1.) Many 'whites' deny its existence
This issue really gets me going. I don't really understand how certain white people can blatantly see that their skin colour gives them an advantage, and then deny it later on when they are in the heat of the conversation. Just admit it! Being white in the world today gives an advantage and privilege. Am I saying that it is ALWAYS like this? No. Am I saying that every white person is evil because of this? Nope. Or maybe I am saying that you are racist if you acknowledge this fact? No...and no. All I am saying is that there is actual proof that white privilege exists and that it is prevalent in most societies. In Stephanie Wildman's book Privilege Revealed: How Invisible Preference Undermines America, she discusses how there are statistics that show how people who would advocate for a 'race-free', ideal, merit-based world view, prove to be people that won't actually admit the systems of privilege that they have been awarded. This piece of information is fascinating to me, and yet not foreign. I have heard many people claim that it would be so much better if we were all just 'colourblind' or the statement, 'Yeah, when I look at people, I don't even see their colour'. These are lies. They are lies that do not help the situation. Just because you admit that you see a difference in someones skin tone does not make you racist. So everyone needs to calm down, and actually think, and if you are white, please....please just know that white privilege is alive and well and it's not going away just because you will it to or deny it's existence.
2.) People think that you are calling them a 'racist'
The word 'racist' is used very loosely these days and I am beginning to believe people will just throw the term around in order to avoid a situation that they are uncomfortable with a situation or they don't know where the conversation will go next. So people end it with just saying, "Well that's racist", or "You are just racist". This probably is not true in many cases, however in a lot of cases it is, and so because of that it should not ever be taken lightly or loosely. Racism is of course very serious and I am seeing every day how it is affecting our world in such a negative way. However, if people (white, black, etc...) think that because you talk about white privilege and it's prevalence in society, that you are a racist or that someone is calling you a racist, it's probably not true. The acknowledgment of white privilege already makes you many steps ahead of many people.
3.) Facts vs. guilt/emotions
People always like to give their own opinions based on life experience and what they think they know about racism. It is great to have an opinion, but base it on something. I have heard so many people say, "Well my best friend is black, so I can't even be prejudice". Not true. Everyone has the capability to have a prejudice towards someone else. This does not mean you have to engage with a preconceived idea of someone of a different race, religion, economic standing, etc... it simply means that you have the potential to feel a prejudice. Whether or not you engage with tha,t has many contributing factors which, we can get into in another post. So, back to my point. There is so much to read out there on every topic in the world. Therefore, if you don't exactly understand how white privilege has made an effect on society, go find out! Just to give you a few interesting tid-bits: Many social scientists have suggested that the historical processes of suburbanization and decentralization are instances of white privilege. They have even argued that this may have contributed to contemporary patterns of environmental racism. Something else that might shock you.... Discrimination in housing policies was formalised in 1934 under the Federal Housing Act which provided government credit to private lending for home buyers. Within the Act, the Federal Housing Agency had the authority to channel all the money to white home buyers instead of minorities. The FHA also channeled money away from inner-city neighborhoods after World War II and instead placed it in the hands of white home buyers who would move into segregated suburbs (Wildman 2005). This only skims the surface of how white privilege has been embedded in our societies and how it acts on a daily basis. Just because you feel emotional over something to do with racism, does not mean that you can deny facts.
I have heard SEVERAL white people say "I was not a slave owner, and I am not racist, so why should I be punished?" PUNISHED???? This to me, is the most ridiculous type of mindset. If you understood the privilege that I (me, Mariah) have just walking into a restaurant or supermarket, just based on the colour of my skin, you would not....COULD not ask that question. Of course, I do wish we lived in a world where this was not so. I wish with all my heart that my children could grow up in a world where this somehow disappears, but that is just what it is....wishful thinking.The first step to any sort of change is acknowledgment that you may be wrong, or simply that things are different than you were looking at them. To see things clearly, you have to use all your faculties and not just your emotions. So please, take this information for what it is. I hope someone found this interesting in some way. I welcome ALL feedback.
Big love,
*Mariah*
