Huzzah, rant time! The title explains it all and honestly, even simply writing it out makes me feel as if I can breathe again and the social weight of the PC regime in New York City culture seems a bit relieved. This is a post that I’ve been wanting to do for a while now - debating, progressing, retreating, and debating again in cycles of how to best discuss it without it going up in flames as a politically divisive sh*t firestorm. But, sometimes it’s best to just say things plainly and see what shouts back from the eternal darkness, so here goes.
Many of you are already familiar with this phrase of “white privilege.” For the unfamiliar, I’ll explain it very concisely. In the liberal west, mostly countries like the US, Australia, Canada, and the UK, there is this general idea that “white people” experience life through structures of privilege that were construed to benefit them and exclude all others based on the criteria of skin. This concept is supported by arrows towards the enslavement of blacks, disproportionate populations of ethnic people in prisons, underrepresentation of those same groups in higher administrations and corporations, and the so on and so forth. This is an idea that is purported by many, now very engrained in the social politics of the West, and has seeped into several layers of American culture from universities to work places to the mainstream media.
I also have the explain the consequence of such an idea existing in the world. Organizations are pressured to institute and maintain implicit racial quotas, groups of white people are automatically deemed “racist” and “exclusionary,” and the term “diversity” is being wielded as a moral excuse to condemn something simply due to a skin pigment. Many white people are being told to “check their privilege” and more and more social groups are making explicit attempts to exclude “the majority.”
And well, yea, see title again. General global society is letting these theorists get away with this type of rhetoric. I suspect most people who believe this have simply been duped by the downpour of unverified qualitative information that oozes out of every social-media outlet under the guise of real journalism or research. It’s very similar to religion in this way, a hard-to-challenge ideology that is built on belief and rhetoric more than anything.
Even before we get into the specific issues that seem to support this claim, whether they are economic concerns or educational discrepancies or general cultural differences, we must first acknowledge that the entire premise of the term “white privilege” is racist. I’m not calling you a racist maybe holding this belief as racism (or in general the idea of immutable superiority) lines many of most basic institutions including religion. But everyone must admit that the phrase is nothing if not racist. It is a judgement that any white person, regardless of their social or economic standing, enjoys privilege of many forms that no person of color has access to. It is a judgement based on an immutable skin color. That is racism. If you can swallow that truth and still wish to move forward with that conviction, let’s have a more interesting conversation.
Just have a skim through some of these videos that I have watched just by chance, even way before becoming interested in this concept. I time-marked the first as that one was the most nefarious and slimy-
In all these instances, “white privilege” is brought up nonchalantly and unchallenged. The one with the young boy is most chilling. A great part of why I bring up this issue is because I pride myself on my focus and discernment on cultural changes, and nothing disturbs me so deeply than the meekly accepted untruth of white-people’s privilege.
I’ve run through all the argumentative permutations of why the hell anyone would believe and what the purpose of the belief is. I have some interpretations including the massive amount of political gain that comes from victimizing and virtue signaling, as well some more sympathetic ones involving large communities that are stuck in a cultural rut without access to real resources. The concept brings to the surface some real issues in the West and globally, many of which are serious ones to particular races of people. But for all that complexity and needed attention to be boiled down to the most clickbaity, Buzzfeed-masturbatory phrase is possibly the most shameful term to come out of the early 21st century. Reverse-racism is still racism and I think everyone can be investing their energies into issues that warrant much more care than whether Joe and Melinda down the street need to ‘check’ themselves.
Next up (maybe in a few weeks), I’ll hit on the piss-poor concept that Asian-Americans have internalized their oppression and become allies to “privilege” since we’ve “benefitted” from the system instead of being held down by it…
As I wrap up this post, I’m also motivated to go into more extensive detail of why this type of belief system is so detrimental to the people who hold it as truth. That’ll be another follow-up.
Tell me what you think. What do you think of this concept? Have you interacted with people that truly believe this to be the case? I would love to hear from people who agree with and sustain this concept. I’m just so curious why so many prefer to think with such blunt aggression towards such complex topics.
As a 42-year old Mexican, I've seen this kind of narrative arise from the last 25 years or so into left-wingers. I know where this comes from: from resentment.
Mexico has usually been a poor country. There's the belief that some rich, fat, powerful, faceless organization is controlling everything behind the scenes with the goal of keeping all the money and power from the "good people". While not an exact mirror, when I've come to visit the U.S. I had this feedback from minorities, especially fellow Hispanics but also Blacks and Muslims.
Truth is, there's been opression. There's been moments when having the wrong skin color was a disavantadge. There were people fighting for equality still in the 1960's.
But that's not the case anymore.
Yes, there is more white people on higher positions than people of other ethnicities, but at the same time we have to remember than 100 years ago Italians and Jews didn't count as "white people". How many Italians and Jews "did it" since then? Truth is, it is a matter of perception, mentality and ideology. If you become imbued into the idea that everything is suit up for the "blue-eyed devil" to climb the ladder easily, then you are actually dragging yourself down. Whatever the reason, it's easier to complain than to work hard and get what you want.
And of course, the mainstream media and the business world goes along with the wave. Just as 20 years ago sponsors pulled from "Ellen", now they're demonetizing Right-winger and Libertarian youtubers.
I believe there's an advantage by being "white". However, if you're part of a minority, there's race quotas. It's not the same having an advantage that being privileged. I don't see much privilege in a white trash, a homeless Vietman vet or a jobless man in the Rust Belt. In the end, it comes down to how you play your abilities.
The "white privilege" comes from a narrative that, ultimately, create animosity between false opressors and opressed: men vs. women, rich vs. poor, Europeans vs. the rest of the world... to me, that's a toxic mentality and needs to put be stopped.
Thanks so much for your insight and comment @lenin-mccarthy. I can completely understand the foundation of resentment and how that leads to this lashing out against anyone these people perceive to be the enemy. What I can't understand is how so much of this discourse is put up with even on mainstream news media outlets. The collective amnesia about how terribly many sub-sections of 'white' people especially baffles me.
There may be overall certain advantages of skin color in particular situations, but to assume everyone of a certain tone will experience something or not experience something is dangerous thinking.
Again, thanks so much for the input, I really appreciate having these types of convos!
Ok, so as a British white guy who's lived in the UK most of his life, I've lived both sides of the coin.
I've seen blacks and Asians disasadvantaged and racially abused, and worked at a company which prided itself (and was likely instructed to) in providing equality.
I've lived in areas of town and cities domitanted by whites, and later by Asian and black communities. Both have played the race card, and both have contained people who are not interested in colour or creed.
I agree that exclaiming white privilege is inherently racist, but feel there's no smoke without the fire - hopefully it's a fire that is going out as we globally merge.
I think most people are in this mindset @abh12345, stuck between a rock and a hard place. It's undeniable that certain groups have faced and continue to face varying levels of inequity in certain situations. Those need to be addressed and oftentimes, race does become a central pain point.
But when the first step from that sensitive topic is to drag in an racially-charged overgeneralization, the majority (in this case, 'white' people) feel as if their empathy or even extended helping hand is being spat at.
I think it isn't a coincidence that this type of rhetoric is getting stronger/louder as the world becomes more global. There's a greater platform for these thought-niches that were previously seen as over-emotional responses and sometimes completely irrational. The concept of "white privilege" is the latter for me and it puts us in a tough situation as there is really no way of appeasing the 'minority condition' with such aggression.
Judging people by their race is wrong, regardless of their race
I'm reaaaaally trying to keep this from being a left vs. right debate, but it is getting increasingly difficult to not take it in that direction...
The title of the above clip is unfortunate, it could more accurately be titled “The Danger of Identity Politics.” Labels like left and right, liberal and conservative, R or D, have lost much of their meaning. The guy in the video, Dave Rubin, is gay and in a same-sex marriage, he's Jewish and lives in California – he considers himself a classic liberal, but is fed up with the identity politics, restrictions on civil debate and free expression, and the repression of facts in the name of political correctness. Sorry about the title, but if fact he's expressing many of the same views you've shared in posts this past year.
I wasn't that serious about the title ;)
and I'm a big fan of Rubin and what he's trying to do. I think he's starting to get a bit too deep in the rabbit hole and become resentful himself against the liberals/leftists he used to be around. But I really don't see another show/persona trying to speak to both side like that.
I totally get where he is coming from. When someone is a progressive/liberal person by nature, and recognizes the insidious danger of playing groups off against each other for political gain -- you had better be courageous and have a very thick skin if you speak out.
I can't think of another person quite like Dave, but Candice Owens and Kanye have also shown courage in reaching out and speaking out about the freedom of thought and expression.