White Privilege

When I was very young, my mother told me that if I was ever in any kind of trouble or danger and she wasn't around, that I should immediately find a police officer. As I grew up, I came to realize that many other parents have conversations with their children about law enforcement, but some have very different tones. That's where this concept comes into play. This is definitely a touchy topic for some, but that's never swayed me from discussing something and it won't be the case here either. One concept that I've really harped on consistently on this blog is that of perspective, and it's especially relevant when discussing this matter. As much as many people would like to pretend race doesn't exist and ignore the matter entirely, that unfortunately isn't doable. Whether you like it or not, race, at least in terms of history and up to the current day, is a very relevant concept. Many have pointed out that it's nothing but a social construct, but given the extensive history of it's prominent role as a factor in civilizations throughout the world, it's arguably become the most evident factor in terms of how many people see others and the world. All of that brings us to the central topic of white privilege, and ones particular perspective largely shapes what they think of it. In my mind, that perspective is mainly determined by three things; your race, your experience, and your worldview. For example, I've met many people who believe that white privilege is nothing but a myth that people use as an excuse for why they haven't been able to make everything that they would like out of their lives. They see it a talking point used as a substitute for a perceived lack of ingenuity, determination, and resourcefulness that would otherwise be needed to be successful. The majority of people I've encountered who believe this are, unsurprisingly, white. It should be said that it isn't just white people who believe this, but I'm just saying that from my own personal experience, they simply make up the majority of those who share that philosophy. It should be said that it's not terribly difficult to see why they believe this. If you've lived a disadvantaged life and have had to struggle for all that you have, it's only natural that you would scoff at the idea that your skin color is some kind of gift that gives you a societal advantage when, in your eyes, you've never experienced that advantage. But that's just one perspective. Another common belief is that there isn't so much a thing as white privilege as there is "socioeconomic privilege" and this one overlaps a bit more with my own personal view which I'll get to at the end. The socioeconomic privilege idea, in a nutshell, is that racial make up isn't as much of the source of privilege as wealth is. Of course it's a common trend that if someone comes from wealth, they're likely to stay in that class given that they're more likely to be able to afford a college degree and might even have some better connections than someone of a different economic standing. Many say this factor is separate from the racial privilege concept, pointing to examples of socioeconomic privilege in families of all different racial backgrounds, which I'll admit that there's definitely a point there, but it's just a single piece of the puzzle. Then you have people who will say that white privilege is definitely real and it is a serious endemic societal issue. They believe that in nations such as the United States, people of European ancestry have cultivated ideal situations for themselves through a process of manipulating societal and economic factors over the course of generations in their favor. Thus this leads to the situation today where the commonly held understanding is that if you are a white person (especially a man) you have a particularly advantageous situation in regards to your prospects for achieving success. That's pretty much the idea of white privilege in the most basic understanding of it. Given that understanding, again, it's easy to see how a person of Caucasian make up who hasn't lived a life of privilege would believe this concept to be bunk, but I think this notion only accounts for what the individual in question perceives privilege to be. I see it as a more broad concept than specifically getting a check in the mail every month labeled "white privilege". It's not as much about material wealth (although that certainly is a large aspect of it) as it is about perception. I'll give a few examples. In an entry I wrote quite a while ago, I mentioned a few things that I as a white man haven't had to deal with, and I'll reiterate them here. My intelligence has never come into question specifically because of my race. No one has ever assumed that I am inclined towards crime because of my race. My citizenship has never been and almost certainly will never come into question due to my ethnic make up. I've been to airports a few times in my life and if you guessed that I've never had any trouble with security due to my appearance, you'd be correct. While I've certainly had my fair share of applications overlooked, I think it would be safe to assume that my quintessentially Anglo American name was never a determining factor, consciously or unconsciously, in the particular rejection. Also, I've never witnessed anyone cross the street to avoid crossing paths with me, clutch their purse tighter in my presence, or keep a closer eye on me while perusing their shop. I'm not so naïve to believe that's just because I'm such a friendly looking guy, especially considering that physically, I'm more on the imposing side at fairly over six feet tall and of slightly stockier build than average. I would definitely say that my racial make up is a factor in having been spared that fairly extensive list of inconveniences. But here's the real kicker, those were just the common tropes that I can think of off the top of my head. I don't have a doubt that there are countless other troublesome occurrences that haven't even registered to my mind, because I just haven't had that experience, and that brings us back to perspective. What I've seen and gone through in my life is not indicative of every single thing that goes on in the larger scope of society. I think it's important to understand that just because I haven't personally had to deal with a particular struggle doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. Just as important, it should be said that I'm not in the best situation economically, but I could definitely be doing much worse. While I'm not the richest person on the face of the earth, I know people who would be willing to, and at times have, helped me out when I've been in a particular financial bind, and I understand that not everyone is so fortunate. However, I should also say that I view very few things as being entirely universal and recognize that there are exceptions to pretty much every rule. One of my most prominent pet peeves is when someone actually believes that every single person in a specific demographic shares the exact quality, or that in every certain situation, things will play out in the exact same way. That kind of thinking significantly frustrates me because it's just so simplistic and unrealistic, when the truth of the matter is that nothing is rarely so constant. But back to the topic of the entry. Yes I believe white privilege is very real, but I also understand that there are many different ways in which people understand it, leading to the debate about whether or not it's an actual occurrence. None the less, it's an incredibly relevant topic in todays world and I don't see that changing any time in the near future. It would be wonderful if we lived in a world where race didn't matter. A world where everyone was truly equal and judged solely on the merits of their character and actions would certainly be one that I would welcome, but unfortunately that isn't the reality that we currently have. I guess one of the central aspects of my philosophy on many things, which you might have noticed, is that even though some things are bad, there isn't much use in simply giving up and saying that they will never get better. While the thought of doing that might be incredibly tempting, especially after seeing the vast number of things going on lately that have seriously damaged my faith in humanity, I still haven't gotten to the point where I'm just willing to say "fuck it, this is a lost cause". While many issues facing us on both an individual and a societal level are daunting, I still don't recognize accepting defeat as a valid option, and I'd like to think that I'm not alone with this view. I'll finish by saying this; I'm well aware that talking about these kinds of things makes people uncomfortable, but I also know that ignoring a fire isn't going to put it out.