Can we talk -- openly and civilly?
I know that's not always easy when the subject of discussion happens to be privilege as it pertains to racial advantage, but let's try!
White privilege for instance is not a discussion of one's class or societal status, rather it is a discussion based in the benefits and advantages that some races of people receive from years of prejudice and discrimination. You're hearing more and more about "privilege" these days, particularly from academics who are overly generous with their findings as a result of studies and surveys. One thing about it, however, is the fact that it brings privilege to the forefront of our thinking.
I’ll use myself as an example: My privilege stems from my whiteness, maleness, middle-class upbringing, education, resources for food, access to health care, and familial support. In many ways, I am an expert on the ways my privilege has benefitted me. This is not to ignore that my personality quirks at times put me at a disadvantage, but it doesn’t take away from the many "unearned" benefits I was handed simply from being born with certain traits and resources.
Now, talking in terms of being privileged vs. underprivileged, there is every possibility that many of us could easily come away with a guilt complex compelling us to apologize endlessly to the less fortunate of those born on this planet. There may also be a tendency to be a bit defensive when responding to an accusation of white privilege. It is naturally difficult to identify with the label of privilege i.e. "It wasn't easy for me growing up either...We had to work hard for everything we got!"
However, when thinking about unacknowledged privilege as a phenomenon, I recognize that since hierarchies in most societies are interlocking, there is most likely a lot of privilege (be it gendered, white, heteronormative, socioeconomic) that is denied and protected.
What I want to convey in this article is not an inherent understanding of privilege, but rather a reflection on the knowledge I have gained through living experience, self-examination and peer consultation.
As society generally does not give lessons on how to combat and speak about privilege, it puts the onus on us, global citizens, to address imbalances. Privilege is a tricky subject to talk about, and can spark misunderstanding. I find part of the issue in discussing privilege, is that even individuals who have abundant privilege want to be acknowledged for their hardships. This makes sense -- we all want empathy towards our life challenges, in many cases carrying a sense of pride in obstacles that have been overcome.
WHEN IS COLOR RELEVANT...WHEN IS IT NOT?
I had to give myself a quick check recently following a text message exchange with a "white" journalist friend, easily young enough to be my grandson, who has taken on the cause of telling the story of athletes of color, Black and Indigenous, who overcame barriers to break into their chosen sport during several decades of imposed team and league segregation, primarily 1930-1950. We talk often and compare notes.
On this occasion, I brought to his attention the fact that I had written about two baseball-player friends from my hometown in the early 1950's, without once mentioning the fact that they were Black, because it was not relevant (to me) then any more than it is today. Here is my friend's rather scolding rebuttal:
So, there you go...Even though I have written volumes deploring racial bias and discrimination, I can be accused of privilege when it serves a purpose. In all fairness, the story was not about the two ball players and any hurdles they may have overcome. It was about the remarkable life of a coach they just happened to play for. My initial impulse was to be offended before giving myself that aforementioned check.
Personally, when first entering a conversation about privilege, it is best to ask about the ways in which the person does not have privilege. This is helpful not only in understanding the individual more, but also in extending empathy.
In a conversation as touchy as one involving privilege, it’s important to try to disarm defensives and cultivate open dialogue. Then, after speaking with the person about the ways in which they don’t hold privilege, you can ask in what ways they do. (I’m not remiss in using myself as an example.)
Structuring a conversation that includes the way people have and don’t have privileges makes it easier for others to understand the power of privilege in creating a system of oppression, and this process is transformative.
It is important to understand that just because we don’t have certain kinds of privileges doesn’t mean that we don’t benefit from other forms of privilege. If we realize this, it is easier to work together with folks who share our privileges and those who don’t, to create a more equal world.
Now, consider white privilege for just a minute. For instance, in North America white privilege is a construction created by rich Europeans who wanted to combine their wealth in the New World by pitting poor Europeans against Indigenous and African peoples working as slaves. Poor white people were made to feel that they were superior to other races, and were given small privileges over people of color to create diversion. What this meant was that poor white individuals got to be superior to blacks, but still not on equal footing with wealthy whites. Ultimately, these privileges do not create advantage for the vast majority of the population, and subsequently, this division creates unfairness.
Similarly, men have social and economic privileges over women. This is created from a deep rooted patriarchy that prioritizes men over women. Male privilege isn’t helping anyone ultimately though - it doesn’t help families where mothers make less than male partners, and it doesn’t benefit women in helping to advance the fields of science, math, technology, journalism, finance, and engineering. We all lose when people are treated unfairly and not on the merit of their personhood.
Ultimately, in order to move from a space of marginalization, people need to confront their privileges and recognize that inequality helps no one. As global citizens, we have the revolutionary ability to transform the political, economic, and social environment by recognizing that injustice creates a societal imbalance that negatively impacts everyone.
Similarly, men have social and economic privileges over women. This is created from a deep rooted patriarchy that prioritizes men over women. Male privilege isn’t helping anyone ultimately though - it doesn’t help families where mothers make less than male partners, and it doesn’t benefit women in helping to advance the fields of science, math, technology, journalism, finance, and engineering. We all lose when people are treated unfairly and not on the merit of their personhood.
Ultimately, in order to move from a space of marginalization, people need to confront their privileges and recognize that inequality helps no one. As global citizens, we have the revolutionary ability to transform the political, economic, and social environment by recognizing that injustice creates a societal imbalance that negatively impacts everyone.
In an effort to break the systems of oppression within our societies, it is important to intentionally set-aside time to think about justice, and whether or not our values are aligning with the ways in which we live our lives. Though it is true that hardships are not limited to a specific race, this argument is irrelevant to a discussion on white privilege. It is as if saying, "well, I struggle too" will protect the white individual and cast off any sense of personal attachment to white privilege.
White privilege doesn't mean that you haven't struggled. It means you have been (unfairly) steps ahead in life because of your skin color. Blacks are born into a society where their skin color is already a hardship.
Because racism is written into our government and woven into our society, white privilege is an unfortunate reality, but it's one that, as a culture, we can work to amend so long as we begin to acknowledge its existence. So next time someone tells you to "check your privilege," don't take it as an insult. Listen, see your ignorance, and become conscious of your own privilege. Because the reality is, it's hard to self-examine and we are all in need of someone to tell us when to check our privilege when we, ourselves, are blind to it.
The time has come to end this experiment, just as we ended Prohibition. This is not a call for restoring Jim Crow-like legally required segregation. Rather, it is an acknowledgement that neither blacks nor whites want forced assimilation. Left to their own inclinations, both groups would stay out of each other’s way. Let us live and let live, and not impose the values of one group (white) on those (black or indigenous) who reject them.
This disengagement can and must be a win-win and appeal to economic interests. Both blacks and whites would be freed from totalitarian measures devoted to objectives that have proven impossible.
As for the likelihood of success, consider the remarkable evolution of gay rights. The idea of gay marriage once seemed absurd. Today it is mainstream. Progress on disengagement will be incremental, starting at the fringe and slowly becoming orthodox wisdom, but it can happen.
What gives optimism is that both blacks and whites are tired of today’s social engineering. The most formidable enemies of realistic solutions are relatively few -- energetic white egalitarians in universities, the mass media, and government — not the public.
Progress requires that toxic social engineering be exposed and debated. Voters will reject it just as they reject “affirmative action.” Conceivably, in a decade, there will be no more talk of spending billions to close intractable race-related gaps, just as schemes to uplift humanity by banning alcohol have almost vanished.
Disengagement enjoys an enormous advantage: Nature has hardwired humans for separatism, not assimilation. Surrounding oneself with diversity is not an evolutionary strategy for survival. In the long run, it is radical egalitarians, not we, who fight the uphill battle. Only their superior social position and fanaticism keeps assimilation going.
With exceptions where inter-racial wedlock changes the name of the game and the way it is played, it must be acknowledged that, left to free will, people sharing common characteristics, whether racial or religious, prefer to be among themselves. Separatism need not be legally imposed apartheid; it will occur naturally, though there will be many voluntary exceptions.
And it is unlikely that anyone reading this post will live to see the day when society collectively lives happily ever after -- together, but separately. It will take time!
Remember, people will be people. But in the end, ideally in a perfect world, free to play the game of life as equals on a team with varying characteristics and capabilities, on a level playing field. That's the way I conceive my friends and former team mates having always played the game, in spite of "privilege" that at one time none of us knew we had...or did not have, depending.
Because racism is written into our government and woven into our society, white privilege is an unfortunate reality, but it's one that, as a culture, we can work to amend so long as we begin to acknowledge its existence. So next time someone tells you to "check your privilege," don't take it as an insult. Listen, see your ignorance, and become conscious of your own privilege. Because the reality is, it's hard to self-examine and we are all in need of someone to tell us when to check our privilege when we, ourselves, are blind to it.
AND HERE'S SOMETHING ELSE TO PONDER...
The time has come to end this experiment, just as we ended Prohibition. This is not a call for restoring Jim Crow-like legally required segregation. Rather, it is an acknowledgement that neither blacks nor whites want forced assimilation. Left to their own inclinations, both groups would stay out of each other’s way. Let us live and let live, and not impose the values of one group (white) on those (black or indigenous) who reject them.
This disengagement can and must be a win-win and appeal to economic interests. Both blacks and whites would be freed from totalitarian measures devoted to objectives that have proven impossible.
As for the likelihood of success, consider the remarkable evolution of gay rights. The idea of gay marriage once seemed absurd. Today it is mainstream. Progress on disengagement will be incremental, starting at the fringe and slowly becoming orthodox wisdom, but it can happen.
What gives optimism is that both blacks and whites are tired of today’s social engineering. The most formidable enemies of realistic solutions are relatively few -- energetic white egalitarians in universities, the mass media, and government — not the public.
Progress requires that toxic social engineering be exposed and debated. Voters will reject it just as they reject “affirmative action.” Conceivably, in a decade, there will be no more talk of spending billions to close intractable race-related gaps, just as schemes to uplift humanity by banning alcohol have almost vanished.
Disengagement enjoys an enormous advantage: Nature has hardwired humans for separatism, not assimilation. Surrounding oneself with diversity is not an evolutionary strategy for survival. In the long run, it is radical egalitarians, not we, who fight the uphill battle. Only their superior social position and fanaticism keeps assimilation going.
With exceptions where inter-racial wedlock changes the name of the game and the way it is played, it must be acknowledged that, left to free will, people sharing common characteristics, whether racial or religious, prefer to be among themselves. Separatism need not be legally imposed apartheid; it will occur naturally, though there will be many voluntary exceptions.
And it is unlikely that anyone reading this post will live to see the day when society collectively lives happily ever after -- together, but separately. It will take time!
Remember, people will be people. But in the end, ideally in a perfect world, free to play the game of life as equals on a team with varying characteristics and capabilities, on a level playing field. That's the way I conceive my friends and former team mates having always played the game, in spite of "privilege" that at one time none of us knew we had...or did not have, depending.
As for me, I thank God for privileges of fate. There are those who are not as fortunate and we have to do something about it beyond customary sympathetic lip service so easily paid to racial discrimination in general.
FOOTNOTE: I intend to eventually add this post to my "Dresden: A Perspective on Racial Discrimination..." blog site dicktheblogsterremembers.blogspot.com
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