White Privilege

There is a lot of controversy behind the phrase “white privilege” mainly because people just don’t understand the meaning of the term. Whites, particularly less fortunate whites, hear the term “privilege” and immediately get offended. If I am a white person and am disadvantaged in some way, then there definitely is no such thing as white privilege, right? WRONG. Im really tired of hearing people share detailed stories of their miserable personal lives in an effort to downplay the idea of white privilege. White privilege has nothing to do with your personal story. And that is what many white people fail to understand. White privilege can only be understood from a sociological lens. The term refers to how systems in our society work, NOT on individual narratives. 

NOT White Privilege: 

Ben who is educated, has a successful career, and has never been stopped-and-frisked  by police ONLY because he is white. 

White Privilege: 

 Ben is MORE LIKELY to be able to receive education, land a successful career, and not have to step one foot into a court room compared to George who is black. 

Our education system, our job market, our criminal justice system, the media  (just to name a few) are built on racial bias and continue to favor whites over non-whites. These are facts. Denying white privilege is like denying that the sky is blue. And the sky doesn’t give .02 fucks about whether or not you disagree that its blue. Its just going to be freakin blue. Its just the way things are. 

Let me put this in another way. Sam the breeder breeds yorkies and poodles. The yorkies usually go to happy homes a lot quicker than the poodles. If Simba the yorkie is the last puppy to be sold, does that mean Yorkie privilege does not exist? NO. Simba can cry all he wants about those two weeks he spent alone but at the end of the day, yorkies are MORE LIKELY to be sold first. Aside from your personal struggle, If the people that look like you are more likely to succeed than others who don’t look like you, you have a racial privilege my friend. 

Gina Crosley-Corcoran, a white woman who grew up in poverty once denied white privilege given her unfortunate circumstances. However, after someone directed her to  Peggy McIntosh's 1988 ," White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack." She began to understand what the term actually means. 

She states, "After one reads McIntosh's powerful essay, it's impossible to deny that being born with white skin in America affords people certain unearned privileges in life that people of another skin color simply are not afforded. For example:

• 'I can turn on the television or open the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented'
• 'When I am told about our national heritage or about “civilization,” I am shown that people of my color made it what it is'
• 'If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven’t been singled out because of my race'
• 'I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time'

Many of the privileges whites have, are unearned. If you're white, when you turn on the TV, you can easily find your race portrayed in a positive light. In elementary school, you were probably taught about the great accomplishments of people that look like you... every month. When you go to the mall, you can guarantee that you will see a model of your race on most of the advertisements. When you go to the store, you can guarantee that you’ll find a product that can treat your type of hair. When you are taking a walk in a rich neighborhood, you can guarantee that no one will call the police. When you go to the movies, the lead role will be most likely be played by someone that looks like you.

All in all, white privilege doesn't care about your personal story. It is what it is. And until we are treated equally, we cannot deny its existence.  

http://occupywallstreet.net/story/explaining-white-privilege-broke-white-person

http://amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html