White Privilege II: Who Do You Think You’re Talking To?
I was doing some grading this afternoon. On Fridays, I usually spend time off campus working from home or a coffee shop. My wife sent me a text asking if I had heard Macklemore’s new song “White Privilege II” . I hadn’t. I googled the song and promptly found it on YouTube. With its provocative title, as well as its 8:43 minute run time, it was clear that this was an effort at sending a message.
After listening to Macklemore’s signature fusion of earnest spoken-word styled rap over a minimalist accompaniment of forceful chorus, neo-soul and jazz tinged saxophone and piano, with interludes from news broadcasts covering #BlackLivesMatter, I felt conflicted. “White Privilege II” is a straightforward song that speaks directly to the title. Through a critical lens, it can be seen at least two ways. The first is from the perspective of Macklemore speaking for Black communities. The other would be that he is speaking to other White allies.
On first listen, I experienced “White Privilege II” as a song that was written in order to inspire. It held a familiar energy, almost an expectation that the listener should be moved and challenged. However, for me, the song fell somewhat flat. In fact, I found no more revelation in this White man’s song about White privilege, than many Black people have found in shows like Making a Murder, which chronicles the systematized and institutional injustice inherent in our justice system, or in news reports that detail the senseless deaths of Black people at the hands of police. As I heard the other day in the barbershop, “Racism isn’t news to us.”
Some might wonder whether this is a fair reaction, or whether as a Black man I should be grateful that a White celebrity has used his resources to support Black lives. To those who would ask, I would first remind them that Black Lives Matter is more than just a hashtag, and that this movement has direct impact on my life and the lives of my friends, family, and overall community. I would then explain that my reaction to “White Privilege II” has been shaped by exposure to actual White privilege, and the ever-present primacy of the White voice. Whether it is the Twitter trolls who feel the need to work in at least one “All Lives Matter,” into every #BlackLivesMatter feed that they come across, or the Whitesplaining that Matt Damon engaged in while trying to school Effie Brown on “diversity in casting” during an episode of Project Greenlight, or a White commentator telling protesters that blocking the Bay Bridge is not the way that they should protest the shootings of unarmed Black and Brown individuals, there seems to be little room for the actual voices of People of Color.
The feeling of being spoken over and discounted is at the core of the defiant affirmation that “Black Lives Matter.” I believe it is in this defiance that I and other People of Color may be reacting negatively to Macklemore’s efforts. When White people insert themselves into discussions of White privilege, the intent may be positive, yet in many cases the impact is anything but. In my experience, I have found White listening much more powerful, and that in most cases, these well intended interjections are more about reducing White guilt than dismantling racism.
Through years of training people to work to increase their cultural competence and form ally identities, it has become clear that the guilt associated with acknowledging one’s own privilege is actually an impediment to socially just action. Guilt is a type of anger that is directed inwardly, yet unlike regular anger that inspires movement; guilt depresses one’s mood, and leads to inaction. Macklemore gives a vivid description of this struggle at the beginning of the song. However, that description may be one of the most problematic aspects of the song for People of Color.
Exposure to the struggle that White allies have with their White privilege is actually neither useful nor desired by People of Color. This is not due to a lack of empathy. In fact, it is the over abundance of empathy for White people that makes this problematic. It is a common occurrence, during multicultural dialogues, for White participants to derail challenging discussions. The derailing generally manifests in the form of a tearful emotional outburst, which inevitably moves the group to spend the remainder of their time and energy on taking care of the White person.
The role of a social justice ally is to provide support in ways that are focused on deconstructing oppression, and not focused on making one’s self feel better or look good. So, who is Macklemore to the communities with whom he tries to ally? The fact that he released this song, and made it free to the public might be seen as clear evidence of his altruistic intent. However, when one thinks about the amount of exposure that he is receiving (e.g., his name was trending higher that #BlackLivesMatter or #WhitePrivilege), it cannot be denied that he will greatly benefit.
Some might propose that in order to offset this benefit, Macklemore might need to do more than provide exposure. They might suggest that in order to defray his inherent financial gains, that Macklemore might choose to follow the example of other celebrities like John Legend and Chrissy Teigen who provide material support to the movement in ways that focus more on the assistance provided than their profiles as celebrities. Yet, it is likely that whatever route he takes, Macklemore will both benefit from popularizing social justice and be subject to harsh critique.
This speaks to the fundamental reality of White privilege. Whether you like it or not, if you are a White person, you have race-based privilege. It is not something that one can ask for or give up. White privilege is bestowed by our society and it is non-transferable. It is like a spotlight that follows you around, and that will always work in order to benefit you at the cost of People of Color. As an ally one must walk in that light, and work like hell to not let it hurt other people.
As harm goes, “White Privilege II” is pretty low on the spectrum. My assumption is that Macklemore was aiming this piece towards other potential White allies, and it is my hope that the song will help to move them toward greater social consciousness. However the cynic in me cannot help but wonder if it is more likely that regardless of Macklemore’s intent, this song will serve more as an avenue to another Macklemore Grammy, but this time it will be for appropriation of a Black movement as well as a Black art form.
Copyright 2016 Bedford E. F. Palmer II, Ph. D.
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