Hello there.
I'm male. I'm Caucasian. I live in a New York suburb. My financial status is considered middle class. I've had the opportunity to receive a private education for my entire life. I've lived comfortably in my own home without any fear of being homeless. I am lucky enough to take showers every day, have food on my plate every day, and am able to wake up every day knowing that I will be able to come back to the same bed at the end of the day.
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I am privileged. And I am proud and lucky enough to say that I have this privilege. Most people refer to this privilege as "white privilege." But my "white privilege" goes far beyond those simply advantages that I just listed. In a post made by "Teaching Tolerance," white privilege was defined as, "transparent preference for whiteness that saturates our society." I think that this definition clearly shows what white privilege is all about, and I think it also speaks volumes as to why most people who have white privilege have trouble acknowledging that it exists.
To start off, white privilege is something that systematically exists in our society. Because of the preconceived racial roles and systematic racism that is evident in our society, white people simply have privileges that those who belong to certain minority groups don't have the privilege of having. For example, I, a white caucasian man, can walk into a room and not receive weird looks in any way. I will never be profiled as a possible criminal or thug based on the color of my skin, but not everyone has the privilege of saying that. Another privilege that I have is that I never feel threatened or scared when I see police officers surrounding me. These privileges, along with countless other ones, are all things that I experience simply because of the skin complexion that I was born with.
But let it be known that this privilege isn't something that is easily seen or noticed. In most cases, you wouldn't know what losing these privileges would feel like unless you were a member of another minority race, which is obviously something that you can't just change. It's a passive yet complex privilege that I, along with millions of other people, were born with, but people seem to refuse the acceptance of this privilege.
I think a huge reason why people seem to be very "anti accepting white privilege as a thing" is because of the way that white privilege can be depicted as evil. The white male is jokingly, but sometimes also seriously, made out to be seen as the ultimate villain, simply because of all of the privileges and advantages that he possesses in the midst of society. Because of this, people seem to become very defensive over their privilege, making it known that they did not choose to have this privilege, but rather they were born with it.
But would anyone really give up this privilege? If you had the opportunity, would you truly and genuinely give up this privilege so that you could live a life completely different from your own? In most cases, people would answer no.
So, what is the solution? Well, the solution is to recognize your white privilege, and use this privilege to try and benefit those who might not have the same advantages. This means supporting social justice movements such as the "Black Lives Matter" movement. Stop taking the defensive standpoint, and automatically responding with "All Lives Matter." As it is described in the New York Times, this "All Lives Matter" trend is used "as a way to remove focus from the specific grievances of black Americans." So instead of trying to belittle the grievances and struggles experienced by black Americans, how about we stand in solidarity with them?
Instead of simply taking your white privilege for granted, use it for the better. We know you didn't choose to have it, but because you do, use it so that hopefully everyone can experience those same privileges.
