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)

I love this thread. Thanks for starting it OP. It has helped me put together some new arguments for when people just refuse to understand.

In the conversations I have had people forget that it is a phrase, bad the meaning of the phrase comes from the two words together. Instead people focus on just the second. They then list things in their life that are hard and say 'so how can I be privileged?' They forget that those hard things don't take away from the fact that they had a head start and didn't experience discrimination because of their race.

I grew up somewhere where being white didn't put you on the top of the pile but on a few rungs below (though still towering well above many others) So it was glaring obvious to me, even as a child, that privilege (or luck as I referred to it as a child) was giving me opportunities, access and rights that my peers didn't or had to fight much much harder for.

I can see how it is also important to talk about wealth and education privilege as well.

TacoLover

I don't think that many people have said things like that in this thread. Most people seem to have agreed with your view, haven't they? (Hope so anyway).

I agree with you op.
The first time I ever (knowingly at least) experienced racism was as a teenager with a foreign boyfriend.
Two much older couples were walking past on the opposite side of the street when one of the men started ranting at my boyfriend. I can't remember what he said but I was shocked. It was awful and I think he even threatened to hit my boyfriend over nothing at all.

TangleTwisters

Cool story, bro.

Tangletwister, a growing black privilege where companies refuse to fire black people for misconduct because they fear being accused of racism?

Are you serious?

I could find hundreds of examples to your one example where white employees are promoted over black employees where the later is no worse and in some cases better. I could find hundreds of example where black employees are fired or disciplined for behaviours that white employees get away with.

By the way, is there a growing female privilege that cancels our male privilege?

In any case, by saying there is growing black privilege you are inadvertently admitting that there is white privilege - otherwise why are you concerned by the threat of growing black privilege. I imagine that from your point of view it is a case of "white privilege exist but there is growing black privilege because some organisation refused to fire some black guy because they feared they'd face accusations of racism"

The fact of the matter is that power will never willingly share its throne. It takes integrity to do what's just and right.

My mother is mixed race, has good o levels, qualifications in web design etc, ba,ma,experience in revelent subject of job interest by volunteering etc repeatedly doesn’t get interviews for jobs she’s qualified for (has a foreign name). Has often been passed over for promotions despite excellent work ethic including working extra time to get tasks done.

She has never earned more than 17k a year it’s so disheartening and has gotten worse now she’s older. My mum works hard and is a very intelligent woman the whole thing makes me feel so disheartened about ever finding a career.

Weight, life is never as black and white as you seem to see it.

No doubt you have endless examples at your fingertips but we obviously work in different industries. At work ethnic minorities have a lower threshold to meet to get a graduate job in the company. If it was a choice between a white or black candidate with equal qualifications, the black candidate would get the job every time. We run a programme of positive discrimination.

This is a deliberate policy and is mirrored in similar institutions.

In addition to the above, as I mentioned, misconduct is treated more favourably if you are black.

Where I work there are definite advantages to not being white. I was musing if this could be considered black privilege. If not, why not?

Where I work there are definite advantages to not being white. I was musing if this could be considered black privilege. If not, why not? Because that's not the name for equality.

This whole thread has really been horrible to read, from all the different angles. There has been racism on all the sides here, grouping people together, putting skin colours, and comparing them. I don't deny wp exists but it is getting a bit nasty now, dismissing every view. Assuming, judging and not really listening to genine points of views. It has not been a pleasent thread, from any point of view. As a white woman, I have felt uncomfortable with the generalisation for my ethnicity too. Really unpleasant. Don't group me into a group that I have never joined please.

Sorry OP, it wasn't your post or the 2 pages after that I am on about btw

Tangletwister, you are describing positive discrimination, which is controversial. In any case positive discrimination in the US is used to level the playing field in recognition that white privilege exist. We can argue whether that's the right solution in addressing white privilege in the workplace but surely you can see that this policy is about correcting white privilege, ie levelling the playing field and isn't anything about black privilege.

Incidentally, in one breathe you correctly described it as when a black candidate and a white candidate has equal qualification the job is given to the black person. Clearly you'd rather it be given to the white person, but on what basis? Simply to reinforce white privilege? Then in the next breathe you are assuming that almost all is not all the ethnic minorities are typically less qualified as they have a lower threshold. I'm pretty sure your assumption about how qualified the average ethnic minority is on your industry is wrong. That's what is wrong with the positive discrimination policy. People like you automatically assume that any ethnic minority with a job must have gotten through only because a lower bar has bet set for them. Then to make matters worse, you call it black privilege.

Where does it stop?

Thanks for explaining OP I wasn't quite sure what white priviledge meant and now it's quite clear.

Floydwasacat, may I recommend the book "Why I no longer speak to white people about race"? The book covers situations like yours, where we feel hurt, insulted and try to make the issue all about our sad, hurt, feelings, and how unpleasant the generalisations are. It's unclear what generalisation it is that is so hurtful. That white people benefit from white privilege? If you are white, then yes the colour of your skin has never been turned into a major barrier that has negatively affected your life chances from the school all the way up.

Seriously, cases like yours are highlighted in that book. Take a moment and put yourself in the shoes of an ethnic minority and stop all this poor me, poor me pity party.

I think often it's not being in the predominant race of that country that's a problem. In Japan it's advantage to be Japanese.

@Floyd was a cat

The thing is, it's never fun to read or think about discrimination or privilege etc, but they exist and I think we should be aware of them.

You might not like being put into a group you never joined, but nobody joined a group based on skin colour. We are automatically in certain groups. All of us. So are e.g. visibly disabled people.

Being white, you will have often had an easier time than if you'd been e.g. black. That is because racism does exist. Discussing that fact can make people feel uncomfortable, but it's still better than a white person pretending it doesn't exist. Like you, I am white by the way.

Yes, the UK is better than a lot of other countries where people don't even attempt to disguise their prejudice. But nevertheless, it's up to all of us to be aware and try our best to make the world fairer.

I've always known what wp is and thought I understood it. I remember myself and OH seeing discrimination , in an airport , I won't go into detail , wasn't going through security but elsewhere. I just remember feeling so , well I'm not really sure how to describe it , a bit sick actually. We were both really taken back.

And that's the first time I really , as much as I think I can , got it . I just remember thinking "fuck I really did just see someone be treated so fucking obviously differently because they are a different race and I will just never experience that here purely because I'm white" I felt like shit for even thinking that.

Safe to say , I've tried to educate myself a lot more since because I thought I had such a clear understanding and I really didn't.

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

This! YANBU and same goes for male privilege.

^A white child will likely have come from generations of under achievement and disadvantage. This, I think, is less likely to be true of the black child. I remember reading that poor Chinese children out perform at school all other groups, including rich white children. The only group doing better than them are rich Chinese children. And bottom of the school performance table was white working class boys.

I'm not saying white privilege doesn't exist, I can see it does, but I think poverty (class) is a greater disadvantage than all the others.^

The thing is, even if you are ace at school and come from a comfortable class, your last name may still mean your CV is more likely to get put aside than someone else with a white name with equal achievements.

You still get mistaken for being the nanny/ babysitter despite being an educated, prosperous person, on the sole basis of your skin colour.

You still struggle to establish authority or respect in a work environment comprised of mostly white people.

You still get hurled with racist slurs like 'Chinks' on the bus.

You'll still get the random white person coming up to you on the street and asking where you come from originally. (Would you EVER ask a white stranger where they come from originally? Just why do people do this?)

I think it's very much like everyday sexism indeed.

Lots more of the shit jobs men have to do to make our lives easier, and the jobs we don't want to do, that's what I call a privilege

Men don't generally wipe people's arses for minimum wage. Nice try

YANBU OP.

Im asian, wealthy, oxbridge, upper class and yes I know privileged. I didnt grow up in the UK so didnt face the implicit racism that people growing up here encounter.

With all the privilege and integration (DH is white english) etc, I still face racism:
At a conference a participant asked if I could fetch him some gum - he thought i was the waitress. I was the keynote speaker
DD's friends bday party was at a art studio and was shut for the party. When i walked in, the mum who i had not met before told me very politely that the studio was shut for a private party.
At a shopping center at Cannes, i was followed around by a security guy until i paid and left the building
Called racist slurs by people on the street
Stopped by cops while driving (okay i am a terrible driver so that might also have something to do with this :) )
When Im in shops, other people approach me thinking im the sales assistant

The list goes on and on. Every time it happens I am really shocked but unfortunately less so the longer i live here.

My white friends who are in a similar demographic have never had to go through this. Im sure they have other issues and problems but none that arise because of their color of their skin.

Smudge100 your post is abhorrent and I’ve reported it.

Data to back those assertions?

Whites also created nazism, atomic bombs.
It's multicultural countries that tend to be fairer and more advanced.

Some people do ask some white people where they come from originally based on accent. Again it's a majority culture thing. As someone who has an English accent in Scotland I often get asked where I'm really from despite having lived here longer than England and moving around a lot when in England so not having 1 place I can give them. White privilege may exist in white dominated countries. It definitely doesn't in Japan where it's Japanese privilege. Not been to China but I suspect there being Chinese is advantage. Being white has advantages in parts of Africa because you are considered rich and powerful but you are also often considered as "other", a mazungu.