Should We Keep Calling it “White Privilege”?
America is becoming more and more divisive. In what other ways can we communicate about injustice?
As an outsider looking in, it has been pretty horrifying seeing what has happened to America in the past few years. As one’s political views have become more and more critical to their identity, a division has been forming in the country that is plain to see. In the 2016 election, the national popular vote was not only very close, but it contrasted the results of the electoral college. In 2020, we are seeing this societal split realised in the deep disagreement over the Black Lives Matter movement, the coronavirus pandemic, and Trump’s executive order to ban diversity training for government employees and contractors. There are several reasons why we got here. The Social Dilemma on Netflix explains how aggressive social media algorithms are part of it and the extreme biases in most major media outlets are clearly at play also. At the moment, though, I am less concerned with why things are like this and more about what we can do to remedy it.
America is in Conflict
It shouldn’t be hard to see that America is currently a nation in conflict. The disagreements I referred to earlier are even called the “culture wars”. While it may seem like hyperbole, treating it this way can help find solutions. For one, wars are not always about conquest and obtaining resources. Often, incompatible identities between the groups motivate disputes and fuel violence. The Rwandan genocide or the break-up of Yugoslavia are two examples where people were driven to murder and torture, mostly by the fact that their victims were of a certain ethnicity. While we are obviously not at that point with America (and hopefully never will be), the same underlying processes are at play.
There are two identities (Republican and Democrat) that are progressively being seen as incompatible with each other. Rather than an accurate picture of the other side, each is coming to rely on narratives that turn them from complex and morally-grey people into black and white caricatures. These representations are often emotion-laden and emphasise the violation of core values, resulting in each side increasingly coming to feel hatred for the other and see them as upending the very core of what it means to be American. Of course, I am somewhat generalising here, but all it takes is to scroll through any political content on Facebook for a few minutes to see what I am talking about.
The Case of White Privilege
Looking at the reasoning for Trump’s recent ban on diversity training, we see a belief that critical race theory and similar approaches are indoctrinating people to believe that America and white people are inherently racist and sexist. Now, you could blame Trump and his supporters by saying that they are twisting arguments about the systemic nature of racism into something it no longer is. But I also think some of the blame lies in the way these concepts have been portrayed in the public sphere by those on the left. A Twitter post or an Instagram picture does not allow for the full explanation often required for these concepts to make sense. Without the clarification and context that should accompany these arguments, of course terms like “white privilege” and “structural racism” are going to sound like propaganda to certain people. These terms, phrased and presented how they usually are, threaten the core things these people build their identities around, like the love of their nation or the narrative that America is a land of equal opportunity. Rather than denigrate them for not understanding or disagreeing, which in of itself only widens the growing division, I think a different approach should be taken.
What Can be Done Instead?
Before I get into this, I want to clarify that I do not disagree with arguments about America’s deep-rooted racism. Nor am I saying that we should take a neutral stance which just reinforces the status quo. Rather, I am arguing that in these extremely divisive times, a different approach needs to be taken if we actually want to build the widespread support needed to end racial and other forms of injustice. Part of this involves swallowing your pride and doing what is most likely to make the world a better place. With that out of the way, here are a few thoughts I have about how this issue can be addressed.
The first thing that I think should change is the use of buzzwords and specific terms. Buzzwords are easily twisted to mean something quite different from what they originally communicated. For example, systemic racism went from an acknowledgement of how racist beliefs and practices have been solidified in a country’s cultural, economic, and political structures to meaning that America itself is and always will be racist simply because it is America. Instead of using terms like this, a brief explanation of what the issue is without any catchy title may be a better approach. Instead of mentioning systemic racism, maybe mention the various factors over many generations that have brought disadvantage to people of colour. Of course, this explanation needs to be done with the language and communication conventions appropriate for the person you are talking to.
Of course, this can make it hard for ideas to spread easily and quickly. If a specific term must be used, then I think it is important that it is not phrased in a way that produces identity threats. Terms like white privilege and feminism are easily made to seem evil because they point to a specific group. It is easy for someone to say that white privilege is targeting white people or that feminism is anti-man because it is “right there in the title”. Obviously, a further explanation can justify these terms, but often you will never get a chance to give this explanation because these people feel alienated by merely hearing that initial buzzword. As a result, avoiding terms that threaten a person’s sense of self is probably going to be more effective.
Another option is to acknowledge that not everyone is a perpetrator. Now, phrases like “all lives matter” and “not all men” are used all the time in very inappropriate situations, and that is not what I am supporting here. However, acknowledging that not everyone exhibits the harmful behaviour in question can break down the perception that the other side is a black and white caricature. It also takes away ammunition like “feminists just hate men” or that BLM is about “black supremacy”. The media organisations on each side of this division already make it out as if neither group cares for the other, there is no reason why this should be reinforced in your Instagram post.
While not everyone is intentionally performing injustices, we have all internalised to at least some level racist, sexist, classist, etc. thoughts and behaviours. However, it is important to work up to discussions about unconscious and structural injustice. By their very nature, these forms of discrimination are mostly unacknowledged by the people inflicting them. As hurtful as it can be when someone denies your lived experience of oppression, it can be useful to remember that learning takes time. People are socialised by their surroundings, and it is not completely their fault that they do not understand these things straight away (although in a lot of cases intentional denial is at play). If you have the emotional stamina for it, taking the time to gradually unravel learnt toxic behaviours is probably a more effective approach than merely shouting someone down.
Similarly, I think fighting injustices relevant to both of these artificially constructed sides will further break down barriers. It is becoming more and more apparent to people that a number of feminists also care about men and the inequalities they face due to their gender identity. Intersectionality, that is looking at how various kinds of discrimination connect and become compounded for different people, is also becoming more popular. While one shouldn’t have to talk about the stigma of men’s mental health or connect gender inequality to class every time they want to discuss women’s issues, taking such an approach overall can be helpful.
Also important is to question your own actions and thoughts. Everyone is always learning, and no one has a monopoly on oppression. Consider how different struggles intersect with each other and consider if there is something valid about the other side’s argument that you initially missed. They might be unduly blaming their lack of employment on immigrants, but that doesn’t make their economic disenfranchisement less important. Perhaps with time, the real economic reasons for this person’s struggles will become clear to them. Educating yourself on those struggles is going to make it easier for you to assist them in that realisation.
Closing Thoughts
As I said at the start of this article, these are divisive times. If we want to make the world a better place, we need to consider that. That is why I have suggested that breaking down the barriers between “the left” and “the right” is vital for social change. Of course, the particularly “nice and diplomatic” approach I suggest here isn’t appropriate for every situation. For example, no amount of reframing and nicety is going to work when you are talking to someone who is intentionally deceptive. As another example, everyone has beliefs that are so deeply rooted that discussion alone is not going to change them. However, I do think something needs to change. What do you think? Am I wrong? What other ways can we discuss racial and other forms of injustice that overcomes the nation’s growing divide?
