Two Facebook posts I have read over the last couple of weeks helped me put into words a concept that is often hard for people look like me, a white male, to understand—the concept of white privilege.
As a white male, it’s easy not to think about how my “whiteness” affords me certain “privileges” that people with other skin colors (especially those who are black) do not enjoy. It’s easy not to think about it because the essence of white privilege is essentially the absence of so many things white people take for granted—and by virtue of our experiences in society (or lack thereof), may not even be aware we are afforded. It’s easy for white people to say things like “well I grew up poor and worked hard and look at where I am now” or “my (black) neighbor and I both have the same type of house, car, education, profession, etc., so how am I any more “privileged” than him?”.
It’s easy to say things like that because that’s not what the concept of white privilege is all about. It isn’t until you really think about the subtle (and not so subtle) racism ingrained in society—the types of things discussed in the articles—that you really understand the meaning of “white privilege” and come to realize how much our fellow human beings who are not white have to put up with on a daily basis.
Read the articles: