Just look at me above, I am white.
I so wanted to have something other than Irish or German DNA, so I did the ancestry DNA thing, and it came back conclusive...I'm white.
30% German
30% Irish/Welsh/English
16% Northern Europe (YES! Part Viking)
4% Southern Europe (Maybe Italy? Possibly some non-white DNA?)
Then some small percentages of other places including < 1% of Jewish DNA.
So, I'm white and I have the paperwork to prove it.
And you can look at me to see that I'm a white man in a predominantly white country with white privilege.
Yes, I said it or typed it, I guess, white privilege.
White privilege exists whether we want to acknowledge it or do anything about it.
Sort of like racism, you can deny it exists, but it does so you're incorrect.
But back to white privilege.
If you're not white, you're probably surprised that white people don't understand their privilege because it's been, well, our life.
I explained it someone once that I have been allowed to "float" through life because of my race.
My family was not the most affluent (we didn't want for anything, but didn't live in a mansion either) in a small town. I had so much support that I was able to pretend like high school mattered, was given many opportunities at jobs, flunked out of college (sorta), worked dead end jobs while figuring out who I was, was offered a coaching position, started subbing and working without a real job after a degree for two years, and now live in a nice home in a nice community with spoiled children.
If that doesn't explain white privilege, I don't know what will because I am not Kennedy or a Bush, or any super affluent rich family in this country.
I'm just a regular guy who floated through his 20's until he found himself and his purpose and started to "thrive".
What % of people of color are able to do that?
They often come from broken homes (not me), they have little support (not me), they aren't given the opportunities of jobs because of issues that come from the first two points listed her (not me), they don't go to college or if they flunk out, it's over (not me), they rarely are given time to find themselves because they are trying to survive the day to day (not me) and just parts of these points do not allow for them to live in a nice home, in a nice community with spoiled children like I do.
Is it socioeconomic and not racial? It could be, but...
What races are often worse off socioeconomically? Non-white.
Should they be able to get out of their situation? Yea, I believe it's a possibility, but as a teacher of psychology and sociology and really, just a person who can look around and see that poverty is generational. It is very hard for anyone to overcome their situation, no matter race.
But it makes sense that if larger numbers of a race are in poverty, then that race will have a harder time overcoming their circumstances.
Which gets me back to my original point.
White privilege exists and really so does American privilege, but that's an article for another time.
But I want you to think about this:
1. I can call 911 at any time and support will be to me almost immediately where I live.
2. I can approach a police officer at any time either peaceful or in a hostile situation and be protected.
3. I can drive through any part of any town and not be pulled over for being suspicious, but often for "my own good" as in "you really need to get out of this part of town" (that may or may not have actually happened.
4. I can speak to law enforcement in just about any tone that I want to.
5. No one follows me around in a store worried about what I am going to do.
6. I could carry a gun and not be stopped by law enforcement and maybe even celebrated by most of those people around me.
And I am sure there are more points I could come up with if I wanted to.
Now don't get me wrong, I love law enforcement, I have friends in law enforcement who some agree with me and I do believe that criminals regardless of race should be treated as such, but...
Why are they criminals?
Why am I not?
I can guarantee you that I have done things in the past and had encounters with law enforcement that ended better for me for whatever reason, but I see it now as white privilege.
But white privilege exists, how do I know?
Because 90%+ people of color think it does.
Because 90%+ people of color think there are issues based on their skin color.
Ok, just because those stats exists doesn't mean it's real, I will concede you are allowed to have that opinion, but if that high of a % believes there are racial issues and believe privilege exists, shouldn't we at least listen?
Yea...I think that's a good place to start.
Listening.
Then learning.
Then changing.
Come on, we can all change some can't we?
