To me, white privilege seems uncomplicated - certain people, because of the color of their skin, are afforded certain advantages that other people are not. Super simple, unfair stuff, from which I benefit.
For people of color, this is more than a concept, it is an undeniable fact of life. For broke white people, this appears to be more complex. Oftentimes, poor white people confuse white privilege with class privilege. And yes, although poor people share some disadvantages due to their economic status, people of color are below the poverty line at a higher rate than white people. 1 Regardless of the reasoning behind this, it means that although poor people of color and poor white people share some oppression (i.e. poor nutrition), people of color experience an additional layer of that due to their pigmentation.
I was provided with the opportunity to examine my own white privilege recently at the Kaiser ER. My 2.5 year old, O, had an incident with some frozen yogurt, which landed us there one morning a few weeks ago.
My ability to text my salaried job at the time and let them know I would be a little late, and then drive my son over to the ER in my own vehicle, while his other parent cared for his sibling, and still receive a full day's pay is a privilege in and of itself, but allow me to be more specific in this instance.
O has what you would call a unique name, so unique that during gestation his fraternal grandfather lovingly joked that he would be calling him "Optimus Prime" instead of the name his father and I bestowed on him, because this was obviously a much more appropriate name for a child.
That type of original.
While registering O at the ER, the medical assistant commented on his name, "Oh! I love his name! It is so cool and unique!" I smiled graciously and agreed. O's name is totally cool, and obviously I love it, I named him that!
I am used to hearing comments like this, and I would be lying if I didn't admit that it strokes my ego a little bit each time.
This is white privilege.
If I were a black mother, I would get get eye-rolls, or O's name would be called "ghetto." People would refuse to learn the proper pronunciation, and they may not bother asking how to say it. This is an undeniable fact. This happens all the time to black people with unique names.
I will even admit that I have struggled to take some of my more uniquely named students' names seriously, as if my own kids don't have totally ridiculous names! Even as I am typing this I am tempted to defend myself and say, "But come on, this kid's name was ______! That's not racial, it's ridiculous!" That's bullshit and I have a prime example of my own racism, specifically pertaining to exactly this.
I once taught a black child named Felon and thought it was absurd. Simultaneously, I knew a white toddler named Vandal and thought it was soooo cool.
WHITE. PRIVILEGE.
When later discussing O's name (but shamefully leaving out all that other racist stuff) with a racially mixed group of acquaintances, someone brought up a great question. Would my white privilege extend to a bi-racial child, or perhaps an adopted child of color? Or is O only complimented because he is a little blonde with glittering blue eyes?
Honestly, I doubt it would transfer. I imagine if he was bi-racial people would make snide comments about me liking black men, comments I have heard members of my race and even my family make. If he was adopted, I would be treated like the white colonials before me, entering the dire situation with the unfit black mother on my white horse to save the poor black baby and give him a good life, just in time. In either scenario, my son would not be benefiting from the privilege my lack of melanin affords me. Instead he would be dehumanized, as per usual.
Having a white parent doesn't afford the same privilege having a black one takes away.
As a white person, I have learned and benefited from a lot of disgusting and oppressive things. I am a work in progress everyday and I hope to continue to do the work on myself and in my family to bring about change one step at a time. Sometimes that work is hard, especially when I have to look at my past actions and admit I am a racist and that I benefit from a system that hurts, and even murders, other people. A system I did not ask to be a part of, but one that I have to thank for much of the success I have today. In admitting that, I do not feel like I am discrediting the hard work I have done to accomplish all I have, but rather acknowledging how much harder it would have been had I been born into a darker body.
Remembering this fact is a crucial part of my parenting. I want to ensure that my children have every opportunity possible, but I also want them to understand that being future white men, they were born to benefit from the systems in place. I hope to instill in them that it is their duty to use their power to aid in the dismantling of this oppressive establishment.
If you're a broke white person reading this blog, and you're feeling some type of way, I invite you to look at the links below. You'll find a comic, a few articles, and a video.
A Quick Comic About White Privilege
Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person
Smarty-Pants Article by a PhD about White Privilege
7 Answers to Your Questions About White Privilege
Buzzfeed Listicle About White Privilege
Video about White Privilege
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