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)

Rufus, it's happened to me, once - I'm a white male.

I was pulled over by police in a ropey area of North London, late at night. The copper who pulled me over was unfailingly polite.

When I asked why he'd pulled me over, he explained that my number plate had come up with an SE15/Peckham postcode and that it was 'unusual that I was driving round that area so late at night'. He let me go on my way, no questions asked, even when I could produce no form of ID of any kind.

So yep, the only time I've ever been stopped by police was for DWB...

It's a very simple fact that black people are underrepresented in politics and at top jobs.

Either you believe in racial oppression, or you think POC are just not that good or just not that clever. At least have the courage of your convictions to say it.

Btw that's another form of privilege, knowing you can do those jobs because people like you or already in those positions.

AIBU to be slightly fed up with white people being lumped together as a homogenous group and being racially slurred because it's ok to do if the target is white?

What 'racial slurs'? Show me one on this thread.

I think my issue with the term, or possibly the way it is used, is that there is some sort of implication that as a white person I am inherently racist as I’ve benefited from WP.

I appreciate that I have no experience of what it’s like to be anything other than a white female. Being white, it’s impossible not to have benefitted from WP but that doesn’t mean I agree with the inequality or believe I’m deserving of better treatment, or that I don’t see the problem.

Not all white privilege is because of racism, some of it is simply down to being a majority (more representation), being longer standing in the country (obviously doesn’t apply to other recent immigrants - but centuries deep roots in a place can afford a lot of privileges, although deep low status roots can actually be the opposite) etc

is that there is some sort of implication that as a white person I am inherently racist as I’ve benefited from WP.

Is there? Where? Who has said that? Show me an example.

there is some sort of implication that as a white person I am inherently racist as I’ve benefited from WP.

What??

Snap!

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.
This ^^. Plus most people have areas of their lives where they are 'privileged' whether it's their race, their sex, their age, their sexuality, their disability (visible or invisible), their religion, their social class and so on.
Every time on Mumsnet when someone talks about 'white privilege' it comes across as trying to build up a barrier between white and black people (and suggests that those are the only 2 options!). Quit mentioning privilege and talk about the actual present issue instead i.e. don't say 'white privilege means you never get your hair touched', and say instead 'I really hate it when people touch my hair without asking - I know my hair is different to theirs but it's rude and it makes me feel as if I'm a zoo specimen'. Then people will take what you say on board without it becoming an issue solely about race (which, like any issue that involves a major difference, tends to lead to heated words) and will change. Shouting doesn't help, talking quietly changes peoples' minds.

I’m very privileged as a white person and as a person in general I have a great and happy life. I can’t begin to understand how a black person feels and know what they experience day to day.

I live in a very deprived area of England and see many ‘white people’ who are in no way privileged. Their lives are truly awful. Would they still be considered as having better lives (because they are white) over say a black person who went to a private school and had everything in life?

Black people are statistically more likely to suffer violence but that’s looking at statistics so it doesn’t automatically equate to every black person having this experience. Surely many black people have great lives with no violence or discrimination, or is it just terrible all the time for all of them?

I’m not trying to argue, just trying to understand the concept of ‘white privalige’

You know what there are indeed white people who don’t appreciate some advantages they have had. There are also some people who are black who like to raise the racism card all the time.

Why? Because no matter what your skin tone is there are still nobs in your ethnic group just as there are in all human factions

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

Which is why my post was about white privilege, not privilege in general.

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.

I said white people because it's only white people that deny it exists. I didn't mean all white people, that is obvious surely?

Don’t know about white privilage but there seems to be about a thread a day on here slagging off white peoples attitudes. Getting rather tiresome tbh.

Well a small number of white people have been very tiresome on this forum lately, hence my post...

I will reply to more later, at work right now..

I live in a very deprived area of England and see many ‘white people’ who are in no way privileged. Their lives are truly awful. Would they still be considered as having better lives (because they are white) over say a black person who went to a private school and had everything in life?

If your read my OP you would have the answer to this...

You have to remember that Britain is a very culturally divisive society. If one is living in a middle class bubble then it would seem as if white privilege doesn't exist. The only time I have seen it (or any form of racism) in action in Britain is amongst the lower classes. However, because performance and social mobility statistics for non white working class children are better than those of white ones for the outsider it may look like it doesn't exist. It does of course. The lower classes of white people tend to be very resentful that their non white counterparts are more sucessful than they are. But in wider society you don't see it as much as you would see middle class privilege or privately educated privilege etc. In my day to day life for example I only see it in lower middle class people who sometimes have a little bit of an edge to their interactions with my husband (v upper middle and v obviously not white). White privilege is not a very visible issue in British society. It's inevitable that yjose who have any influence would fail to cone across and that those who perpetrate it would deny it when it does get discussed.

White women saying that they don’t see any racism towards black people/POC just really, really need to stop talking.

Stop talking and listen to black people/POC when they are telling you about their experiences.

DO NOT tell them you don’t ‘see’ racism towards them or that it doesn’t happen ‘in this day and age’. You don’t see it because you are so privileged as a white person that it never happens to you and doesn’t effect you in any way.

What I am fed up with, is middle class privileged white women telling other white women how to think & behave.

No white woman knows what it’s like to be a black woman, so fuck off and stop virtue signalling. I treat everyone I meet & work with the same. As an equal - not someone to be pitied.

Would they still be considered as having better lives (because they are white) over say a black person who went to a private school and had everything in life?

Why are you comparing white underprivileged with wealthy black person and not a black person in the same circumstances?

I don’t agree that comparing white privilege to male privilege is whataboutery.

As a female, I regularly experience insidious examples of everyday sexism. Subtle behaviours used to undermine me, because I have a vagina and not a penis.

I’m white, but it doesn’t take a huge leap of imagination to accept that white privilege exists.

I live with everyday sexism. I believe some people live with everyday racism.

@TacoLover thanks for your reply. can you re-read my post and answer it fully? You’ve only addressed one paragraph. thanks 😊

Shambu Because people are people. Some people have it better than others.

You haven't answered the question lucky

It's a very simple fact that black people are underrepresented in politics and at top jobs.
So are women. And the disabled. And gays.
It's not racial oppression, it's the bloody boys' club that exists everywhere because they were there first, claimed the top jobs and have handed them down over time to similar men. To an extent it's natural because in all cultures and species like flocks to like. But they've made sure that it's tough for anyone else to get a foothold. White women have the same struggle, trust me. I've worked in big companies where the only female director is HR (because that's a nice little woman's job) & where women are paid less than men for doing more of the same job. Actually, non-white men did better than white women because at least they had a penis.
If you want black equality at high levels then you need to work for equality for ALL at high levels because that's the only way of breaking up the boys' club.

What I have seen, is that The phrase ‘white privilege’ is unfortunately used as an argument stopper, in the same way as ‘’terf’ is.

But I agree it exists.

Privilege is like playing a game of life - white, men, able bodied, wealthy, straight - all get a head start.

Doesn’t mean that the ones with the head start will win the ‘game’ - there will be less privileged people that will come out on top but you can’t dispute the fact they started with a disadvantage.

I also think, especially in the U.K., that we have a culture of ‘self deprication’ A’la the monty python four Yorkshiremen sketch - it’s funny because it’s true, and we all know people like it.

Shambu Oh I’m sorry, which question? 😊