White Privilege
This post has been a long time coming...
And even following a decade of learning, wrestling, avoiding, and processing, I still feel incapable of eloquently expressing the turbulent transition of perspective I have come to. It seems that no matter how many times I rewrite my thoughts, they forever remain locked as diamonds in rough; thus, I covet your patient and grace as I attempt to excavate as articulately as possible.I have written this entry as much for myself as for others, in an effort to organize and simultaneously release the thoughts that have challenged my mind for so long. That being said, it directed at no particular race - though it is my sincere hope that all would find something of benefit.
Where to start...I have fought the idea of white privilege for, well, as long as I can remember. I fought it, not because I am racist, though I have no doubt that I have acted or avoided acting at the cost of another's racial identity, but rather I realize now that I never really nor truly understood what it [white privilege] was.
Many white people, including myself, have taken offense to the theory of white privilege; most assuredly because it feels like a heavy and grossly overgeneralized accusation. For me personally, I felt it as an attack on my character. Generally speaking, I as a white girl, was the minority race in my neighborhood, on my swim team, at my high school, and through my youth group; in my lower to middle class up-bringing, there was nothing handed to me (so it seemed). I studied for every grade, worked for every dime, and trained for every win; no one offered me extra money or advanced classes or special training, even with my white skin. My first years at UC Davis were treacherous; I failed every placement exam the university offered having been poorly prepared by my unhighly acclaimed high school. I struggled to survive my first six quarters, drowning in math and science. So the first time I heard a remark made during a race relations discussion about 'white privilege,' suggesting preposterous statements about MY privilege, I about popped a vessel.
You see, what it has taken me near a decade to finally come to terms with, is that I never really listened. I was so focused on defending myself, my life, my upbringing, my struggles...that I missed that whole point of what people were trying to teach me - yes teach me. I took the idea of white privilege as an offense, and surely there are probably a hurting few that would intend it to be felt that way, but the concept isn't meant inflict insult as much as it's meant to prompt understanding.
When I stopped trying to tell people why I wasn't privileged, I began to actually hear what they were saying. And when I could finally hear their voices, I began to see the truth. I was privileged. I am privileged.
Famed comedian Louis C.K. said it best during one of his skits:
By way of powerfully corrective humor, C.K. tells a story. The reality of our nation, our history, and of our past. There is power is being white; as he so artiscally quipped, no other race can go back in time and expect to be treated with the same rights and equality that are so [cautiously] bestowed upon them now. That is entirely a white privilege.
Many Americans speak of the 'founding fathers' with exemplary pride, as they undoubtedly did great things for this country, but their sole existence rested on their privilege. Their white privilege denied others access and opportunities, and most appalling, withheld their dignity as a human. Being a white person in America over the last two centuries has not been void of struggles, but it most certainly never included...
Denied Citizenship - in the late 1800's the Chinese Exclusion Act denied Chinese immigrants (who the US had brought and allowed residence in order to further our railways and mining) the right to naturalization and citizenship.
Concentration Camps - in the 1940's Japanese Americans (as in American citizens), who lived in Mainland America, were forceablly removed from their homes, jobs, and schools and placed in guarded camps for fear of their involvement with Japan during the war.
Imprisonment - African-American males are arrested for drug charges at relatively the same rate as white men, yet they six times more likely to be convicted and incarcerated for the charge
Boarding School - Native American children were forced to attend boarding schools which would 'civilize' them; these children were abused, humiliated, and prevented from knowing the history of their people.
Profiling - never in the history of whiteness has race been a key factor when profiling for citizenship, terrorism, gang membership, pimping, drug dealing, or prostituting.
These truths are as much a part of our history as the lessons taught in our school books, yet they are continuously withheld fabricated. Is is fear, or ignorance, or something else altogether...I don't know; but there is something incredibly visceral and raw that comes forth when we unabashedly bring these truths to light.
The creators of 'Leverage' [copyright of TNT] used their show as an opportunity to unleash the devastating realities of white privilege and oppressive racism:
Aldis Hodge's portrayal of a World War II soldier stripped of of an honor heroically earned is almost too painstaking swallow. Even more bone-chilling is the gravity of his lieutenant's statement, "...it's not the policy of the United States government to hand out medals to Negros." This was the stance, while fictitiously depicted in this scene, of an all too real segregated nation which proclaimed freedom and equality for all when in actuality the true beneficiaries were those of privilege, white privilege.
It hurts to talk about these things; I cried the night I watched the entirety of that episode. It hurt to watch a good man's life be dictated merely by the color of his skin and not the merit of his work. It was disheartening to think that the nation he risked his life to serve would rob him of the rights he sought to protect. Yet, talking about white privilege brings these dark moments to light, which is a necessary part of healing, learning, and improving. We cannot be an inclusive, and equal, and free nation if we continue to bury the ugly realities of our past and present. The concepts of white privilege prevent exactly that; the more we acknowledge our privilege, the greater the opportunity to create a more equitable society.
White privilege, to a white person, can be a sobering subject. But, it is no more sobering than the realities that so many racial minorities bear even to this day. Through the eyes of a white person, life in today's society might seem more equal - but you'd be surprised how deeply privilege is embedded in our culture; take a look as BuzzFeed's list of examples:
17 Examples of White Privilege
Ten years ago, I was arguing I didn't have privilege because everything I had in my possession was earned by my blood, sweat, and tears. Now, I see more clearly the things that I have received not by the work of my hands, but the color of my skin:
It is a privilege that I don't have to change my clothes or attitude to be taken more seriously in certain settings.
It is a privilege that I can go to any store and find the products necessary to care for my hair, skin, and body.
It is a privilege that I could see people who looked like me portrayed positively and powerfully on TV, in magazines, and throughout the news.
It is a privilege that I can cover a cut with a skin-colored Band-Aid.
It is a privilege that people are not surprised when they hear I have a job or college education.
Awareness of these privileges should make you frustrated, but not at racial minorities (or me) for pointing it out -- instead we should be frustrated that infrastructural racism and microaggressions still actively exist in our communities, schools, places of work, and yes, even our homes. It should challenge us to work towards a more equitable society in which we are cognizant of the errors of our past and dedicated to working through the challenges of our future.
There is a whole lot more to the conversation, but I have to start somewhere; it has taken me a long time, but I can finally say I was privileged. I am privileged. And I want to do something about it.
And even following a decade of learning, wrestling, avoiding, and processing, I still feel incapable of eloquently expressing the turbulent transition of perspective I have come to. It seems that no matter how many times I rewrite my thoughts, they forever remain locked as diamonds in rough; thus, I covet your patient and grace as I attempt to excavate as articulately as possible.I have written this entry as much for myself as for others, in an effort to organize and simultaneously release the thoughts that have challenged my mind for so long. That being said, it directed at no particular race - though it is my sincere hope that all would find something of benefit.
Where to start...I have fought the idea of white privilege for, well, as long as I can remember. I fought it, not because I am racist, though I have no doubt that I have acted or avoided acting at the cost of another's racial identity, but rather I realize now that I never really nor truly understood what it [white privilege] was.
Many white people, including myself, have taken offense to the theory of white privilege; most assuredly because it feels like a heavy and grossly overgeneralized accusation. For me personally, I felt it as an attack on my character. Generally speaking, I as a white girl, was the minority race in my neighborhood, on my swim team, at my high school, and through my youth group; in my lower to middle class up-bringing, there was nothing handed to me (so it seemed). I studied for every grade, worked for every dime, and trained for every win; no one offered me extra money or advanced classes or special training, even with my white skin. My first years at UC Davis were treacherous; I failed every placement exam the university offered having been poorly prepared by my unhighly acclaimed high school. I struggled to survive my first six quarters, drowning in math and science. So the first time I heard a remark made during a race relations discussion about 'white privilege,' suggesting preposterous statements about MY privilege, I about popped a vessel.
You see, what it has taken me near a decade to finally come to terms with, is that I never really listened. I was so focused on defending myself, my life, my upbringing, my struggles...that I missed that whole point of what people were trying to teach me - yes teach me. I took the idea of white privilege as an offense, and surely there are probably a hurting few that would intend it to be felt that way, but the concept isn't meant inflict insult as much as it's meant to prompt understanding.
When I stopped trying to tell people why I wasn't privileged, I began to actually hear what they were saying. And when I could finally hear their voices, I began to see the truth. I was privileged. I am privileged.
Famed comedian Louis C.K. said it best during one of his skits:
"I’m not saying that white people are better. I’m saying that being white is clearly better, who could even argue? If it was an option, I would re-up ever year. 'Oh yeah I’ll take white again absolutely, I’ve been enjoying that, I’ll stick with white thank you.' Here’s how great it is to be white, I could get in a time machine and go to any time, and it would be [expletive] awesome when I get there! That is exclusively a white privilege. Black people can’t [expletive] with time machines. A black guy in a time machine is like 'Hey, anything before 1980, no thank you, I don’t want to go.' But I can go to any time in the past....if you’re white and you don’t admit that it’s great, you’re an [expletive]! It is great and I’m a man. How many advantages can one person have? I’m a white man, you can’t even hurt my feelings! What can you really call a white man that really digs deep? 'Hey cracker!' ... 'Oh, ruined my day. Boy, shouldn’t have called me a cracker, bringing me back to owning land and people. What a drag."
By way of powerfully corrective humor, C.K. tells a story. The reality of our nation, our history, and of our past. There is power is being white; as he so artiscally quipped, no other race can go back in time and expect to be treated with the same rights and equality that are so [cautiously] bestowed upon them now. That is entirely a white privilege.
Many Americans speak of the 'founding fathers' with exemplary pride, as they undoubtedly did great things for this country, but their sole existence rested on their privilege. Their white privilege denied others access and opportunities, and most appalling, withheld their dignity as a human. Being a white person in America over the last two centuries has not been void of struggles, but it most certainly never included...
Denied Citizenship - in the late 1800's the Chinese Exclusion Act denied Chinese immigrants (who the US had brought and allowed residence in order to further our railways and mining) the right to naturalization and citizenship.
Concentration Camps - in the 1940's Japanese Americans (as in American citizens), who lived in Mainland America, were forceablly removed from their homes, jobs, and schools and placed in guarded camps for fear of their involvement with Japan during the war.
Imprisonment - African-American males are arrested for drug charges at relatively the same rate as white men, yet they six times more likely to be convicted and incarcerated for the charge
Boarding School - Native American children were forced to attend boarding schools which would 'civilize' them; these children were abused, humiliated, and prevented from knowing the history of their people.
Profiling - never in the history of whiteness has race been a key factor when profiling for citizenship, terrorism, gang membership, pimping, drug dealing, or prostituting.
These truths are as much a part of our history as the lessons taught in our school books, yet they are continuously withheld fabricated. Is is fear, or ignorance, or something else altogether...I don't know; but there is something incredibly visceral and raw that comes forth when we unabashedly bring these truths to light.
The creators of 'Leverage' [copyright of TNT] used their show as an opportunity to unleash the devastating realities of white privilege and oppressive racism:
Aldis Hodge's portrayal of a World War II soldier stripped of of an honor heroically earned is almost too painstaking swallow. Even more bone-chilling is the gravity of his lieutenant's statement, "...it's not the policy of the United States government to hand out medals to Negros." This was the stance, while fictitiously depicted in this scene, of an all too real segregated nation which proclaimed freedom and equality for all when in actuality the true beneficiaries were those of privilege, white privilege.
It hurts to talk about these things; I cried the night I watched the entirety of that episode. It hurt to watch a good man's life be dictated merely by the color of his skin and not the merit of his work. It was disheartening to think that the nation he risked his life to serve would rob him of the rights he sought to protect. Yet, talking about white privilege brings these dark moments to light, which is a necessary part of healing, learning, and improving. We cannot be an inclusive, and equal, and free nation if we continue to bury the ugly realities of our past and present. The concepts of white privilege prevent exactly that; the more we acknowledge our privilege, the greater the opportunity to create a more equitable society.
White privilege, to a white person, can be a sobering subject. But, it is no more sobering than the realities that so many racial minorities bear even to this day. Through the eyes of a white person, life in today's society might seem more equal - but you'd be surprised how deeply privilege is embedded in our culture; take a look as BuzzFeed's list of examples:
Ten years ago, I was arguing I didn't have privilege because everything I had in my possession was earned by my blood, sweat, and tears. Now, I see more clearly the things that I have received not by the work of my hands, but the color of my skin:
It is a privilege that I don't have to change my clothes or attitude to be taken more seriously in certain settings.
It is a privilege that I can go to any store and find the products necessary to care for my hair, skin, and body.
It is a privilege that I could see people who looked like me portrayed positively and powerfully on TV, in magazines, and throughout the news.
It is a privilege that I can cover a cut with a skin-colored Band-Aid.
It is a privilege that people are not surprised when they hear I have a job or college education.
Awareness of these privileges should make you frustrated, but not at racial minorities (or me) for pointing it out -- instead we should be frustrated that infrastructural racism and microaggressions still actively exist in our communities, schools, places of work, and yes, even our homes. It should challenge us to work towards a more equitable society in which we are cognizant of the errors of our past and dedicated to working through the challenges of our future.
There is a whole lot more to the conversation, but I have to start somewhere; it has taken me a long time, but I can finally say I was privileged. I am privileged. And I want to do something about it.
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