What is "White Privilege?"

a reply to: Jamie1

It's very simple. And if anybody were to deny the following as being accurate, you're just lying, or ignorant of how the world works outside of your little bubble.

It is easier to attain success, as a white person, as opposed to somebody of any other color/race in North America

That is the essence of white privilege. It's institutional, not personal racism. Our society, as a whole was built for white people, up until the 60's ish. We've come a very long way at eradicating that and creating a more multicultural system, where people of non white color CAN succeed at the same rate as whites.

But that's not the case for a lot of different places in North America still.

Now just because it exists, doesn't mean we get to bash whites over the head with it, everytime it comes up. Like Feminism and the use of Male Privilege. Yeah, it exists, but 98% of men aren't actively USING their so called privilege to keep women down.

That would be same thing in the case of white privilege.

~Tenth

a reply to: Punisher75

I have it hard when I'm stopped and made late fir a meeting while pulling out of a nice neighborhood in a nice car. To claim white privilege doesn't exist is to say racism doesn't. I hope no one here on ATS is that naive.

originally posted by: Jenisiz

originally posted by: Punisher75
I am gonna have to give a hand to whomever it was that designed that definition.

I think we should give them a place on the board here at ATS, because what you have just posted is the best example of the common understanding of a Conspiracy Theory; something that is often insidious, and of of which the lack of evidence, is the evidence of its existence.
In short the less people see it/have evidence for it, the more likely it is to exist.

Oh it exists. There's hints to it everywhere. Ever hear of racial profiling? Faux News just got caught saying they couldn't tell if someone was bad if their skin was covered. Brown equals bad. I can go on with several other examples.

No, the example you have just used has nothing to do with some systematic White Privilege.

White Privilege is the belief that white people get goodies because they are white, not how much clothing they are wearing.

a reply to: TonyS

Ah well, I just wish that when all the whites are used up I could come see the complete mess what's left make of the place. It will almost certainly become a third world hell hole without the Western Civ work ethic they deride as "acting white."

Either they figure out how to suck it up and work for their supper, or this will become another hell on earth.

At that point, I weep for the ones who did take it to heart successful cultural paradigms. They'll get eaten alive in the country to come.

originally posted by: Jenisiz
a reply to: Punisher75

I have it hard when I'm stopped and made late fir a meeting while pulling out of a nice neighborhood in a nice car. To claim white privilege doesn't exist is to say racism doesn't. I hope no one here on ATS is that naive.

Based on this argument if I am pulled over by a black policemen that means I am being victimized by the system?
That is an absurd, thing to postulate

White privilege can be seen most in looking at the fate of the Native Americans.

If you don’t see white private in that then you are blind…

White privilege is the result of centuries of racism and before that slavery that over the years results in existential advantage of whites as a whole, as well as the ruling people of the land, who though have improved recently in race relations, still have inherent advantages over the black and brown populations.

It doesn’t men that ALL white people are destined to be successful.

It doesn’t mean all colored people are destined to be deprived.

It means that the ruling population of America is white and its only recently did they not practice overt racism.

Indeed, only since the civil rights era of the 50, 60’s and on did some measure of racial equality even begin to exist.

For people to deny this is just being stubborn

Also, on another level, any country such as in Israel there is Jewish privilege, in Saudi Arabia, they have Arab privilege, and in China they have Chinese privileges over any other population who may have immigrated, in Japan as well.

In fact in any country where you have a ruling majority population that population will inherently enjoy a degree of privileges over the minorities.

Particularly a country like America that has a well known era of extreme racism that it has somewhat overcome but not completely.

originally posted by: rupertg
I do believe if George Zimmerman had a Hispanic last name, he would have been found guilty. The national media would also not have made a spectacle out of it. It would have made page 10 news with all the other 'minority on minority' crimes.

And don't get me started on Casey Anthony....

The realprivileged is rich people who can buy the justice system.

This person is speaking truth.

a reply to: Jamie1

The real reason is to deflect responsibility. I meet plenty of "minorities" in this country who understand responsibility.

Stupid is equal opportunity.

White privilege makes me laugh. What are many black students getting scholarships just for being black supposed to be? Or the race card?

White privilege has been replaced by black privilege and no surprise, it's cutting its way to supremacy.

A normative (rather then legal) system, implemented by an authority group (whites) without consideration for or input from minority concerns that benefits said authority.

The system we live in was designed, built and mantained by white males without consideration for or consultation with any other segment of society.

One of the hallmarks of privledge is that you (if you are in the power group) assume it exists (is natural) without conscious awareness.

In China - it was the Mamdarians (now I am very likely wrong on specifics here as my knowledge of Chinese history is meager) and that racial group Mandarian males still has a clear advantage in Chinese society even though on paper there is no privledge.

I bring up China only to show that this is an old and continuing form of infomral governance. Those in power, and I hope we can all agree in the US that white males are in power, consolidate that power to benefit those in their group. It's simple group dynamics but very exclusionary.

Groups working to have a diverse and egalitarian power structure have to consciously work towards always honoring the minority opinions. In fact the Quakers actually allow for instances where a single desenting individual can 'block' an action agreed upon by everyone in a particular 'meeting'.

An example of this privlege from US history that I heard last Monday. The US government (white males) gave away land to white males to homestead. The government provided extensive help to these homesteaders to ensure their succesful outcome. After the civil war, and blacks became citizens, no such opportunity was available though there was no specific law against it. It simply wasn't done. Nobody, except black I imagine, even considered the possibilty.

That is white privlege. And it is difficult for whites to see it - because they feel entitled to the benefits.

The power dynamic is beginning to shift in certain areas causing an existential threat to white privledge. Other groups, women, latinos, blacks are building power around the world demanding a voice in decisions that effect them and the white establishment is afraid that this new power based will act as they did and oppress and exploit them in turn.

I don't believe this to be true - because this new power bloc is truly focused on hearing all voices and decentraliztion of power, local control and maintenance.

You hear the fear from the old guard everyday and my greatest fear for the future is that this old white man club will take down the world before they surrender and change.

Just ask yourself this simple question


If there no such thing as white privilege then why didn’t baseball allow black players until Jackie Robinson in 1947?

I could bring up many other examples like this

I am German/Lebanese (Canadian) and I want to attest that I believe white privilege does in fact exist. I am treated differently than my Lebanese family because I look white. Even my Lebanese family treats me differently because I am white. They all seem more interested in what I am up to. compared to others.

I think that most other ethnicities do look up to whites and wait for their direction. There are those in other ethnicities that reject the influence of whites but they are still influenced.

I do not know what is the basis behind it but other ethnicities do look to whites for the answers and the blame. Whites can deny that this is true but I do not see what difference it makes.

Whites need to step up to the plate and own it. Trouble is many in other ethnicities would find that insulting. So here are the whites, running the world but can not acknowledge that they are privileged to do so as it would upset other ethnicities to bring to the surface what everyone already knew.

It's the "white" elephant in every room...

a reply to: Yeahkeepwatchingme

Black privilege?

Then why does an average black or brown person have 5 thousand dollars to 100 thousand dollars for the average white?

originally posted by: Willtell
Just ask yourself this simple question


If there no such thing as white privilege then why didn’t baseball allow black players until Jackie Robinson in 1947?

I could bring up many other examples like this

That is not an example of White Privilege in 2015.

a reply to: Jenisiz

To claim that "white privilege" is the reason for the problems for African American males is equally naive and draws excuses rather than solutions to the problem.

a reply to: Willtell

Can you rephrase that? I don't understand what you were trying to say.

a reply to: Punisher75

Thats a great example of racism in pre civil rights 1947

a reply to: Willtell

Its not 1948.

originally posted by: JDmOKI
a reply to: Jamie1

White privilege was a concept used to destroy the black community and its working. An invisible enemy/agenda used to make excuses for peoples problems.

I know several african americans who studied and worked hard and are far more successful than me. I call it the "educated privilege"

Earning an education should afford one some privileges in my opinion. If there was no incentive for me to earn my PhD in Mathematics, I probably wouldn't have done it (not entirely true, I'm addicted to mathematics and would probably have done it anyway.)

a reply to: Willtell

I'm under the national average! NOOOOO someone is privileging and im not!

maybe i should continue my education.... hmmmmmmm