America, it's about time we had this talk.
We are all blessed, to some capacity, with some sort of privilege over another. Superior strength and agility, genius-level intellect, or any benefit from either special permissions or natural gifts. Not every privilege is unfair or undeserved, and not every privilege is inherently evil. Recognizing and checking privilege, acknowledging how it affects people, and realizing how it affects society is a key element to a fair, just, and harmonious society. And then, there is race-based privilege...
The arguments surrounding white privilege go as follows:
-White privilege is mentioned.
-White person (or advocate) attempt to disavow or negate situation or existence of privilege
-Argue until one or both sides exhausted.
Personal or anecdotal evidence aside, there is an inherent privilege in being a white male in America than anyone else. In terms of societal influence, commanding respect and authority, a sense of entitlement, and escaping legal trouble, no collective group of people have as many benefits as white males. Point blank, period. White males are subconsciously trained through education, entertainment, and environmental exposure that they are at the apex of society.
Keys to the City
Take a look at the companies you patronize on a regular basis. How many have CEO's that are minorities or even women? Take a good look at politicians on both the local and national level. See who is in charge the higher you go up the chain of command. How many collegiate deans are black? Even if you come up with accurate numbers or notice a shift in trends, this comes from centuries of white-dominated society. Historically, white people have been in charge or taken charge of predominantly black cities, companies, and culture. To put things in perspective, Black Entertainment Television (or BET) is owned by Viacom. Viacom is controlled by Sumner Murray Redstone through his parent company, National Amusements (which also a majority owner of CBS Corporation) and Philippe Pierre Dauman, the President and CEO of Viacom. Both individuals are white males. The heads of major record labels, haircare products, urban clothing, popular footwear, and other products glorified by black culture are not black. This is because of the privilege experience by the fairer skinned people, to the point where black people no longer control their own culture.
I Know You Better than Yourself
When other races are allowed to take the reigns of a culture, they can dictate the direction of that culture. This is exemplified by way of entertainment. Black people no longer own the rights to their cultural entertainment and must go through channels established by white media moguls unless they can slog through the music scene independently. The narratives of music, television, and movies are almost entirely deliberated on and decided by a room full of white people despite what race it targets. This is how racial stereotypes are perpetuated and created, then maintained and regurgitated. It is also a self-fulfilling prophecy among some vulnerable youth. In media, white people are portrayed in a multitude of ways that surpass stereotypes and caricatures, providing an organic depiction of life- a privilege that should be extended to all human beings.
Crime and Punishment
With the recent rash of police shootings, the assumption of criminality is prevalent to those attempting to justify the excessive use of force against black people. This rationale completely ignores the historic nature of racial profiling and police corruption when dealing with minorities. Conversely, white Americans have a traditional and cultural view of police as heroes and protectors, and have only recently been exposed to the brutality of law enforcement that has been experienced by black people for over a century. Even worse are those who advocate on behalf of law enforcement. The basic lament is that no matter what crimes were or were not committed, the fault lies with the civilian for lacking full and complete compliance and submission. This mentality refers to white criminals as mentally unstable while referring to black criminals as animalistic or thuggish. The news media also upholds this dangerous stereotype, treating white crime as isolated and black crime as standardized. Furthermore, police interactions are conditioned by fear mongering and continuing the cycle of stereotypes, causing excessive force and racial profiling. Despite the popular belief of the criminality of black people in America, black and white people offend at the same rates. Black people are arrested, incarcerated, and sentenced at higher rates than white people. They are also less likely to find a job after serving time than white ex-convicts.
Color of Purity
In societies across the world, colors have significant meanings. In American and many other Anglo-Saxon societies, white is generally considered a color of purity or holiness. Christianity, Catholicism, Mormonism, and other Holy Trinity-based religions depicts Jesus, the saints, and his disciples as white despite the Bible's events taking place in the region surrounding the Middle East. The notion of a non-white Jesus is laughable or even offensive to some. Conversely, darkness is believe to be evil or sinister. Black is the color of dying and death. Part of this stereotype is rooted in fact: the colors of plants and flesh can darken and die. Rotting items go brown and black when they go bad. Subconsciously we attach this association to all things in life. Well-lit alleyways are safer than darkened ones. Even children associate skin color with good and bad. Thus, white people enjoy the subconscious privilege of being considered good when juxtaposed to black people. The pre-programmed response likely comes from fear of the unknown, depicted in shadows and darkness associated in cartoons, movies, television, literature, and other forms of media. Hence, darkened skin colors give subconscious associations of fear, contempt, and anger among white and black people under the influence of media.
Closing Thoughts
White privilege isn't just the big elephant in the room. It's the big elephant in the room with a white bed sheet thrown over it, hidden behind the couch, and pushed against the wall covered by a picture frame. It's the discussion steeped in stonewalls and locked inside denial. Admitting to white privilege is the admission that white people, either knowingly or unknowingly, are complicient with systematic racism that deliberately hinders the lives of minorities. It is profitting from the color of your skin, intentionally or inadvertently, in places of employment, legal issues, or any other social situations. It is beyond the class statuses of poor and rich. It does not care if you are young or old. Privilege promotes the ideal that the poorest white man is still more influential and powerful than the richest black man. You can disagree, you can ignore it, and you can deny it. No matter how you react, it exists and will continue to thrive as long as the issue remains unaddressed. To achieve equality in America, true equality, we must recognize and negate the undeserved privileges lorded over others.