Five Daily Disses that Demonstrate White Privilege
AKA, “Did You See That?”
White people like to insist that they are not “racist” because they personally do not engage in racist acts. They insist on relegating racism to the past, thus absolving themselves of present responsibility, and they deny their inherent privilege because that would confirm that there is, in fact, a “system” to racism. An important feature of a system is that you don’t think about how it works. You simply live in it.
People of color are subject every day to little disses which try our souls. If you are a white person and participate in any of these, then, yes, you are perpetuating systemic racism despite what you wish to believe. You don’t notice them, but we do. Here are what I call “The Five Daily Disses.”
1. The Currency Concern
My sister and I were window-shopping (mostly) at an upscale mall when we decided to check out the goods at “The Ostentatious Outerwear Store.” Pre-Pandemic, this store already monitored how many potential customers could enter at a time, and the manufactured line encouraged passers-by to stop and see what the big deal was inside. When our turn came to enter, the security guard gave us a big smile and warned, “Oh, ladies. I hope you have your checkbooks ready!”
