Dear White People: Stop denying your privilege.
Quite controversial for my first post, right? Well, I’m going to go ahead and take the chance. I have been silent for much too long. White people, listen to me when I say this, because I’m only going to say it once.
Your privilege does in fact, exist.
This topic has always bothered my soul, but a conversation I had with a peer of mine made me feel the need to speak up. This particular conversation began with me minding my own business, as most unwanted conversations do. It began with him asking “So how do you know you’re a lesbian?” being polite, I told him a brief version of my story, hoping he meant well and was just curious. My unfortunate mistake. The next question he asked me made me realize I should have given him a one sentence answer and kept it pushin’.
“So, since I really just want to argue today, what do you think about white privilege?”
I didn’t hold back, I had been waiting for a peer of mine to ask me this question since I walked into my first college class and realised I was the only black face there. I proudly told him that it without a doubt did exist. Big surprise, he automatically disagreed.
Not only did he disagree, he claimed that I’M the one with the privilege. No, I’m absolutely not joking. I really wish I was, I was absolutely baffled. He went on to try to explain that I in fact, not only had privilege “Because you’re the only black person in class, and I’m not the only one who thinks so either.” but that he, AS A STRAIGHT, WHITE, CHRISTIAN MALE, is oppressed. I held myself together long enough to tell him that not only is he not oppressed, but he’s the top of the food chain. He must realise this right? I thought to myself, I was proven wrong. I’ll spare you the details of the rest of this thirty minute conversation, but you can probably tell exactly where it went. I could’ve written this man a forty page essay on why he is not discriminated against, and he still would’ve claimed that he is because “White people really get a lot of sh*t lately”
White privilege exists, as much as you hate it. It’s here and it’s prominent. Let me explain using my own recent experience.
I am obviously a young black woman. I’m in an amazing college program where I can get my associates degree and transfer to a university of my choice. The best part? I don’t have to pay for a single thing. Not a lab fee, not a book, not a thing. I had to work incredibly hard to be here and stay here. The professors I have are amazing, I work hard and they notice it. They also notice that I am the only person who is different. They don’t treat me like I’m special, but I can tell that they appreciate me and my hard work. They realize it’s probably a bit hard to relate to a class full of people for, who the most part, are nothing like me.
This is not privilege of any kind. I am still obviously treated and graded equally.
A fellow peer got an academic award for being nothing short of mediocre, all this person really did was show up and do homework (hardly). This person never contributed to class, had shown off their blatant homophobia when they DID contribute to class, had illegal substances on campus (which they would use between classes), and was seen more often with a phone in their hand during class than a pen. This is white mediocrity at it’s finest. This person not only got into the program to start with, but was praised and even rewarded for doing basically nothing.
This is privilege. More specifically, this is an example of white privilege.
(I’m not saying I deserved the award, this isn’t me being salty in any way. This is simply just a great example.)
I have no idea why it’s the “wave” for people who aren’t marginalized or discriminated against to feel as though they are so incredibly oppressed, but it needs to end. You aren’t oppressed. You can skate through life with ease. Chances are, you can make it out of poverty in a snap if you’re in it. Your skin color is a get out of jail free pass. You don’t get stopped by cops randomly, you aren’t followed around stores. YOU ARE NOT AT ALL DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. I’m not undermining anyone’s hard work at all. Do you, boo! Work hard, if you’re a good person I’m rooting for you. HOWEVER, I’m simply saying that people of color, especially black people, have to work even harder than you would to get to the spaces that you are in or are working to be in.
I’m sorry that over the past few years we’ve finally began publicly calling you out on your racist bs, Becky Anne, but that isn’t discrimination. It’s also definitely not an example of why your privilege doesn’t exist. Historically speaking- there is no way that at any point, even in the future, you could ever become oppressed.
That’s all I have in me for today, because I refuse to get any more heated. If you are offended by any of this, you are a part of the problem.
Have a good day.
-Signed, The Caffeinated Columnist
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