The Game of Life Was Intended To Be Fair For Everyone
After reading John Scalzi’s work titled, Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There is, I find myself questioning what life is really like for a male who is both white and straight. The author did everything in his ability to avoid the term “privilege” throughout his writing, but I find the word to be very appropriate. His understanding was that white and straight males react very negatively to it, which I really cannot understand. John felt that the best way to explain this topic was to use an analogy that gave gender, race, and sexual orientation a video game difficulty. Yes, just as you would have guessed from the title, being a white and straight male means that you play on the easiest difficulty that this hypothetical game of life has to offer. This concept of “white privilege” had far more relevance in the past when racism was more common, but in the present I cannot help but argue that racism is becoming less of an issue. I find that no privilege exists regarding the color of someone’s skin or sexual orientation, but more so believe that slight advantages relate to specific people and circumstances. I commend John for his ideas and ability to understand race, but without being labeled a racist I would like to question the rationale behind his writing.
John compares life to a role playing game. He uses World of War craft as an example, but expresses that different motives are involved in each of these games. Throughout my life experiences I have come to learn that everyone in this world has a different plan and overall goal. John writes, “Okay: In the role playing game known as The Real World, “Straight White Male” is the lowest difficulty setting there is. This means that the default behaviors for almost all the non-player characters in the game are easier on you than they would be otherwise. The default barriers for completions of quests are lower. Your leveling-up thresholds come more quickly. You automatically gain entry to some parts of the map that others have to work for. The game is easier to play, automatically, and when you need help, by default it’s easier to get.” With this being said, I’m trying to understand what sort of visible or invisible advantages white and straight males have at birth that others do not. I was under the impression that mostly all humans were created with very similar features. Certainly variations are present, but I do not think people are born with obvious advantages like John is willing to argue. He is using this game analogy and I find it to be a bit off topic when comparing it to race. I do not understand why he thinks everything is so easy for this specific group of people? “The Real World” game analogy makes me think that these people were born with cheat codes or hacks that others do not have the ability to obtain. The only tangible advantage that would be considered a privilege would be money, but that is something each and every person has the ability to earn.
In the past race has definitely been in issue around the world. Living within the United State of America I have been able to witness the change in racial relations among our society. Comparing the history of race and privilege to modern times is almost impossible from my perspective. Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote a piece titled, White Privilege, which reads, “White commenters who were financially ‘better off’ than me should assume only that, and no more. They should certainly not assume they were more privileged. I certainly do not. It is the privileges which I experienced, as an individual, that brings me here. If you read something on this blog, or in one of my books, that resonates, holler at me. Don’t apologize. Don’t feel guilty. The guilt isn’t about me anyway. Address me straight up. You didn’t do anything to me. And fanatically believing in “Coatesian Exceptionalism,” I can’t even concede that you had more than me. I was privileged. I got love for you. But I would not trade with you:)”. As a black writer she expresses that she is not comparing herself to anyone else, but rather trying to express that she is not on the “losing end” of the concept white privilege. Everyone in this world grows up with a unique and different worldview created from the experiences they face throughout life. Upbringing certainly has an impact on the idea of privilege, but I find it inappropriate to put the word “white” in front of it. Using race to generalize a group of people as having a better chance at reaching success is simply wrong in my eyes. How does one group of people have it easier than another? In the past when slavery was common, certainly this concept was applicable. To me, money is really the only advantage that can be labeled as a privilege, but at the same time, issues arise from this as well. Consider growing up with all of the money in the world, but without a stable support system mentally, what good does the money do? John does not consider all of the variables that are left untouched when considering “white privilege”. I find that he is so quick to generalize that he leaves out the idea of people being individuals with different personal struggles. Within the United States of America, government policy has been put into place to give slight advantages to minority groups. People argue that this levels the playing field, while others would be quick to say that this simply promotes further inequality within society.
As I mentioned earlier, the United States of America had of history of racism and inequality. With this being said, as time progressed race seemed to become less and less of an issue. The past generations grew up in a totally different life than the more modern generations today. As a result of past racism, the American government has created public policy that attempts to rebuild equality from the dark past that was once common in the country. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights says, “The emphasis is on opportunity: affirmative action programs are meant to break down barriers, both visible and invisible, to level the playing field, and to make sure everyone is given an equal break. They are not meant to guarantee equal results — but instead proceed on the common-sense notion that if equality of opportunity were a reality, African Americans, women, people with disabilities and other groups facing discrimination would be fairly represented in the nation’s work force and educational institutions.” In the past, I think everyone could rationalize how important this policy was, but in 2016 I find that affirmative action can be more so problematic than appropriate. Many cases have come to light regarding the unfair application of this policy. For instance, a legal case titled, Hopwood v. Texas, involved a woman who was denied admission to a university due to lowered qualifications for minority students. Even though this policy was in a way put into place to benefit her, she still received an unfair evaluation. This case found a flaw in the system that gave equal opportunity to the groups of people who faced discrimination. Does this instance not create further inequality? John is so quick to argue that white straight males have the easiest lives, but in reality everyone goes through struggles that cannot be generalized as being harder than another. People are simply born into life and have to deal with the struggles that occur.
John Scalzi’s article points the finger at straight and white men. He has the ability to simply say that life is easier for this group versus another. I for one do not agree with his stance, but everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. John writes, “Oh, and one other thing. Remember when I said that you could choose your difficulty setting in The Real World? Well, I lied. In fact, the computer chooses the difficulty setting for you. You don’t get a choice; you just get what gets given to you at the start of the game, and then you have to deal with it.” With this being said, he is trying to say that this group of people has an advantage, but generalizing is not accurate or right. Everyone is born into some life and we do not get to choose that situation. On an individual basis, everyone faces struggles and difficulties that are hardly comparable to others. With the exception of wealth, people are quite equal in the United States of America. Certainly people have harder lives, but no specific group necessarily has an advantage. The idea of white privilege should not be used to downgrade a race, but rather applied in order to move forward and forget that dark history of racism that our country once faced. As we progress through time, the game of life will continue to be played by everyone from the same equal playing field.
“Affirmative Action.” The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2016.
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. “White Privilege.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 27 Apr. 2012. Web. 30 Apr. 2016.
