to think this person has had masses of white privilege

[raspran]

If a white male has grown up in a small house in a poor family (their words not mine) but went on buy their own home, get a good job with a large multinational and be sponsored through university and immigrate to the USA and get their green card then they can't claim not to have had any white privilege?
Yet they are saying that they have had no white privilege.

This again?

Everyone white has white privilege - it’s not hard to understand and if this person is wilfully refusing to ‘get’ it they’re an actual idiot.

Tell them to read 'why I am no longer talking to white people about race' by Reni Eddo Lodge

I think lots of people think mistake white privilege for being ‘privaledged’ and never having had to struggle.

I’ve had to struggle a lot in my life to get to where I am but none of those struggles have been related to race and I’m sure that a black person would have struggled more if they’d had the same opportunities as me. Therefore I’m not privileged at all but have definitely benefited from white privilege.

You're not unreasonable, raspran. I'm a white person and can see, looking back, that I had white privilege but at the time, never thought of it or felt particularly privileged. It's sometimes difficult for people to see the obvious at the time because there are things just taken for granted. It's only in hindsight that it becomes clear.

You do know that most people really don’t care about this nonsense?

Here’s a good article about it www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2018/what-is-white-privilege-really

@totalpeas22

You do know that most people really don’t care about this nonsense?

You do know that most white people really don’t care about this nonsense

There, fixed that for you.

I don't think it's helpful to make it something quantifiable (mass of as opposed to a little or?) or to make it individualistic (that he has or hasn't). I also don't think there is any evidence that it's worth trying to get someone who doesn't believe they've experienced less injustice due to their perceived race to think otherwise, the idea being taught to White people doesn't really change anything for the better.

White privilege shouldn't be seen as something someone has or possess, it's not something someone owns. it's a social theory that can explains how and why our social systems do not subject those perceived as White at the time of their interaction with a system (for some, that isn't consistent) to the same levels of injustice as others. I personally dislike the word privilege when it comes to something that should be a social right. Being able to buy a home, get a good job that one is qualified for, and being able to immigrate without a racial barrier shouldn't be seen as a privilege, and facing that barrier should be seen as an injustice, not a lack of something that someone else has. There are so many things wrong with that.

But then in general, I think we should take more issues with the systems that perpetuate it than whether or not an individual is up to date with theory. For many people of all heritage, a lot of things are shite and theory language and concepts mean nothing in their lives and trying to enforce is does fuck all to make anything better.

@HerRoyalNotness I just had a quick scan of that link. This bit - I think is misleading:
A person crosses the street to avoid walking next to a group of young black men

I would cross the street if it was a group of 'young men'.

Regarding the answer - I don't think a lot of white people do understand 'white privilege'. I don't know what the solution is I really wish I did.

I’m bored to death of this.

IMHO opinion the “privilege model” not the best one available, but if we’re using it, it’s a society- scale model to explain inequality, not a lump hammer to beat individuals around the head with.

Just stop.

raspran

Its almost like you are saying that its all to do with white privilege and nothing to do with his hard work.

It's not simple. People who had no advantages from birth and worked damn hard to get to where they are can find the word privilege very hard to stomach. Perhaps perhaps it would be better to describe it it as white advantage. Also being bame (in England at least is not a homogeneous experience, arguably my Asian friends have had more advantages because of family connections than I have ever had. I recognise that unconscious bias does exist and I've possibly benefited, but cut people some slack, we live in a varied world. The lowest educational outcome and social mobility is white working class males (

Interesting programme on C4 this week, 'The School that tried to end racism'. very effective game played on this topic.

@FrippEnos

raspran

Its almost like you are saying that its all to do with white privilege and nothing to do with his hard work.

Does the USA routinely welcome black immigrants ?

Some people have white privilege others don't.
It's not a slogan that does much to help the fight against racism and is incorrect anyway.
Plenty of races of white people have experienced racism, oppression, discrimination, ethnic cleansing and atrocities. I doubt any of these feel privileged to have done so.

I have experienced racial prejudice in every country I have lived in (UK, USA, New Zealand).
I have natural blonde hair and blue eyes.
I don’t understand “white privilege”. I do understand “othering”.

Did they have to work hard at it or was it handed to them on a plate?
If handed to them on a plate, definitely white privilege, if not, then I wouldn’t like to speculate until I’d heard their response

Have we ruled out male privilege?

raspran

Does the USA routinely welcome black immigrants ?

I have no idea do you?

I am sure that there are numbers out there somewhere.

But if your response to him saying this is how hard I have worked is "white privilege" then you are ignoring all of the effort that he has put in and you are part of the problem.

@totalpeas22

You do know that most people really don’t care about this nonsense?

Completely agree, because what the Op fails to understand like a majority of other people constantly forcing this, is that they had a huge amount of support at the start. But the more they push, blame, label and accuse the less tolerant people become and stop caring, we become fatigued by it.

You can only win a cause or argument if you change the minds of those whom are indifferent or disagree. The barrage of abuse and labelling people because they don`t see or experience life the same as you does not work, you loose the argument and people stop caring as a whole and I only know from my circle of friends we just say nothing its easier and I predict this is the silent majority of the UK much like Brexit. You will push this so hard that people become normalised to your labelling and people just refuse to care any more.

As for the guy the Op is going on about, why should he? you refuse to accept just may be it may be because it was also from any one or all of the following Dedicated/Studied Hard/Worked hard/Has Intelligence/Has a lot of dedication/Took risks/Grabbed every Opportunity. But yet your main only the fact he is white, your taking away all his hard work and dedication and claiming he got it through white privilege. I know what I would say also and you would not like it one bit. I say good on him for making a success of his life, rather than use your cause to further your jealousy of his success.

@Mehmen that's not what white privilege is. Watch the program on Channel 4.

All white people have white privilege. It comes to everyone who is white. Whether you are a hard worker or not, poor or rich, if you are white you HAVE white privilege. Incidentally I also come from a poor background as do most of my other Indian friends - none of us were sponsored through uni because we were expected to have a degree before we could even joined a multinational. White people are the ones who benefit from schemes that target the uneducated / lowly skilled as their communication styles will fit what the white recruiters are looking for.

Does the USA routinely welcome black immigrants?

How many black people actually yearn to go and live there?

I think the phrase white privilege (and male privilege) is actually really unhelpful as it sounds like it's saying that all white people are privileged and every white person is better off than BAME people.

I think a better phrase should be found.

Does a white person with no qualifications who works in Wimpy have more privileges than a black university educated lawyer?