Equality
What Is White Privilege?
Don’t pretend it’s not real
They say that fish don’t see the water in which they swim. Some people use that analogy to explain why some white people don’t see the white privilege in which they live. It’s an imperfect analogy because while white people can navigate through the world unaware of the privilege in which they are immersed, they aren’t fish — they are intelligent beings capable of awareness.
White privilege exists, and all the name-calling by people like Joe doesn’t change that. Society tells me I am “white.” I didn’t grow up knowing that; like so many facts, I had to learn about that social reality. I’ve grown up enough to know that white privilege is real.
What White Privilege Isn’t
There was a time in the US when “Whites Only” signs made clear the reality of white privilege. Those signs are now illegal, so some people think the sentiment behind them is gone. White privilege has not disappeared, nor has racism; it has only become more subtle.
But the reality of white privilege persists, and we can see see it more clearly by dismissing what it isn’t.
- White privilege isn’t a sign that says “Whites Only”
- It isn’t a cash bonus for being born white
