The Reality of White Privilege

Written by ANTH420, compiled by

Brian Ahn Thorpe and Brittany Mitchell

All people who are phenotypically white in the United States benefit from White Privilege(s) because we live in a White Supremacist society that systematically disadvantages non-white bodies. Individual people’s relationships to White Privilege are often complicated by other systems of oppres­sion, which include but are not limited to classism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism and able-bodiedism. Racism and clas­sism are specifically difficult to negotiate because our racist society systematically guarantees that people of color will be disproportionately poor. The following is the result of a class brainstorming session. It is written from multiple per­spectives. In every case that “I” is used, the person writing is a white person speaking about the way they benefit from a white supremacist society. However, because we worked as a class, we chose to leave individual names off. This is an introduction to white privilege, and much is excluded from this list. It is not intended to be the final say on white privi­lege given that the effects of white supremacy vary individu­ally and situationally. These examples are only part of the overwhelming social, political and economic advantages given to whites by virtue of our country’s pervasive legacy of racism, and their majority status. These examples are FACT, the effects of which are felt everyday by people of color.

Self-Definition

1.White people have more freedom to construct their own identities. People of color are constantly asso­ciated with their race while whites have the privi­lege to identify themselves entirely as individuals.

2.People of color are constantly associated with their race while whites have the privilege to identify themselves entirely as individuals.

3. White people do not have to identify themselves as “American” because their nationality is assumed to be so. Also, there is no “hyphenated” identity that defines whites as a qualified American, such as African-American, Asian American, etc.

4. Self-definition is more personal rather than political for whites.

5. White people are rarely forced to think about identity politics in everyday life, and are more able to “forget” their race and the effects it has on their lives.

6. White cultural stereotypes usually benefit whites, (i.e. intelligence is often equated with whiteness), whereas stereotypes of non-white peoples are degrading and disempowering.

7. White people do not have to disprove stereotypes about their race to employers, professors, or others in positions of power.

8. White privilege allows for the naming of others free of critical self-reflection.

Prison Industrial Complex/Policing

1. White neighborhoods are not heavily policed.

2. White people do not have to worry about being pulled over by the police because of their race.

3. White people are less likely to be approached, arrested, convicted, and serve jail time for drug offenses.

4. If a white person is convicted of a crime, they’re more likely to have a shorter sentence in a lower-security prison.

5. If a white woman kills her abuser in self-defense, she is less likely to go to jail.

6. Crack cocaine offenses have much more severe penalties than powder cocaine offenses because crack is associated with poor people of color and cocaine is associated with wealthy white people.

7. White people are not what society associates with criminality/are not what people picture when they picture a criminal.

8. White corporate criminals receive shorter sentences in lower security prisons for stealing millions of dollars than people of color receive for petty theft that is necessary for survival.

9. The symptoms of poverty are consistently criminalized and people of color are disproportionately poor.

10. Violence perpetrated by the military and the police force against people of color—including physical and sexual assault, murder, and torture—are generally exempt from punishment.

11. White people, unless they belong to a well-known radical organization, are exempt from the Patriot Act and all of the violence that occurs because of it.

12. White people are not racially profiled.

13. White people are almost always exempt from the violent abuses of the INS.

14. Sex work associated with white people (pornography, hotlines, high-paying prostitution) are either legal or unpersecuted/unprosecuted. Sex work associated with people of color (street prostitution) is highly criminalized and persecuted/prosecuted.

15. People of color, especially Blacks and Latinos, are disproportionately incarcerated and therefore are more likely to face the violence and dehumanization of the Prison Industrial Complex.

16. White communities do not lose overwhelming amounts of family members to the PIC.

17. White communities do not lose overwhelming amounts of resources that those family members could have contributed—financial, emotional, spiritual, and physical.

Law

1. The law is written for whites.

2. U.S. law is based on its constitutionality. The Constitution is a racist document.

3. Most lawyers, judges, and legislators are white.

4. Non-white “immigrants” are considered illegal, no matter how long they’ve been in the US.

5. Drug laws are constructed to target urban people of color.

6. White collar crimes usually affect a substantial number of people but are rarely prosecuted in com­parison to racialized/ petty crimes.

7. There are a large number of nonwhite teens in jail for killing their mother’s abusers/batterers.

Family

1. There are many examples of white families in the media.

2. The normal representation of a white family is functional, loving, and supportive.

3. White families that are NOT the above are considered anomalies and not representative of a dysfunctional culture.

4. There is no historical effort to destroy the white conception of the family, or the white race’s ability to maintain family.

5. The stereotype of a good mother and good father align with white cultural values.

6. The white family has not been pathologized as have the family structures of all other racial groups.

Demographics

Part of white privilege is social comfort and assurance of representation that can be found in the following forms:

1. Most colleges and universities in the US are majority white.

2. Most of the top leadership in Fortune 500 companies is white.

3. Most neighborhoods where the average salary is above the national average are white.

4. Most elected officials in the federal government are white.

Health Care

1. Most health professionals are white, thus white patients have the privilege and comfort of identifying with their health care providers and knowing that they will not be discriminated against because of their race.

2. Medical training and care are based on white cultural values and conceptualizations of health.

3. White people face less risk of forced sterilizations or lack of control of reproductive health.

4. Most medical care is provided in English which privileges English speakers.

5. White people are disproportionately wealthy and thus are more likely to have access to quality health care.

6. White people are more likely to have full-time jobs that provide good health care to their employees.

7. Whites are more likely to enjoy cleaner environments such as higher water and air quality because they have the ability to live in the suburbs.

8. White people live longer than any other racial group.

9. White people do not face the constant physical effects of systemic racism. Communities of color disproportionately suffer from tension related diseases.

10. City services or public services are generally more active in white neighborhoods.

11. White flight to the suburbs means that whites are more likely to enjoy cleaner environments such as higher water and air quality.

12. City services/public services are generally more common and active in white neighborhoods in com­parison to racial ghettos.

Media

Most media, especially the corporate media that dominates our society is owned by whites.

News:

1. Emphasis on white community when speaking of “community.”

2. Conflation of crime and criminality with nonwhite races.

3. Inadequate reporting on globally relevant news both in terms of accuracy and enough coverage.

4. Corporate news coverage promotes the American Dream, colorblindness and capitalism without questioning who benefits and who suffers.

5. Manipulation of nonwhite commentary/voices as “representative” of their respective communities.

6. Whenever race is talked about on the news, they are talking about people of color.

7. If the news covers racism, it is always personal, never institutional.

TV/Film

8. Sensationalization and exotification of people of color.

9. Whiteness conflated with heroism, “good guys.”

10. Lack of people of color in major/leading roles involving complex characters.

11. Portrayals of people of color that adhere to and promote stereotypes.

12. Villainization of nonwhites/portrayal of gangsters, crime, violence, drugs as nonwhite.

13. Sexualization of non-white bodies.

Advertising

14. Whiteness associated with ideal beauty.

15. Commodification of non-white peoples and cultures by white-owned businesses to make money.

16. Personal care products (skin care, etc.) often kept racially specific, with the majority marketed to whites.

Housing

1. As a white person, I have never had to be aware of my skin color when interviewing for housing.

2. I don’t face the consequences redlining practices.

3. I have never considered my skin color a factor in how I am considered for housing or roommate comfort possibilities.

4. I have been able to live where I want and feel comfortable walking down the street.

5. I have never been suspected as a threat or a sign of “ill” society.

6. I feel comfortable calling the police if something is suspicious; I do not worry about “my standing” in the neighborhood, or what people will assume.

7. The neighborhoods and schools considered “good” are located in neighborhoods where I can afford to live.

8. My parents were able to sell a house and easily rent an apartment without facing discrimination because of their race.

9. I am more likely to pay less for the same housing

.

10. I am more likely to be able to get a loan/take out a mortgage than a person of color with the exact same financial history and status as me.

11. I am less likely to have to live somewhere dilapidated.

12. I have been privileged to consider money and location as the only factors in my housing decisions.

Education

1. White people have the privilege to be educated by people of their own race.

2. White notions of entitlement and ideas of “success” dominate the education system.

3. If a white person makes a mistake or suffers academically, it will not attributed it to their race.

4. The mainstream methodology and epistemology behind teaching is culturally white.

5. Whites have the privilege to be educated alongside peers who are of their race, particularly in college.

6. Whites are more likely to be able to have the economic resources to attend private schools or live in neighborhoods that have better public schools due to property tax funding.

7. White people are not asked to educate others about their race or racism.

8. White people are not exploited to create a “diverse” educational environment.

9. Whites are much more likely to have the privilege of a family legacy when applying to elite schools.

10. White people do not have to deal with the accusation that they got into college because of Affirmative Action.

The Liberal Arts Classroom

1. I have never been asked to speak for people who were not in the room.

2. Nobody has made assumptions about who I am because of my skin color.

3. Teachers have never been uncomfortable talking about subjects of race in my presence.

4. In discussions my perspective is never taken to represent individuals aside from myself.

5. I have never had to disprove assumptions based on my skin color.

6. If I do poorly on an assignment, nobody will attribute my performance to my skin color.

7. When I do well, I can expect that people will not be surprised.

8. I can remain quiet in conversations of race without being conspicuous.

9. When I enter a classroom for the first time, I can assume that my professor’s first impression of me will not be the color of my skin.

10. I can assume that my skin color will not work negatively against me.

Violence

1. Whites are usually portrayed as the victims of crime and violence, with people of color portrayed as the perpetrators.

2. White criminals are able to be individuals who commit crimes, while people of color who commit crimes have their individual identities subsumed by their respective racial group.

3. Nonwhite people are more likely to be a victim of violent crime.

4. White people are not the victim of media sensation­alization of certain crimes by race (i.e. white collar crime/suburban crimes are seen as shocking and un­usual where crime in nonwhite communities is seen as the norm)

Banking

1. White people are less likely to arouse suspicion about the source of their money when make large deposits and/or withdrawals.

2. Whites can apply for loans without worrying about rejection or predatory lending (high interest rates) due to their race.

3. White people can write checks without worrying that the recipient will be skeptical about whether the payment will bounce due to their race.

4. White people can wait in line at an ATM without worrying that other people in line will think you will rob them.

Politics

1. I receive correct notification of voting practices and protocols.

2. I am represented politically by people of my race.

3. I have the opportunity to run for all offices without being the “first ______” to hold it.

4. I am made to feel like a full citizen.

5. I benefit from convenient voting centers.

6. I have money to make campaign contributions.

7. White people benefit from historical political legacies.

8. I have the right to vote without harassment.

9. My voice will be heard.

10. People are working in Washington for me.

Military

(This category in particular is highly effected by class. Many poor whites do not receive these privileges).

1. The heaviest military recruitment will not occur in my schools or town.

2. I can raise my children in a community where entering the military will not be presented as the “only option” for self-improvement or employment.

3. The “Be All You Can Be” advertisements do not present classed and racialized images of whiteness.

4. If I transgressed the military authorities, my actions will not be seen as representative of my race.

5. I can also expect to receive pardon or lesser punishment because of my race.

6. I can progress more rapidly within the military hierarchy because of my race.

Travel and Tourism

1. White people can travel internationally and have easy access to embassies/ representation.

2. Whiteness is often conflated with wealth, allowing white people to be treated well abroad.

3. White people receive the benefit of the doubt in legal situations.

4. Positive racial profiling allows white people to be welcomed/ allowed entry most places.

5. Whiteness is conflated with Americanness.

6. White people have the ability to consume culture and re-center whiteness as culture-less.

7. White people have the ability to maintain a consumptive, irresponsible lifestyle when traveling.

8. White people have the ability to believe one is existing in a colorblind world and ignore tense racial dynamics.