What do you think of white privilege?

I suppose I'm still not exactly clear on what "white privilege" is. I understand the basic of concept of societal "benefits" that white people have on the basis of their race that non-white people don't have, but what are these unique benefits? And how can we determine that they aren't due more to class or other factors? Pointing out statistics in which white people seem to fare better than non-white doesn't necessitate the presence of privilege, since there are a myriad of other societal factors that could be contributing to the disparity.

"White privilege" seems to often initiate a feeling of defensiveness in white people--that's almost an automatic reaction, as if the recognition of privilege is somehow a charge against white people. I would argue against that--that if there is such a privilege, it is not blaming white people for anything, at least not inherently.

Of course, I often feel I cannot be pigeonholed by these concepts. I'm a "white Mexican". I was born to a Mexican-born immigrant and the descendant of Mexican immigrants, my heritage is therefore full Mexican/Hispanic, yet my skin is white and I am, for the most part, indistinguishable from other European-heritage white people with brown hair. On the surface, no one would be able to tell that I wasn't of say, Spanish descent (i.e. from Spain, going by my surname). So which "camp" do I belong to? And how would privilege affect someone like me?

 

I'm pretty sure it exists but there's also class privilege. For example, a white person born into a family where people have attended Harvard or Yale and are pretty highly entrenched in the establishment start with a distinct advantage over someone like me from a family in a poor town whose parents both HAD to work to make ends meet. I could achieve a certain level of parity, but only through efforts I wasn't able to make or didn't make for whatever reason.

At the same time, I recognize that I have advantages over a person of color from the same economic class as I am. For example, my friends and I were often pulled over by the police because we were JDs. None of us were ever particularly in danger of being shot, though. The cops were kind of rude to us but at the same time simply patronizing in a "kids will be kids" sort of way that I don't think many people of color experience. We were sent home to sleep it off rather than beaten or arrested, after all. Consequently I have no record even though I did some stupid things. Also I am alive.

I also have advantages over other white people who start at lower economic status. I didn't have to work nearly as hard to get where I am. I got to coast. I should have worked harder, but my good enough was better than most people's. I had a stable home life. People cared whether or not I was studying. People cared what time I was home.

But I think you have to be willfully ignorant or actually openly racist yourself to deny that in the US white people have the most economic and social power. It may not seem like that now to conservatives who trade in white grievances over their privilege being taken away as we move toward a more egalitarian society. They see it as simply their right. So they say everyone else wants "entitlements" while ignoring how entitled they feel to be on top and stay on top.

Why this state exists is a source of a lot of friction, obviously. I'm not interested in laying blame that it exists but just to point out that it does exist. Privilege is real.

Of course no one likes having it pointed out to them what they think of as "having worked hard to get what I got" is actually "I got this mostly because of who I am, not what I did." Others are working as hard or even harder and not getting nearly as much simply because they are not white. But we love our "welfare mom with a Cadillac" myth/stereotype. The lazy poor people. Which is white coded language meaning "people of color" in the US. This isn't to deny someone's hard work. Just to point out that they probably didn't work as hard as they imagine they did. And this feeling that this "hard work" makes them somehow superior is a very white privileged attitude.

But you get from angry white people-- which is what this election is all about, apparently-- this attitude that they are the base model and everyone else are sports or freaks or outliers. I am inundated by it when I go home. Just the fact that I would leave the US to go live elsewhere doesn't compute. Why can't I just stay in the Greatest Country on Earth amongst its finest, whitest people? They are pissed about that sometimes.

THAT is a symptom of privilege and they can deny it all they want but there it is. They're really, really angry because privilege is being challenged so they coin words like SJWs and whatnot. They accuse people who are defending themselves as being bullies. They act like they're the oppressed. It's disingenuous. At best.

 

My opinion on white privilege is that it exists. It's real and it impacts the world. The majority of white people don't notice because part of having privilege is being unaware of one's own white privilege.

I'm not sure what else you're asking. There's nothing any of us can do about the color of our skin. However white people (myself included since I'm white) can become educated about the privileges they have and educate others.

One thing I'm unsure about is what specific steps white people can take to actually help because I feel like doing nothing and just sitting there with your white privilege is detrimental.

https://www.deanza.edu/faculty/lewisjulie/White Priviledge Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.pdf

 

People aren't born equal and life isn't fair, and white privilege is one manifestation of that, like being born into a wealthy household, or a healthy body, or good looks, or brains and talents that most people can't match. These are all "advantages." I think white privilege exists, to say there are no advantages to being white is dishonest. You won't be stopped by cops or TSA agents on racial profiling. There's other stuff too, but I'm just tossing out an obvious one there that pretty much everyone knows to prove the basic point that YES, simply appearing white can have advantages. You wanna list more, be my guest, but I don't give enough of a shit to post the whole slew.
White people have nothing to lose by acknowledging that being white has its advantages. You can still be proud of your ethnicity and heritage. White guilt is not a panacea for the oppressed. Beyond that point, I think it's good to look at your own advantages and ask yourself whether being white as an "advantage" is a just or fair thing to possess, especially when others may suffer mistreatment on account of their non-whiteness. Take what you learn into account when considering how you treat others and how you are treated.

EDIT:
Some privileged people feel motivated enough to strive for a fair and just society that they act to empower others who lack that same privilege. I think this is a good thing, but I must confess as nice as a fair and just society sounds, getting there is a long and complicated road. It's not my ambition in life to strive for that, or automatically comply with every suggested policy that's supposed to be for the sake of that harmonious endgoal. I help in ways I have thought through and believe strongly in, rather than a governing set of altruistic principles. That's how I roll.

 

It's a concept no one seems to use for anything constructive. It's true in some cases, "white" skin can for sure get you advantages in certain circles. And it shouldn't be like that. However, non-white privilege is also a thing in other circles, but you rarely hear it mentioned as being a bad thing. In my mind, both of these shouldn't be a thing, but the way to fix that is to highlight the importance of not judging on race, not judging further on race.

Could be I've just had bad luck with the kind of people I've bumped into, but all I've ever personally seen the concept being used for is pretending (or actually believing) white people all live in some glorious utopia and can't have misfortune, shutting down unwanted discussion on basis of skin color (by being all "YOU'RE A WHITE MALE" (sounds like a strawman, BUT THAT IS ACTUALLY A THING THAT'S BEEN SAID)) or raging against and scapegoating the oppressive white man (read as: every white man, even the ones who did nothing to you) instead of trying to build a better future where race doesn't matter.

Or if they do try to "build a better future", they regress instead of progress and want to force racial quotas or even literally segregate people because people of color are apparently too frail to be in the presence of white people. That's a very bad case of "careful what you wish for". Imho.

Now if history repeats, someone is going to say that the only reason I feel this way about it is because I'm a white male, and also privileged. Please don't ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 

I believe that white privilege doesn't exist unless it comes to our legal system.

White privilege doesn't exist in economics. Go to once booming coal towns, you'll see poverty in communities with a clear majority in Caucasians. Poverty is caused by government intervention, not by race. People of color can start business, and/or be born in a family of money.

However, I do believe the people of color don't get a fair shake in the legal system. The War on Drugs disproportionately targets the minorities, rich or poor.

I believe the people that really have the power are those with money, not Caucasians.

 

What does a rapist look like?

 

I believe you have a higher chance of getting privileged as white but other factors as economy, how your parents raied you, area you live in etc is just as important.
So white doesn't exclusively mean = more previleged

But what do I know I'm on the said previlegied side of it all?

 

Here's an interesting take on this form of a very old goat: identity politics.

 

I think it's a crock of sh*t. Even as a poc I hate seeing white people blamed for everything. Anyone who works hard enough can get ahead.

 

It's BS

 

I believe that there is a class privilege instead, not a white privilege.

 

I have to agree most with this explanation.

---------- Post added 22nd Jun 2016 at 10:53 AM ----------

If that's about Brock Turner, it's because he's rich, not because he's white. Unfair, yes, but I don't think it's really a racial issue.

 

Just going to throw this out there, there are a lot more white people not born into privilege than there are. I worked my fucking ass off to get where I am.

Yes it does exist. But not nearly as much as you think. I went to two very prestigious institutions and I'm not part of the "old boys" club.

The "I see a minority individual walking down the road at me so I cross the street" mentality does seem to be alive and well. So yes, that I would say is still a thing.

 

Yes this ^

 

Privilege is very definitely a real thing. Race plays a part in it but like others have said it isn't the end all, be all. People can benefit from privilege in one way, and be hurt in another. It's a very nuanced concept. Two daily real life examples for you, of white privilege.

1) As a typically well-dressed white 20 something I am not going to be followed around a store while I'm browsing. A black person, of any class (especially if they're perceived to be poor), is much more likely to be followed while they're shopping by store employees. Hence the "shopping while black" trope. It's very well documented and happens every single day I am sure. It happened to Oprah Winfrey, a self-made millionaire that we would all consider wealthy and privileged, but she was still discriminated against for her race.

2) If someone compliments me it usually isn't led by a racial qualifier, because I'm white. "You know, for a white guy...you're pretty good looking." That has never happened to me. That happens to people of color, all the time. Especially in the gay community. "For a black/Asian/Hispanic guy...you're pretty cute." That's such a back-handed way of speaking to someone, but imagine if that was the only way people spoke to you. It's racist, because the implication is that the person being complimented is the exception to the rule, and that others of the same race are lesser when compared to other races.

That's white privilege.

 

It's definitely a real thing. All I know is that as a black male, I have to work twice as hard as my white counterparts otherwise I get nowhere. I'm not saying all places are like this.. maybe it depends on what part of the world you're in.. but I do know that stuff in this country isn't right. Around here a white guy would have to walk down the street with a gun in his hand to be considered a threat, all I need is a fucking hoodie and I'd get shot in the back.