i sort of refer to it a lot. or, at least, it's on my mind a lot. it really is inescapable.
i remember the day that i went from saying "can't we all just be colorblind" to the realization that i am privileged and it's my job to own it and do something about it. that day changed my life. it changed the way i think, the way i act, the way i see things. the way i vote.
so... don't read this article if you don't want to be challenged. AND don't read it if you are going to write me off as a commy liberal (thanks, grandpa, for that lovely saying). even though the article is about the [political] reality we are facing right now, it is MUCH MUCH BIGGER than that. i hope you get frustrated (with me, with tim wise, with the article, with our country, with the media, with the patriarchal society we're a part of, with democrats, with whoever). you can think it's a bunch of shit, but in the end, i hope that you can't deny that if you are white, you are... privileged.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
have you heard me talk about white privilege?
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6 comments:
amen to that.
This was my favorite line:
White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you.
i heard snl was pretty awesome this past weekend. did you happen to catch it?
I’ve got to say, while I agree that because I am white, I am privileged, I don’t agree with this article. To me, this article says, “I’m an Obama supporter, and I’m going to use white privilege as a way to bag on Palin.”
In my opinion, and this is simply my opinion, the public loves and hates Obama and Palin for the same reasons: they represent a different type of politician than we’ve typically seen in office. Neither is both white and male.
A made a few responses below…
White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay. (What about all the crap the media gave to Britney Spear’s little sister last year including conservative talk show host Bill O’Reilly?)
White privilege is when you can call yourself a “fuckin’ redneck,” like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll “kick their fuckin' ass,” and talk about how you like to “shoot shit” for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug. (Whose viewing this kid as a great all-American boy? Palin? Sure…she’s gotta say that…but the media? I haven’t heard anyone praising baby daddy.)
White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action. (How does this author know that Sarah Palin didn’t have many family and friends who at the time thought she was a failure? She managed to get herself educated and become Governor of Alaska… so why should anyone question her intelligence now? There are plenty of 18,19 and 20 year olds both white, latino, black, etc that have difficulty finding themselves at that age.)
White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re “untested.” (I think both of them are getting equal heat for being unqualifed for office by typical standards of the past. Both parties are pointing that same finger at each other.)
Hey Lesley,
One of the readers from the article commented on the Wise article specifically about the Jamie Lynn Spears issue... they said: "Even so, Jamie Lynn Spears is rich and was publicly vilipended for her pregnancy...however, her child being born out of wedlock was NOT attributed to her race. A poor white girl who has a child out of wedlock would probably not be viewed nicely, I agree, but a black girl from the projects who has a child out of wedlock would not only be viewed badly, but it would be attributed to her race."
Re: Bristol Palin's boyfriend... the point is not whether or not he is viewed as the all american boy, it's that he doesn't receive the same viewing that he would if he weren't white.
Re: Palin's education- I totally agree. So many people at that age in general are on a quest to find themselves. Though, I disagree with you regarding questioning her education; why is it so bad to question that? I am curious to know why she only has a BA degree-- I would definitely feel more comfortable (though I'm not saying it's the one way to go) if she had some higher education. I know what it was like to get a BA- it wasn't easy, but I wouldn't say that the education I received qualifies me to be 2nd in charge of a nation (yes, yes, her experience sets her a part from me. I'm talking education only).
I hear what you're saying about them getting equal heat. I agree that they're both getting heat, but it's different kind of flames, I think.
hey katz. i haven't read the tim wise article but if past experience is worth a damn, I'll probably be interested in it. maybe next time we hang out I'll bring my book called "white privilege" and we can read it out loud to each other or something...haha.
hope you are well. see you in sf the last week of october.
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