Racism 101: Are you a Racist?: White Privilege: Sure Why Not
Things I wish I could tell every White American:
- “White Privilege” is not a slur or an insult
- It is not derogatory
- It is not something you can stop, start, eliminate or get more of
- Acknowledging that you have it does not change anything
- Denying that you have it does not change anything
- You have no reason to be ashamed of it
- Someone saying you have White Privilege is equivalent to pointing at an Oak Tree and saying “That is an Oak Tree.” It is a statement of fact.
- “Checking your privilege” makes you a decent human being and the best part is that even if you are constantly “Checking it” you are also constantly benefitting from it
- Because of the above, there is no down side to “Checking your privilege” which means if you don’t, you are a double whammy dirt bag
- It’s okay to not fully understand how to “Check your privilege”
- It is NOT okay to not make a conscious effort to learn
- White Privilege isn’t something dirty. It’s just something you have if you are white.
Having White Privilege means that you are going to have a more difficult time understand how other people are treated unfairly. It means that because you live in a system that holds you higher, you are often unable to see/notice how that same system is holding down others. You are not to “Blame” for the system. However, you ARE in charge of YOUR OWN actions. You CHOSE to continue to not see or you CHOSE to be a decent human being. Some people will read that first part and think that they have an excuse as to why they don’t know or don’t see what is happening to others. They do not. It is not an excuse. As a matter of fact, it makes you worse. To have white privilege and then ALSO see others as “Less” makes you garbage.
What does it mean to be a decent human being:
- Make a conscious effort to not hold any one group above another.
- Do not treat oppressed people better, treat them equally
- Understand that you have opportunity that others don’t
- Do not throw opportunities away because you are white. Just always live your life in a way that you know that you have worked to NOT contribute to holding someone else down
- Never assume that others don’t have what you have because they didn’t “Work hard enough”
- MOST IMPORTANTLY: Work every single day to unlearn the stereotypes in your head (If you are able to do this one, all other things will fall into place)
