White Privilege
(Warning: this post rambles and is kinda all over the place. You have been warned.)
Continuing discussions that have been raging across several LJ's of my f-list, I've decided to post some of what I think about when I get into race discussions. Personally, I think these conversations need to happen. Race and race relations in this country are broken, seriously and painfully broken. Ignoring race won't make it go away. Neither has Obama's presidency--it's huge, yes, and inspiring, and history-making, but it's still just one step down a very long, very ugly road.
Part of the problem when it comes to discussing race is one of communication. Our history has provided us with so many words and phrases that are fraught with connotations that not everyone realizes or understands. Some words put people on the defensive, other words put them on the offensive, and some words just leave people clueless as to why there is a reaction at all.
So, let's metaphorically sit down and talk about race. Let's unpack some of these meanings and phrases, together, so that we can reach a deeper understanding with one another. I don't think we'll come to a perfect consensus here (although, if we did, that'd be cool), but that doesn't mean we can't try.
Now, this isn't going to be a lecture. I didn't get the Race Relations Answer Guide just because I am black (and being 9/32's, I'd've only gotten the abridged version anyway), and I do not make the mistake of thinking that I know and understand everything there is to know. I figure this is something we can kind of grope towards together. I can only speak to American race, but I encourage my friends from other countries to chime in with information based on their experiences both at home and here.
Now, like I said, race is a touchy subject. It tends to get people's feelings and tempers riled. If we're really going to have a deep and honest conversation about this, there have to be a few ground rules in place. If you don't like that, I'm sorry, but we don't need to add oil to this already-explosive subject.
*Don't be a douche. No, seriously. Think about what you're typing, don't just react. People here are going to have different ideas and opinions, and they're probably not going to agree with yours. We can either respond to that with "Well, you're a dick" and get nowhere, or we can try to find common ground and give people things to think about that might eventually change their mind.
*If you want to fight with someone--not argue, not debate, but fight--DO IT IN YOUR OWN FUCKING JOURNAL. This is not the place, and I won't have people feel as if they can't speak or share out of fear of retaliation. Again, this shit isn't going to change without free and open dialogue and if I think someone's getting in the way of that, I'm gonna get bitchy.
*This topic is going to touch on other sensitive topics: politics, religion, history, class, etc etc. This is all well and good, but that doesn't mean it needs to be hijacked by them. Obama being the first black president-elect is relevant; his politics are less so. Unless it is crucial to your point, let's leave the other stuff out, okay? This topic already has enough baggage.
*Try to be understanding. Seriously. I'm not saying that you should just tolerate bullshit, but the whole reason I'm having this discussion is because not everyone has had the opportunity to learn and to think about this stuff. As long as people are not going out of their way to be deliberately insulting, then there's no reason to jump down their throat when they say something ignorant.
*YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DISMISS WHAT ANYONE ELSE HAS TO SAY. This is the most important rule of all. shogunhb is a white, straight male. This does not mean his thoughts and opinions on race are less valid than yours. This does not mean that he doesn't get a voice in this debate. This does not mean he's somehow incapable of understanding or empathizing, and therefore needs to shut up while the marginalized get to talk. And this is true of my entire f-list. Again, just cause you don't like what someone has to say, it doesn't give you the right to not let him say it. Seriously, people dismissing other people's thoughts and feelings is one of the things that got us in all this bullshit anyway.
Yeah, okay, that's good. I mean, the reason y'all are on my f-list is because I think you're exceptional people. I sincerely doubt you need hand-holding. So let's get to it, okay?
I figure we'll start with the concept of white privilege (or, through a different prism, heteronormative privilege, male privilege, etc). Again, this is a term that causes a knee-jerk reaction in a lot of people. People get defensive, people get affronted, people get guilty. This is not a good way to try and get people to try to think about the idea. So, I'm going to explore what I think white privilege is (and I am willing to concede I'm might be wrong in every detail, so feel free to call me on it), and then y'all can chime in.
Let's start on common ground. First off, it's fair to say that, again, race in this country is fucked up, yes? We can all agree there? Good. Now, one of the ways this manifests is in an imbalance of power, yes? For example, in general, it is easier for a white individual to obtain a mortgage than someone not-white. Now, I don't care about your Uncle Jim who was denied a mortgage four times, while my Uncle Tom Bob got his on the first try, I'm talking in generalities. Again, if we want to bring this out of the racial sphere, we can see that there is a power imbalance between men and women (equal pay for equal work, anyone?), between straights and gays (my marriage is recognized anywhere, George Takei's is not), between wealth and poverty (Bush went to Yale, I went to Uconn).
Privilege is the other side of the discrimination coin. A black guy and a white guy walk into a store. Odds are, the black guy will be the one to be watched by security. The white guy then has the privilege of being able to walk into a store and not have the assumption of dishonesty placed upon him.
Picture "power" on a beam balance. In a perfect world where everyone got puppies and unicorns, the scale would be at equilibrium. Since I still haven't gotten my unicorn, I can assume that we don't live in that perfect world, and so, we don't have that equilibrium. "Power" from one side gets shifted to the other, causing an imbalance. If my side has less, then your side has more. This is not a personal judgment on you. That's just the way it is. This doesn't mean this has to be the way it STAYS, but we're looking at the world as it is right now.
"Hmmm..." says Skip, looking around the White Privilege Super-store. "Who should I oppress today?" In the corner, he spots a young, pretty, Latina girl. "Ah, yes, excellent!" With a cheery whistle, he goes to the check-out counter and points her out to the young man waiting there. "I'll be stripping her of her power today, and using it to further my own, Aryan agenda." The young man looks doubtfully at her. "Well, y'see sir, she's was marginalized yesterday, too. Perhaps another? We have a fine, young, black buck over in Section 8." Skip ponders that for a moment, then shakes his head. "No, I think I'll stay with her. Besides, she's both a woman AND Latina, so she won't even notice the extra loss today." The young man chuckles. "Very good point, sir. Have a great day. Happy oppressing!"
For the record, I don't think this is what happens. Most people who discuss white privilege don't think this is what actually happens. We're just going to toss the ideas of fault and blame, as well as the notion of deliberate, malicious disenfranchising out the window, at least for now. An imbalance of power causes an imbalance on both sides. Hell, I guess the easiest way to put it is by not experiencing institutionalized prejudice, you have a slight advantage over those who do; and, again, that extends beyond race to class, gender, and sexual orientation.
So, that's the first half of privilege. If I am slightly less likely to get a mortgage because of my race or gender, shogunhb becomes slightly more likely to get it because of his. The second half of privilege is where it gets sticky. The first half is kind of amorphous and blameless, because our society is just set up for fail. We're working at it sure, but it's gonna stay broken until it's fixed, and therefore privilege exists whether we want it or not. But the second half of privilege becomes more personal. It's one of those things that you ARE personally accountable for it.
The second half of privilege is when you use your own reference frame to assume that's how life is for everyone. It's when you minimize the struggles that others face because you cannot understand it. It's saying, "He/She is just being touchy. God, not EVERYTHING is racist/sexist/heteronormative." You're right, it isn't--for you. Being white (especially white, straight, and male) is like being invisible. It doesn't stand out, it's the norm. Have you ever had to list way you identify? Mother, husband, Christian, socialist, Democrat, poly, cannibal? Most whites don't list 'white' as part of their identity; most minorities do. Why? Because white is the baseline, the general assumption. So you see others as being overly-sensitive to race because you don't have to be. You don't have to concern yourself with people making snap judgments about you due to your race*. People get annoyed about 'having' to read minorities in class, but don't realize it's because they never have any trouble finding or reading books by and about their own kind. As a child, you could find toys that looked like you--and they were the ones being held up as the standards of real beauty. Wanna hear an insidious one? When you talk, you aren't expected to be able to speak for your entire race.
And when you talk about racism, and, more importantly, when you don't talk about racism, it's given more credence. After all, you're more 'neutral.'
The second half of white privilege is the ability to ignore the existence of white privilege.
(*Again, folks, talking in generalities here.)