city, find one run by people that live there and are a part of that community and knows the needs.  Don't come in with the idea that you are there to "rescue" these people but rather that you can learn from them and they from you.

 

Be willing to be a support person to someone in need.......a youth aging out of foster care, a child with an unstable home life, a single parent that needs a "family" to be there for support, a promising young student that needs someone to help them navigate the process of college applications, financial aid, scholarships, etc.

 

These are more just generic things......not targeted at you 6packofun.

 

Just one small example.  My MIL who is actually full Native and has experienced a lot of racism in her life (including being removed from her family and sent to Indian boarding school to "civilize" her) made some pretty negative comments about her minority nurses at the hospital. She didn't say it directly to them but rather about them.  I stood up to her and said that those nurses were just as good as the white nurses she said she preferred.  I had been in there with her so I saw the nurses and their care of her so it was race based, not care based that she had these negative comments.

[Janeway]

There is no such thing as white privilege. The term is racist. The term is meant to shut down and discount the opinions and lives of anyone who is white. The mere fact that so many feel privileged to toss around this racist term is just even more proof that it does not exist. The term is so racist and offensive, it does not even belong on these boards.

[Murphy101]

There is no such thing as white privilege. The term is racist. The term is meant to shut down and discount the opinions and lives of anyone who is white. The mere fact that so many feel privileged to toss around this racist term is just even more proof that it does not exist. The term is so racist and offensive, it does not even belong on these boards.

 

Edited September 27, 2017 by emzhengjiu
personal attack

[8circles]

I find the same posters making comments and then editing them in these kinds of topics over and over both amusing and not even a little surprising.

I have noticed it as well and I don't find it amusing, I find it really rude.

[Tanaqui]

There is no such thing as white privilege. The term is racist. The term is meant to shut down and discount the opinions and lives of anyone who is white. The mere fact that so many feel privileged to toss around this racist term is just even more proof that it does not exist. The term is so racist and offensive, it does not even belong on these boards.

 

 

 

Privilege is like this.

 

Let's say you're playing a video game. If you're a white, non-disabled, straight and cisgender male, you're playing the game on the easy mode. It's not wrong to play on the lowest difficulty setting (especially if you have no ability to reroll and pick a new character), but that's reality. You're playing the easiest version of the game. (Thanks to Scalzi for the explanation.)

Edited September 26, 2017 by emzhengjiu
personal attack

[Murphy101]

Personal guilt ? Nope. I didn't build the system and nothing I do is aimed at entrenching it. I do feel some shame ? disappointment ? that I don't do much about it other than read and think about the issues.

 

I'm not altogther sure that I believe in collective guilt. Have to think on that some more.

 

I experience 'white privilege' as as descriptor, though, and not an accusation.

It is hard for me to experience it, as you phrase it, as a descriptor. Because I'm the daughter of parents with 6th grade educations, a childhood with lots of abuse and neglect, and low incomes. Sooo, not feeling like privledge is an accurate descriptor of me or my FOO. BUT I do see how institutional/systemic privledge in our society causes inequality. Absolutely. And I wish this was a greater unifier bc poor(re) white folks siding with rich people they claim to identify with is frustratingly self defeating to bettering the lives of the lower classes, regardless of skin hue.

[HomeAgain]

I think it is very hard to define white privilege because it is a fluctuating thing.  There are cartoons that help pinpoint it, but I would be hard pressed to come up with a firm definition.

 

As for guilt, no, I do not feel personal guilt.  I do feel the actions of those before me, and use that to catapult my own consciousness of how I'm leaving the world for future generations.  I can't borrow regret, I can only shape the future.

 

 

 

There is no such thing as white privilege. The term is racist. The term is meant to shut down and discount the opinions and lives of anyone who is white. The mere fact that so many feel privileged to toss around this racist term is just even more proof that it does not exist. The term is so racist and offensive, it does not even belong on these boards.

 

 

Edited September 26, 2017 by emzhengjiu
personal attack

[JIN MOUSA]

I don't but plenty of people appear to. "People" is a general term, not applying to anyone here specifically. Should you feel guilty because you drive a truck instead of a bike? No. It is what it is and, even more so than bike versus truck, you have absolutey no choice in the matter. So there is no reason to feel guilty about it or do or say things to put yourself down.

 

 

I don't think you need to feel guilty about it but you can acknowledge it and work to make changes big or small.

 

 

Personal guilt ? Nope. I didn't build the system and nothing I do is aimed at entrenching it. I do feel some shame ? disappointment ? that I don't do much about it other than read and think about the issues. 

 

I'm not altogther sure that I believe in collective guilt. Have to think on that some more. 

 

I experience 'white privilege' as as descriptor, though, and not an accusation. 

 

My follow-up question, more rhetorical than anything else: what about feeling a burden or responsibility to do something? Is it possible (or likely) to have one feeling without the other? i.e. guilt/shame without burden/responsibility, or burden/responsibility without guilt/shame?

 

For the record, I feel a burden/responsibility to use my privilege, but no guilt or shame at my skin color or any other part of my life that I have no control over. I really do want to try to understand people who feel differently.

[EMS83]

I have understood white privilege to mean in a very basic sense that I, as a white person, live in the "default" of society.  And, although I like this article, it is lacking what nearly every other article (and conversation) on the topic fails to address, which is 1) what if I don't feel sorry/guilty about the circumstances of my birth and upbringing when I had little control over it, and 2) what beyond "acknowledging it" I can actually do aside from be a good listener to others who don't live in the default.  Kwim?  "Acknowledge" is the big buzzword but it sort of equates to a big ol' mental "YEP." And now...?  Because many of us want to do something, but then get shot down for trying, in our own awkward and probably not completely perfect or accurate way. So we listen a lot, and that's not DOING anything.

 

To use this analogy: Now that I, the privileged driver, "acknowledge" my privilege, should I work harder to get bike lanes installed in my city's streets?  What happens when those are in and someone accidentally gets hit anyway?  What is the "right" response then?  Should I advocate for a specific punishment for those who accidentally hit a cyclist and why?  What if putting bike lanes in conflicts with some other legitimate issue I care about?  How do I choose which things to support or do I just have to follow along and say, "YES!" to anything that's asked of me even if I think it's ineffective because I don't want to be considered a racist? These are the thoughts and questions of a white housewife who wants to understand.   :crying: I'm kind of a do-er, and I like concrete, substantial answers so this issue is difficult for me!

 

Thank you for the article.

 

I get caught in a similar loop (but with a lot more feels in the mix), end up feeling selfish, then exhausted, and then decide to ignore all these conversations because the worry in my head negatively affects my public interactions, which I find truly tragic.  Maybe one day I'll get better at this and be able to do both just fine.  :( 

 

FWIW, the first time I heard the term "white privilege," it was spat at me.  By a white person.  And was absolutely in the context of "you can't help but be racist because you're white."  /sigh.  They may not have meant it that way, or regretted it later; it's a particular person in my life who does that.  But it left a mark anyway.  The article helps, so thanks, OP.

[emzhengjiu]

Discuss the topic without resorting to personal comments / attacks.

[Tanaqui]

The thing is, this idea of privilege is a web. You might have racial privilege (yay being white!) but still not be privileged in other ways. It's not an either/or. EITHER you are part of the one privileged group and everything is fine OR you are not. It's sort of timey-wimey ball, but without time travel or the Doctor.

 

So white people in the USA have things easier, on the aggregate, than non-whites. Privilege! Buuuuut... wealthy people have it easier than poor people. People who are members of the dominant religion (even nominally) have it easier than those of us who aren't. Non-disabled people have it easier than disabled people (and which disability or disabilities you have is HUGE). Non-LGBT people have it a lot easier than LGBT people. Native citizens have it easier than immigrants, and again, where they immigrated from is also HUGE.

 

Now, we can sit here and make a darn chart where we carefully peg where the poor disabled white gay Muslim man comes in compared to the wealthy non-disabled black gay Christian woman. But that's rather missing the point. The point is to try to be aware of others and life and to work to improve society so that everybody is treated more equally.

[Murphy101]

The thing is, this idea of privilege is a web. You might have racial privilege (yay being white!) but still not be privileged in other ways. It's not an either/or. EITHER you are part of the one privileged group and everything is fine OR you are not. It's sort of timey-wimey ball, but without time travel or the Doctor.

 

So white people in the USA have things easier, on the aggregate, than non-whites. Privilege! Buuuuut... wealthy people have it easier than poor people. People who are members of the dominant religion (even nominally) have it easier than those of us who aren't. Non-disabled people have it easier than disabled people (and which disability or disabilities you have is HUGE). Non-LGBT people have it a lot easier than LGBT people. Native citizens have it easier than immigrants, and again, where they immigrated from is also HUGE.

 

Now, we can sit here and make a darn chart where we carefully peg where the poor disabled white gay Muslim man comes in compared to the wealthy non-disabled black gay Christian woman. But that's rather missing the point. The point is to try to be aware of others and life and to work to improve society so that everybody is treated more equally.

I agree that is the point, but I disagree that calling it white privledge is the way to make that point. Because obviously it makes it hard to see that broader point when it's so sharply digging into just one general aspect: white people.

[Janeway]

Privilege is like this.

 

Let's say you're playing a video game. If you're a white, non-disabled, straight and cisgender male, you're playing the game on the easy mode. It's not wrong to play on the lowest difficulty setting (especially if you have no ability to reroll and pick a new character), but that's reality. You're playing the easiest version of the game. (Thanks to Scalzi for the explanation.)

Let's say, you are assigned a character in a video game. You do not pick your character, or mode. But then, people start pointing at your car and say "hey..that is blue, your life is easy, you have everything, because ALL blue people have it easy! You do not matter anymore, your opinions do not matter." But the catch is, the game and the color of the car are random. They are not set to easy mode or hard mode or anything else, based on the color of the car. But, the moment that car ends up blue, the person who gets the blue car is marginalized and shut up with remarks "you're just a blue car, you have no clue, check your color!" 

 

THAT is what the term white privilege does. It is a racist term. It is a racial slur and it is not ok. When my white newborn baby was born, I looked at him in his little bassinette, new to the world, having no clue, and thought "you poor thing, your penis and skin color means you are already pre-emptively hated by this country." and THAT is not ok. No one, no gender, no race, or otherwise, should be judged categorically based on that. And it is racist to categorize an entire race of people and shut them down with a term like that. The term "white privilege" is no more ok than any other racial slur, including the N word. It is just the newest racial slur.

[JIN MOUSA]

Let's say, you are assigned a character in a video game. You do not pick your character, or mode. But then, people start pointing at your car and say "hey..that is blue, your life is easy, you have everything, because ALL blue people have it easy! You do not matter anymore, your opinions do not matter." But the catch is, the game and the color of the car are random. They are not set to easy mode or hard mode or anything else, based on the color of the car. But, the moment that car ends up blue, the person who gets the blue car is marginalized and shut up with remarks "you're just a blue car, you have no clue, check your color!"

 

THAT is what the term white privilege does. It is a racist term. It is a racial slur and it is not ok. When my white newborn baby was born, I looked at him in his little bassinette, new to the world, having no clue, and thought "you poor thing, your penis and skin color means you are already pre-emptively hated by this country." and THAT is not ok. No one, no gender, no race, or otherwise, should be judged categorically based on that. And it is racist to categorize an entire race of people and shut them down with a term like that. The term "white privilege" is no more ok than any other racial slur, including the N word. It is just the newest racial slur.

I think it is a problem when a discussion of privilege is used to shut down another person. I also think privilege can be discussed without it being a value judgement.

[bibiche]

nm

Edited September 27, 2017 by bibiche
Personal attack.

[Acadie]

I like this article by Lori Laken Hutcherson, who was asked by an old high school friend on Facebook to explain white privilege--she includes his question at the beginning. 

 

http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/my-white-friend-asked-me-on-facebook-to-explain-white-privilege-i-decided-to-be-honest-20170809

 

And here's the closing paragraph on standing up for fair treatment and justice, which addresses some of the questions raised in this thread:

 

As to you “being part of the problem,†trust me, nobody is mad at you for being white. Nobody. Just like nobody should be mad at me for being black. Or female. Or whatever. But what IS being asked of you is to acknowledge that white privilege DOES exist and not only to treat people of races that differ from yours “with respect and humor,†but also to stand up for fair treatment and justice, not to let “jokes†or “off-color†comments by friends, co-workers, or family slide by without challenge, and to continually make an effort to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, so we may all cherish and respect our unique and special contributions to society as much as we do our common ground.

 

Amy

Edited September 27, 2017 by Acadie

[emzhengjiu]

Please address issues only. No comments directed to other members.

[bibiche]

Okay, not addressed to any member in particular, but perhaps people who are very, very angry about "white privilege" would find it beneficial to spend a half-hour or so reading about what people mean when they talk about white privilege. If you read it with an open mind and an open heart you might really learn some things.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/628619-on-race-racism-and-anti-racism-list-of-resources/

Edited September 27, 2017 by bibiche

[Tanaqui]

I agree that is the point, but I disagree that calling it white privledge is the way to make that point. Because obviously it makes it hard to see that broader point when it's so sharply digging into just one general aspect: white people.

 

Sure - when we're talking about white people. When we're talking about other things, we still use the term privilege - able-boded privilege, straight privilege, cis privilege, middle-class privilege....

 

But the catch is, the game and the color of the car are random. They are not set to easy mode or hard mode or anything else, based on the color of the car.

 

This is not true. Having certain car colors - or, really, skin colors - makes your life easier.

 

"you poor thing, your penis and skin color means you are already pre-emptively hated by this country."

 

This is also not true. Nobody hates little white babies of any sex or gender.

 

[QueenCat]

There is no such thing as white privilege. The term is racist. The term is meant to shut down and discount the opinions and lives of anyone who is white. The mere fact that so many feel privileged to toss around this racist term is just even more proof that it does not exist. The term is so racist and offensive, it does not even belong on these boards.

 

Seriously? White privilege is REAL and it is NOT a racist term.

[ktgrok]

I agree that is the point, but I disagree that calling it white privledge is the way to make that point. Because obviously it makes it hard to see that broader point when it's so sharply digging into just one general aspect: white people.

 

Huh? But it is privilege. What else do you call it? 

[Tanaqui]

Well, I can think of other terms, actually, but I don't think any of them are going to go over any better than "privilege".

[ktgrok]

Let's say, you are assigned a character in a video game. You do not pick your character, or mode. But then, people start pointing at your car and say "hey..that is blue, your life is easy, you have everything, because ALL blue people have it easy! You do not matter anymore, your opinions do not matter." But the catch is, the game and the color of the car are random. They are not set to easy mode or hard mode or anything else, based on the color of the car. But, the moment that car ends up blue, the person who gets the blue car is marginalized and shut up with remarks "you're just a blue car, you have no clue, check your color!" 

 

THAT is what the term white privilege does. It is a racist term. It is a racial slur and it is not ok. When my white newborn baby was born, I looked at him in his little bassinette, new to the world, having no clue, and thought "you poor thing, your penis and skin color means you are already pre-emptively hated by this country." and THAT is not ok. No one, no gender, no race, or otherwise, should be judged categorically based on that. And it is racist to categorize an entire race of people and shut them down with a term like that. The term "white privilege" is no more ok than any other racial slur, including the N word. It is just the newest racial slur.

 

You have GOT to be kidding. Saying someone has more power and privilege isn't saying you hate them, or that they don't matter, or whatever. And saying men have more power in this society, and that sexism is real, doesn't mean people hate men. Or baby boys, for crying out loud. 

 

Men have privliges in this country, I can say that and not hate my husband or my sons. I can acknowledge that my skin color gives me certain advantages, and not hate myself or think my own opinions don't matter. 

 

 

Edited September 27, 2017 by emzhengjiu
jpersonal attack

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

 

 

 

At least we have some clear examples of white privilege and willful ignorance to use as examples in this thread.

[Pawz4me]

You know what, though ? 

 

I've come to believe that just asserting 'You have X privilege' is counterproductive. All it does is make people defensive, and when they are defensive, their openess to new ideas shuts down. 

 

There have to be ways of doing better, as allies, than asserting. I suppose that's why I quite like the analogy articles. They don't assert; they explain a pov and recruit the imagination of the reader. 

 

Agreed.

 

I understand white privilege and definitely believe it's a thing.

 

I also have middle aged, upper middle class white woman privilege. I recognize that as a thing.

 

I easily see that white men have privilege.

 

But (treading cautiously here, be gentle) . . I don't think the term "white privilege" advances the cause/pursuit of racial equality. Quite the contrary.

 

I'm willing to have my mind changed on that. But I've already read and thought about it a LOT, so I'm not just spouting off an unconsidered opinion.

[TravelingChris]

i went and read one of the articles bibiche noted.  It listed things like the color of bandages (they don't match my color at all since I am a lot whiter than the tan color they are), never having the assumption that I had gotten my education achievements just because of affirmative action (true but also was not the beneficiary of affirmative action either), having monuments to people like me (no, I do not have those either- monuments in this country tend to be for men first of all and English heritage men second of all, I am neither male nor English). not being followed around in stores (I haven't been but I have been targeted for my race by criminals so there is that).  Shampoos are often okay for me- soaps less so.  I have a disease that is more common in African Americans and also have some skin issues that are much more common to them too.  

 

Do I have some privileges?  Certainly but they aren't racial unless you are a racist.My privilege is mainly intelligence and a certain personality and that led to our changing our income grouping to the upper 20% (not our wealth since we inherited nothing and our lifestyle wasn't such to make a killing in real estate.)

[Guest]

There is no such thing as white privilege. The term is racist. The term is meant to shut down and discount the opinions and lives of anyone who is white. The mere fact that so many feel privileged to toss around this racist term is just even more proof that it does not exist. The term is so racist and offensive, it does not even belong on these boards.

I agree that there are some who use "white priviledge" to simply stop the conversation and discount anything the white person does. So there's that. And that needs to stop happening.

 

But some white people ARE totally unaware of the advantages gained simply by being born white, just as some males have no awareness of the advantages they have by being male. Some people cannot separate the fact that they have some de facto advantages from the fact that some of their benefits also are born of hard work or good character qualities.

 

There was a poster here, I think it was Janie Grace, who once discussed what she said she saw as "thin priviledge" (the thread was about weight/body size). I am a thin person, always have been, and yet I can see what she means. I do think I am perceived as having certain positive traits for no reason at all but that I am slim. The general public responds well to slim people and sometimes (maybe oftentimes) does not assume these same positive traits to an overweight person.

 

These same things happen for no reason but being white. By being a white woman, I can walk in any store at the mall and not have someone wonder if I'm there to steal the Kate Spade purses. I can be unemployed without someone assuming I am on public assitance. I could have a fancy phone without someone expecting it came to me theough a government program. And I can drive a very nice car without someone wondering how that can legitimately be my car.

 

That is what white priviledge is.

[Ottakee]

Very well said Quill

[elegantlion]

There is no such thing as white privilege. The term is racist. The term is meant to shut down and discount the opinions and lives of anyone who is white. The mere fact that so many feel privileged to toss around this racist term is just even more proof that it does not exist. The term is so racist and offensive, it does not even belong on these boards.

 

As a white person, I disagree. My experience over the last four years has shown exactly how "white privilege" has worked in my life. 

I will not recount the entirety of my story here, but there are challenges I never had to worry about because my family is white. I live in an area of deeply ingrained covert racism and there are assumptions about my family I never had to deal with because I am white. 

 

My son is thin, long hair, and a beard. He usually wears a hoodie. He looks like a hippie but dresses like a geek.  He has a deeply sarcastic sense of humor. He is a white male. There are conversations I never had to have with him, especially one about how to walk down the street or how to address a police officer so you don't get shot.  

 

My story has a lot of white privilege in it. It's a fact, not a slur against anyone. I have experienced it and do not find it racist or offensive to use that term. 

 

I do think the term is misunderstood, so perhaps you could think of it this way. "I get to do/don't have to do x because I am white" or "Because I am white, ...." It is only the acceptance of the fact things are not equitable - it is not offensive. 

[ktgrok]

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the idea that a certain poster thinks white males are the ones who have it hard. Because I mean, being the overwhelming majority of CEOs, members of congress, world leader, judges, members of law enforcement, etc sure does sound like they have it rough. Poor white men! They have no power, what with running pretty much every powerful industry and form of government!

 

Please. 

[Barb_]

White privilege is an unfortunate term with negative connotations. It sneers. It causes people who don't feel so priveledged by individual circumstances to shut down and stop listening. Something like white advantage may have been more neutral, but alas we don't really get to choose our own viral terms.