To be slightly fed up of white people doing this

[TacoLover]

Every time there is a thread discussing racism, there will be a mention of white privilege. Cue a flurry of hurt posters writing essays about how stupid the idea of white privilege is and how it doesn't exist, because their lives are so hard and they grew up on a few pieces of bread and a Red Bull

This really gets on my tits because after seeing this shit time and time again, THIS ISN'T WHAT WHITE PRIVILEGE MEANS. It doesn't mean your life isn't hard, it doesn't mean you don't face barriers in your life. What it does mean is the barriers in your life will never or hardly ever be a result of the colour of your skin. It doesn't mean you live in a mansion because you're white.

Just needed to get that out,sorry. I'm sure my only replies will be white people telling me how racist I am for only targeting them(Even though this is something that only white people do)

Failing to recognise their privileged position is not something that "only white people do".

What about male privilege?

I also think that some people aren’t good at listening. So for example a black person might say that they’ve experienced racism all the way through school/uni/work and some white people might think ‘no, the U.K. isn’t racist like that’. Rather than listening and learning and realising that we don’t see that racism because as white people, it hasn’t affected us.

Hope that makes any sense! Totally does in my head...

What about it? If OP wanted to discuss that they’d start a thread about it.

I never heard about WP until I read about it on MN. Then I was insulted. Then I understood. Now I agree!

No, you're right. Nobody likes being told that they have it better/easier than other people (look at the reaction of men when women discuss women's issues), but that's no reason not to accept it as true.

It is entirely reasonable to be fed up of that kind of reaction - it's exhausting, and takes focus away from whatever particular issue is being discussed.

Yanbu.

Well said OP!

Well said, OP. White privilege / fragility silences black grievances.

lillylolly

What about male privilege?

Whataboutery strikes again. Why are you trying to detail the thread?

Yes, a white male has even more privilege.

Yeah it's annoying.
Same as you can't raise any issue about women without someone saying what about men. Any discussion on FGM becomes a debate on circumcision.

All white people or some white people? I thought it was considered insulting to group every person who happened to share the same skin colour together.

YANBU. I can understand why someone who is in a very difficult situation, e.g. extreme poverty, might not recognise that they have any privilege. I don't think that's likely to be the case with the offended white posters on here though.

I'm ashamed to say I only really understood about white privilege fairly recently. I just hadn't thought about it being a white female inside my bubble.

I didn't 'know' about it because I've always thought myself to be accepting of all etc, which while true, didn't go as far as to consider life from outside my own perspective. Now it seems completely obvious.

No thread derailing here.

YADNBU

Yes all white people.

It would be difficult to be white and avoid being treated like a white person.

Sigh..

No it's not insulting in this incidence as you well know. Globally, you are in a more privileged position if you are white, male, not disabled and heterosexual.

Agreed 1000%. I think some people just do not want to understand. If you haven't had a lived experience, please listen to those who have rather than denying the problem exists.

I'm not trying to derail, sorry if that's how it came across. I think what I am trying to say is that privilege is something that affects a lot of us. It's not as simple as saying that "white privilege" means that no white person has ever suffered from someone else's privilege. Women suffer from male privilege. Class of Private school privilege exists as well, for example.

I don't think it's as simple as saying that white people can't understand the effects of privilege. I am a working class, disabled, white female. I've experienced privilege working against me. Yes it's a different type of privilege but the end result is the same, no?

“Why I am no longer talking to white people about race” is good on white privilege. Certainly gave me food for thought.

White privilege definitely exists in the UK (and USA and other places), however where I currently live, Arab privilege exists. White isn't supreme over the whole globe.
Struggling to come up with a place where male privilege doesn't exist. Does anyone know anywhere?

Have you ever seen this video

It’s the phrase itself that gets people’s backs up.

I understand that it’s about living your life in a way where you never have to even consider circumstances that someone else would have to navigate as routine but taken at face value the word privileged is what people focus on. Very few would describe themselves like that. It comes across as belittling their own circumstances.

Shame really as the concept is a valid one but to make it meaningful to the population at large means overcoming people’s defensivness. I really think it’s in the phrasing itself.

I explained it the other day using male privilage as an example I.e a man will not routinely have his fertility/reproductive choices as a barrier to employment before he’s even walked through the door.

I think HarriedHarriet sums up my situation also.

I agree I think that people don't really understand what white privlidged is. So as you say think it means all white people don't have problems and are rich, well educated etc.

YANBU.

lillylollylandy no it’s not the same. You may face your own experience of other people’s privileges but the OP’s point is about white privilege and if you don’t understand that you are simply proving their point!