Abstract
White privilege is a hidden aspect of American life that is often discussed and identified, but it still gets avoided by the white people. White privilege in prevalent in the American society; and racial minorities such as African Americans experience its negative aspects. There are many examples of white privilege that has been provided and discussed with examples. Also, the article also covers the impact white privilege has on the society and how it limits the position of African Americans in the society. The worst part of white privilege is that even though many whites have enjoyed its benefits, they remain highly ignorant of its presence and consider it as a false representation of the society. The article also discusses the reasons due to which whites are ignoring the presence of white privilege. Despite the ignorance, white privilege is seen in education, culture, law enforcement, employment, popular culture, etc.
Keywords: white privilege, African American.
Introduction
Peggy McIntosh describes white privilege as “a set of unearned assets that white people can count on cashing in each day, even as they remain largely oblivious to their advantage” (Emba, 2016). Many Americans do not believe that White privilege exists, but the evidence points to the contrary. Black children (4 year olds) make only 18 percent of the pre-school enrolment in the country, but get nearly 50 percent of the suspensions. Similarly, job applicants having white sounding names have 50 percent more chance of getting called for an interview. Also, black defendants are 30 percent more chances of getting imprisoned, in comparison to white defendants for similar crimes. This proves that White privilege exists in America and it is practiced widely in different areas of life. Therefore, white privilege has negative impact of the minorities and leads to the formation of an unequal society that is built to protect the rights of the norm and disregard the minorities.
Examples of White Privilege
White Privilege is experienced in the daily walk of life and one of the biggest examples I the positive relationship enjoyed with the law enforcement authorities and personnel. The police shooting of Michael Brown was an example of white privilege, as the same event would not happen to a white teenager. White privilege also allows students to get favour from school authorities. One such example has been with Ahmed Mohamed, a 14 year old Muslim schoolboy arrested for building a homemade clock bomb; a white student would have been praised for such an effort (Greenberg, 2015).
White privilege is experienced when children can easily find comic books and superheroes to relate with that represent their race. For example, the majority of the superheroes that are part of mainstream media are white such as Batman, Superman, Spiderman, etc. and some supporting heroes can be black such as the Falcon in Avengers. Also, another interesting fact is that only 8 percent of the superheroes are written by people of colour. White privilege is also experienced when media is biased towards people of one colour. There is no better example of white privilege practicing media that Fox News and its correspondents Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Megyn Kelly, etc. who show significant bias towards the black people (Greenberg, 2015).
White privilege is also experienced when people can easily escape violent stereotypes related to the race. For example: when black people get angry and protest on issues they are called troublemakers, whereas when the Boston bomber turned out to be a white man he was called mentally unwell. Finally, White privilege is also seen when people of a particular skin can lead their life ignoring the level of racism in today’s society. The best example is people who are unwilling to support social causes such as Black Lives Matter and try to turn their efforts by saying all lives should matter (Greenberg, 2015).
Ignorance of White Privilege
The biggest problem is that white privilege not only exists, but many people are unwilling to admit its existence. Ignorance regarding white privilege is persistent in the American society as research continues to find pivotal differences that concern race relations, with the Caucasians often ignoring the racist actions against the minorities as they are tied to their white privilege. Whenever, white people feel that their race and identity is getting threatened, their response is to identify that they themselves have never been given the advantages of white privilege in any form. This form of double standards persists in the thinking of White Americans, as they prefer to remain ignorant about disparities in the society. They prefer to ignore, as it provides them with several invisible advantages. For example: when whites are reported to be excelling from other races, they forget about the white privilege that has helped them reach that point (Edell, 2015).
In her book, Rothenburg (2007) has described a study where people are asked about thinking of their childhood and how and when they learned about their race. The study revealed that minorities, especially African Americans had specific and vivid memories regarding how they learned about their race. Some of the memories were painful as they were earlier invited to play at a childhood friend’s home, but after watching the colour of his/her skin they were never called back again. Also, some girls reported that they learned about their race when they were given white dolls to play with, which looked different from them. In comparison, when whites were asked about their first experience of learning about their race, most of them could not answer or remember a time in their childhood when they had to learn about their race. Basically, the white respondents answered that their understanding was the white was the norm and they did not need to learn about their race as they were not different.
Impact of White Privilege
White privilege is identified as a social advantage, which comes to people who are seen as the norm in America. It automatically confers an individual’s position in the society; irrespective of their gender, education, wealth, or any other socio-cultural and economic factor. White privilege has been very helpful in making many people’s lives smoother, but in a barely noticeable manner. It is obvious that not all whites are highly educated and wealthy, and many African Americans are educated, wealthy and powerful. White privilege is specific and differs from the ups and downs common in a free society. The privilege simply allows a white person to enjoy superiority and the benefit of doubt, no matter their socio-economic situation. Even when African Americans work harder than their whites, they still have to overcome the additional barrier of white privilege (Emba, 2015).
The biggest problem caused by white privilege is the growth of racism in the society. This means the society is divided into those who enjoy white privilege and others who suffer from it. In such a society, it becomes tougher for the minorities to uplift their social status and even if they manage to become rich and powerful they are still treated as inferior. African Americans have always experienced the negative side of the white privilege in the United States of America. In every few days, a new incident of racism is reported against people from the minority and many white people remain oblivious to the issue as recognizing the issue and talking about it might lead to them losing their white privilege.
Conclusion
White privilege is the racial superiority experience that allows whites to enjoy several benefits over minorities, which are not outlined. White privilege is witnessed in every walk of life and it divides the society into people experience it and others who face its flak. White privilege allows the whites to remain superior to the minorities, even if blacks gain wealth and power. Whites tend to ignore the presence of white privilege as it could hinder their superiority and the hidden advantages they receive from it. The impact of white privilege is seen on the society, as it promotes racism and ensures that racial minorities such as African Americans are restricted as inferior class.
References
Edell., C. (2015, 29 December). ‘I Didn’t Know That Was Racist’ – Are You Using ‘White Ignorance’ to Dodge Responsibility?. Retrieved 17 April 2016 from, http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/12/understanding-white-ignorance/
Emba., C. (2016, 22 January). Retrieved 18 April 2016 from, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/this-is-what-white-privilege-is/2016/01/22/57166c72-c093-11e5-83d4-42e3bceea902_story.html
Greenberg., J. (2015. 26 November 2015). 10 Examples That Prove White Privilege Protects White People in Every Aspect Imaginable. Retrieved 18 April 2016 from, http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/11/lessons-white-privilege-poc/
McIntosh., P. (n.d.).White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Retrieved 18 April 2016, https://www.deanza.edu/faculty/lewisjulie/White%20Priviledge%20Unpacking%20the%20Invisible%20Knapsack.pdf
Rothenberg, P. S. (2007). White privilege: Essential readings on the other side of racism. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
