what is 'white privilege'? Nobdy seems to want to explain

White privilege exists. White (trash) privilege is where it gets confusing.

I believe it refers to whites always having been the majority and all of the "old" money is with them. Everything has been geared in their favor since the founding of the country.

In today's world more and more of us whites are "trash" (poor) and this doesn't apply, so there is much confusion. It's also why Trump is president.

Imo, white privilege is another meaning for Democracy. Under a Democracy majority rules. In the U.S. the majority is White. Its Black privileage in S. Africa. Jewish privilege in Israel, etc.. White Privilege is just a racist saying for Democracy. Cultural appropriation is even a more ridiculous saying.

originally posted by: Admitted
White privilege exists. White (trash) privilege is where it gets confusing.

Yeah, why haven't I seen mine? You know what I think it is in a nut shell? 70% of America's population is white, so it's not really a privilege it's just how the cookie crumbles, if this country had 70% blacks, it would be the opposite. We are only human and far from perfect, people will ALWAYS point out defects and want EVERYTHING fixed but in reality it will NEVER be fixed. White people dont have as much as minorities do in some aspect, god forbid white people have there own college fund, their own college, or tv station, or white people awards, White Americans dont get to stay with their children when getting arrested but god forbid Mexicans get separated when breaking the law and getting arrested. Anyway, it's all stupid and and irritating to think about, white privilege does not exist. The law bends over backwards to help ease the so called pain and suffering of the minorities so they stop complaining about whatever it is they are complaining about and the law bends for the minorities where it does not for white people. Please tell me im wrong and you know better...

Being white is a prequisite

Then

Being raised by both parents who can keep a good job, save money and plan for your future

Or something like that

a reply to: CaptainHook

originally posted by: xBWOMPxPlease tell me im wrong and you know better...

I don't know any better. White trash is just another slighted minority (albeit a fast-growing one). It's never been about skin color, it's about money.

WE have the availability of white toilet paper in the bathrooms. That explains our white privi-ledge

originally posted by: CaptainHook
Every time I see someone say white privilege. They won't explain or say 'pay up' or give a simple context saying 'look around you'. Then get frustrated with people who are not understanding. So, I was wondering if you could explain what 'white privilege' is.

Do you think it exist? What is your explanation of the meaning white privilege?

Uh, I live in So Cali, it is truly a melting pot...there is no White privilege. I am 95% of the time, the minority in any given daily situation, as a white guy.

Being from the Chicago area, I was the minority maybe 50% of the time.

I do not feel being White has really helped or hurt me too much.

I do know that in areas of the U.S. being white has plenty of advantages. Places like the South, parts of the Midwest too. No question. Just not as much out here.

originally posted by: Admitted

originally posted by: xBWOMPxPlease tell me im wrong and you know better...

I don't know any better. White trash is just another slighted minority (albeit a fast-growing one). It's never been about skin color, it's about money.

That is true, here, i'll tell you a secret, Im a Halliburton, related to the oil giants in Texas, I have met them once during my great grand fathers funeral in Oklahoma when I was about 14 (20 years ago) which was the last direct connection we had to them here in Kansas. They would not talk to us, look at us, they had their side of the funeral they attended and their own funeral party but would not have anything to do with us because we are considered the bottom of the barrel in the family, we were not successful to them, now if we had shown up in our lemos and had millions they probably would have talk to us, but after meeting them I see why my grand father left them and moved to Kansas to live the American dream. Anyway, it has everything to do with money and who's born into it.

Ask yourself: All things being equal, if you were up for a promotion and your competition was an equally-qualified minority, who would get the job? It's a no-brainer. So much for 'white privilege.'

Ask yourself: If you could control your next life in terms of what ethnicity you would choose for yourself, what would it be? It's a no-brainer. It sure would not be white. So much for 'white privilege.'

The thing is, few minorities actually push this meme. They just sit back and let whites who have drunk the kool-aid do it instead.

It's never been about skin color, it's about money.

And here we have the crux of it.

Money.

It just so happens that in the West, a lot of the people with money happen to be 'white'. That is because, for a very long time, the population has been mostly 'white'...

Shocking I know!

But wait, now hold on to your hats! The earth shattering revelations continue!

Hop on over to China and most of the people with money happen to be *drumroll* and *gasp* CHINESE!

Chinese privilege!!! Outrageous!! We must force them to employ poorly qualified white people over and above well qualified Chinese people (in the name of fairness and equality) and if they don't we'll scream racist and facist and Nazi until they are thoroughly ashamed of their own existence!

The whole notion of white privilege is a ludicrous one, devised by (I suspect) some rather savvy individuals and parroted by people who view the world through an incredibly narrow window.

It conveniently serves to deflect and direct valuable outrage and valuable energy into a false conflict and away from the real issue: that there is a tiny group at the top of every society that has acquired and hoarded all the wealth for themselves, and has done so by exploiting everyone else..

it just so happens that most of 'ours' happen to have 'white' skin....

a reply to: Indrasweb

Exactly right, and if we make it about race it can just stay an emotional topic and go nowhere.

If we made it about money, and the people at the top...we might actually see the corruption, the power-grabbing, the propaganda-spewing... We might actually use logic and make sense of the issues.

Scary thought, that.

a reply to: Indrasweb

HAHA so true, I was just telling a black guy at my work something along those lines. He started calling me white supremacist because i shaved my head and started complaining about how there is white privilege because there are more white people that work where I do then blacks. I told him, dude, wichita is 70% white people, America is 70% white people, complaining there are more white people in a work place in America is like you comlaining China has more asains then black people in a work place or Mexico has more hispanics in a work place. It's stupid to complain about.

a reply to: CaptainHook

I doubt you have asked many people if that’s the only answers you have gotten.lol.


White privledge is a really lazy way to say “black discrimination “..


See people have figured out if you throw “black/white” in the title you will get a certain amount of heat..

Some percentage will instantly support you, some percent will instantly oppose you. So it is a lazy way to go viral.

There is no question brown people get discriminated against at some point or the other.. however do all white people have a privledge??


Of course not..

Segregation was less than a life time ago..

Slavery was less than two life times ago..

That leaves a mark that last for awhile.


Just for context .

This is only the second generation of African Americans that got ANY benefit from their fore fathers labor..

Nothing..

None recived land, buisnesses or anything else..

Then just inherently we are more empathetic to those who resemble our own families..

Plus if you ever go back and look at the concerted effort to demonize various groups by the US government and even more so in the states.. ..


There is no question it leaves a mark.

a reply to: CaptainHook

People tend to mix just out right racism for white privilege.

For example if you live in Russia and aren't white, good luck.
If you're white and living in South Korea or Japan and aren't loaded, or a student, again, good luck.

But in America and most European nations, white privilege in the sense that if you're skin is white, you are seen as superior and more likely to be accepted is a dying concept, it used to exist, and still does in pockets here and there, but it's dying out. People are clinging onto the concept tho because of it's history, and you cannot deny it didn't exist, even recently.

Its my understanding that white privilege is basically majority privilege.

if you turn on the TV, you don't have to flip to a bunch of different channels to see someone resembling you or your family (skintone) whereas perhaps an asian in the US may have a long search to find someone they identify as

If you stop at any restaurant, you don't feel like the minority with most everyone else a different skintone

Both of those are just a demographics reality...in China, there is chinese privilege, etc...however, if you dig a bit, a white person in China will have a job in a nanosecond as a "white monkey", aka, the guy (or girl) on the cover of the store or schools newsletter/advert/marketing/whatever because it adds value. Same with most eastern nations.

This is most likely due to a ingrained sociological reality of nations...light skin = well off with a good job indoors, dark skin = poor farmer out in the sun....so ppl always migrated towards seeing light skin as basically a higher class structure.

Anyhow, There is also something to be said about how the typical white family in the west (lets focus on America) never had family members that were segregated or, going further back, slaves...this overall still has some affect towards todays generation due to not a lot of accumulated wealth by comparison to white folks who have had a uninterrupted line of ancestors building up wealth, land, etc and then bestowing it on their children who become wealthier and push that forward, etc.

So...there is a small degree of truth to the notion of privilege in those regards...as far as evening the playing field, that is I guess what the debate is. Its easier for Brad middle upper class to have mom and dad pay for university so he can get a great job than it is for Anthony in the hood who needs to work at a burger flipping job to help mom pay the rent at the 2 bedroom efficiency...university isn't even on the potential horizon for him because the day to day grind just to keep the house is his life.

Of course this is a general state...individually plenty of poor white families, and well off black families, but percentage-wise there is still a significant disparity.

Thats ultimately what it is...I imagine lots of people don't want to even consider it so will just find small examples (Joe the black dude down the street makes more than I do, therefore all untrue) that will be able to comfortably dismiss it...but facts care little about feelings in the end.

What to do about it?...hell if I know. Just because I can see (some of) the problem, doesn't mean I know how to fix it, nor does it suit me to change anything..I am focused on myself and my immediate family

originally posted by: Admitted
It's never been about skin color, it's about money.

Although that is right (the second bit), consider who has the money
Consider who has been able to save, get land, and pass down to future generations since the dawning of..well, lets talk America for now.

Which groups of skin color haven't been able to save, own land, and pass down until just recently...

So yeah, of course its all about the haves and have nots...the whole WP thing is just showing that history has so far favored the white folk because the black folk haven't been able to accumulate.

I guess you could replace it with a less stinging word...inheritance privilege might work.

Anyhow OPs, hope that answered your question and you now are a bit less ignorant on the subject. I am sure you will contemplate it and have a new view when the subject arises again...at least be able to separate real WP from just BS racist hate whitey stuff.

Its good to be curious and ask for more information. not sure ATS is the best place to ask though given soo few around here care to actually dig into subjects that goes against their bias, but I applaud your effort to educate yourself nonetheless

"White privilege" is a racial concept invented by a white liberal who didn't understand statistics.

The only people who have white privilege are rich white liberals who take it upon themselves to both be offended on the behalf of all minorities AND relegate minority groups to perpetual victimhood for political benefit. They are the most insidiously racist people in America.

At least the slack-jawed yokel is honest about their racism.

a reply to: SaturnFX

As I said, yes, whites have had the money in the U.S. since the beginning...all the "old" money is there.

But it isn't about race. Not anymore. Using that label just further divides and does no good for anyone. It creates a new minority: white trash. Then the poor whites fight the minorities for "privilege"...while the actual privileged (the rich) watch and laugh.

Inheritance privilege isn't all bad, it's better than white privilege. At least it conveys something useful.

originally posted by: UKTruth
It's the term used by jealous people who can't stand the fact that some people actually work hard, succeed and pass on wealth to their families.

Its funny how in your dismissing of the notion, actually pressed your finger firmly on the issue.

pass on wealth to their families...heh.

Yeah, why did those slaves never pass on wealth to their offspring...or the segregated families only allowed to even contemplate owning land in squalor areas not simply upgrade to better areas...maybe they should have just went to better schools...during segregation...to accumulate more wealth and pass on to their kids.

Its like...you are soo close to having a sudden realization, but a paper thin wall of anger keeps you back from realizing what you just said and the history involved...oh well.