White Privilege

White privilege is amongst one of the biggest problems in the world and even though

most believe that it only occurred during past times that is not the case. In the year 2017, white

privilege is still alive and occurs every day from police brutality to just a simple office job. Some

people that are white feel that they have some type superiority over people regardless if they

even believe it themselves. These people feel they have this power over people of color and

when someone says color it doesn't only imply to Black people. It means people that are

Indian, Hispanic or any race that is not white. During the times of slavery and the many wars

that occurred back then, white people always felt that they needed some type of power over

those of color and there was really no explanation why and up until this day, it still occurs and up

until now there is still no reasoning why.

In today's world, there are many events that have happened that involved different races but

always involved one race in particular: white. In America, many crimes such as rapes and

murders were committed by someone who was white but when it came down to court and jail

time they either received minimum or no time at all. Why is that? Is it because of the color of

their skin or the money in their pockets? An example of white privilege is if someone of color, a

black man for instance, were to commit a crime such as a rape, investigators and detectives will

do anything possible to get to the bottom of the crime, solve it and give the maximum time and

prosecute to the fullest extent. But once again why is that the case? If the same crime is

committed by both races, why cant both receive the same amount of time or the same

punishment? In America, being white has its perks and many people who are white have come

out to say it. There have been several books and articles about this topic and the most popular

was written by Peggy McIntosh. In 1989. McIntosh had wrote a list of several privileges that

white people have in the world. Today, 28 years later, some of those privileges on that list still

exist. The reason why those privileges still exist is due to society. Some privileges on the list

are:
 I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.

If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I havent

been singled out because of my race.

I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the

existence of their race.

Society does not want to change their ways and does not want to change their perspective on

life, but in some cases it can always be due to the fact that some whites were raised and

brought up a certain way. White people see their skin tone as a turf or some sort of pull not only

with their life but within society. They believe their skin tone is what helps them in their everyday

life when it comes to education, their job or belonging to society overall. People who are white

have the freedom to express their opinion without being attacked verbally or physically, they can

be somewhere and not feel uncomfortable because majority of the time there will be someone

there of the same race and they will always have confidence. Which all goes back to how

treatment of a white person versus someone of color differs. If an Indian man and a White man

both enter a room, who is going to be the one to get more looks? White people have become

oblivious to these privileges because in reality, they have become so used to these privileges

and they are so used to getting away with it pretty much anything that they do not even second

guess or come to think about their actions. White privilege is an elusive and fugitive subject and

because of white privilege, this country is technically would not be considered a free country

all because of certain privileges that one race takes for granted and advantage of.

White people have become so oblivious to white privilege that they are starting to

believe that black privilege is something that is existence! They believe because February is

black history month and it is celebrated every year, that black people are privileged. One man

had even said, "In America you can't even talk about whiteness if you try to embrace being

white, you are portrayed as being a racist. If we had a White History Month that would be

viewed as a racist holiday." But this man isn't the only one who feels that black privilege is
becoming the new white privilege. Many groups that consists of white people, have come up

with different ideas and ways to try to show that there is such a thing as black privilege. It has

come to the point where if you google black privilege, there are sites that you can look through

and there they have these so called steps where whites struggles on daily basis due to black

privilege. These groups have even created everything possible to try to create something that

has no type of existence. The privileges that are the black privilege list are:

Can call white people cracker or honky.

People of color are more athletically skilled or have a better body build.

The concept of black privilege is still new, but to the white race it still a concept that they feel

and believe exists. Some people laughed and thought that this was a joke but others were very

serious about it. One person who thought this concept was nothing but a joke was Peggy

McIntosh, author of Unpacking Knapsack, said "When you've had as much freedom to do what

you want to do and think what you want and say what you want and act as you please, then you

get irrationally rankled at having to curtail your life and your thought in any way," says McIntosh,

who also founded the National SEED project, which helps teachers create courses that are

more gender sensitive and multicultural. She said the black privilege checklist sounds like a

"prolonged whine" from people who resent being challenged about their white privilege. Though

she did have some responsibility due to the list she wrote back in 1989. She came to a

realization that even though she used her white privilege to get along in life it was not right. She

realized that regardless of what race you are or what color your skin is, you are still human.

When it comes to black privilege there is no such thing. People of color will always have the

short end of the stick.

Black privilege might be new but whites believe that black people weren't victims of

racism but that black people were victims of special treatment! In the 19th century, the U.S.

Supreme Court echoed most infamous decisions. Congress had passed a sweeping Civil Rights

Act in 1875 that banned discrimination against former slaves in public places. But the Supreme
Court declared that act unconstitutional in 1883, a decision that sanctioned the rise of Jim Crow

segregation and mob violence against blacks that would last a century. This law is what is giving

whites the thought that there is some type of black privilege. But the question still stands, where

does this belief come from? Why does this certain race that is in denial about their privilege

believe the opposite race has privilege? Numbers, news and society does not lie. The numbers

don't appear to support it. Numerous studies and surveys show that blacks lag behind whites

and other racial groups in many different categories. White households hold about 13 times

more wealth than that of a black household. People with a white sounding name have a 50%

chance of getting a call back when it comes to job interviews versus those who have black

sounding names. Who is someone to determine what a black or white name is? And one

important topic within the topic, jail sentencing and the time they spend in jail. Black people

spend 20% more time in jail than what people do? But that goes back to what was said earlier.

Why do white people get a leniency when it comes to that subject? When it comes to these

facts, you do not even need numbers to show the proof that in fact that that there is no such

thing as black privilege. As long as you can see, it is visible that there is no such thing as black

privilege in America. If being black had such privileges, why is it when there are too many of a

certain race in a community, school or even churches whites have the tendency to move from

that discourse community and onto the next one? Those who argue for the existence of black

privilege don't deny numbers. They just don't blame racism for those racial disparities.

David Horowitz is an author of "Black Skin Privilege and the American Dream and says that

blacks are privileged but only through certain categories. He believes that white privilege is not

preventing those of color from doing better but that it is their behavior. Horowitz says, "The fact

that white people are better off is not a privilege; it's earned, the efforts of the radical left and its

Islamist allies to destroy American values." He feels that privilege exceeds to different to

different areas. He says that Black privilege is so pervasive that it's hard to miss. College

professors practicing "affirmative grading" that it hold black students to lower standards than
others. Corporations offer programs and internships to black workers but not to whites. Black

privilege even extends to political extent. According to Horowitz, President Obama is an

example of black privilege. He says that President Obama had no presidential experience nor

knowledge but the reason why he won the election when he did was because the people

wanted to see someone and something different in office and that something different that the

people wanted to see was an African American man as a president. The people voted for him

because it was something that was out of the norm. But because he was black, that was the

reason why he won the election in 2008. Some who invoke "black privilege" also make another

argument: why make all black privileges wrong? Some privileges can be avoidable, says

Benjamin Shapiro, a political commentator and author of an essay titled "Why White People

Seek Black Privilege. Birth to a two-parent family is an unearned advantage. Birth into wealth is

an unearned advantage. Being born smart or tall or athletic is an unearned advantage," Shapiro

says. "But being born white in a rural backwater in West Virginia is not an advantage. No one

has control of who and what they. Whether they are black or white or both. It just happens.

Blackness has become a "tremendous asset" in contemporary America, as he writes in his

column. Despite the "horrific and evil history of racism against black people," being of a different

race today gives privileges ranging from landing coveted college scholarships to becoming

activists who can build careers on racial grievances, he says. There are even whites now who

try to pass themselves off as black activists because it's a career booster, Shapiro says. He

cites Rachel Dolezal, the former head of an NAACP chapter, who said and claims that she

identifies as a black woman but was called white by her family members. If there is such an

issue with people of color, why is there white people trying to imitate them and wanting to be

them, when the white race have it made when it comes to job opportunities, wealth and

privileges? Those of different races have to work and work hard for what they have. Nothing

they have is given to them.

 But one thing for sure that whites do not have to worry about is police brutality. Over the

years, many lives were taken due to the fact the police felt they were doing their job but in

reality, they were just being a bit too aggressive. According to washingtonpost.com, Police have

shot and killed young, black men (ages 18 to 29) such as Michael Brown in Ferguson. There

has been 175 death since January 2015; 24 of them were unarmed. Over that same period,

police have shot and killed 172 young white men, 18 of whom were unarmed. Once again, while

is disproportionate to their percentage of the U.S. population. Of all of the unarmed people shot

and killed by police in 2015, 40 percent of them were black men, even though black men make

up just 6 percent of the nations population. Once again with numbers, as long as you, you do

not need numbers to show the proof. The list goes on and on of the names of the men and

women who have been shot and killed by the police for nothing. And till this day, there are

finding proof that Michael Brown from Ferguson, did not rob the store that the police claimed

that he robbed. Though he was doing something illegal, he did not rob the store. Tamir Rice, a

little boy who police described to look like a grown man was playing with a toy gun outside, was

shot and brutally killed and is now getting some sort of justice because the woman 911 operator

did not seem to take her job serious when he was seeking some type of help and now it seems

as she will be suspended from her job for a few days. But those cops who shoot these boys,

were white and the only consequences they had to face were paid leave and after that paid

leave, those cops were able to come back to work as if nothing ever happened in the first place.

Regardless of what happened, murders were committed whether people want to admit it or not.

Those boys families have to live with the fact that a loved one's life was taken by a police all

due to the fact that false information was given to them while an officer gets to just gets to

continue living their life. People of color do not have it easy especially with these statistics and

the way life is set up. Rappers and comedians even mentions it in their skits and music how well

those that are have it. One comedian even says "Here's how great it is to be white," he says. "I

can get in a time machine and go to any time, and it would be awesome when I get there. ... A
black guy in a time machine is like, hey, any time before 1980, no thank you." That clearly tells

you how the world was back then and how it is now. Life in the past was no fun and today,

people of color are just trying to be at the same level as everybody else. Yes, it is a free country,

but is it really? When will those that wear hijabs not be looked at differently? When will white

privilege be looked at as something in the past and no longer as something that is happening

right now?

References

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/07/11/arent-more-white-people-

than-black-people-killed-by-police-yes-but-no/?utm_term=.76aa2de26afd

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/30/us/black-privilege/

Race, class, and gender in the united states, Paula S. Rothernberg with Kelly S. Mayhew