WHITE PRIVILEGE
- Phaena Kumar
- Jan 20, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 21, 2021
The Oxford Dictionary defines white privilege as innate advantages held by a white person on the basis of their race in a society run by racial in equality. The storming of the US capitol by a largely white crowd today in relation to a rally in support of President Trump is the epitome of white privilege, and is the inspiration for this blog post.
The very term “white privilege” often creates resistance from those who possess it for two reasons. Firstly, using the term “white” makes some uncomfortable as it’s not the normality for them to be defined by their race. Secondly, the term “privilege” can offend as it implies that they have never experienced struggle in their lives. This creates an automatic defensive response, which often means conversations regarding racism and bias are unable to occur as conflict is sparked so early into the conversation. We need to explain that white privilege is not the assumption that those who are white have never experienced struggle in their lives. It is an innate advantage from birth, separate from financial stability or work ethic [1]. White privilege is having more access to power and resources than people of colour in the same situation [2]. As the very term inspires pushback, the explanation of what white privilege is not is just as important as the definition itself so we can discuss the implications of white privilege with those who do not realise they hold it.
White privilege ranges in severity from subtle system racism to extreme prejudice. It ranges from what is viewed as the norm – from “flesh coloured” band aids and “nude” coloured clothing only representing lighter skin tones, to the treatment of people of colour in the justice system. While at first glance this lack of representation doesn’t seem that harmful, the subtle aspect of white privilege starts to embed in our subconscious from an early age when we realise that darker skin tones are not seen as the norm in society. When public goods largely only cater to the needs of a specific race, this indicates that a much deeper issue is at play [2]. In recent years, and especially in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, several brands have begun to represent POC in their media campaigns and sell products catering to a variety of skin tones, which is great to see and shows a significant shift in what is seen as “the norm”. An example of this is Johnson and Johnson, the owners of Band Aid, committing in June 2020 to launch a line of racially inclusive band aids in a diverse range of colours [3]. While there are a few smaller companies such as TruColour who have offered a range of coloured band aids since 2013 [4], these are only available online and are thus less accessible to the general public. While in these more subtle instances of white privilege we are slowly moving towards a more inclusive society, we still have a long way to go.
Sources: Band Aid, Istock
The recent storming of the U.S Capitol building by a largely white crowd on January 6th 2021 highlights the severity of white privilege and its prevalence in society today. The recent riot at the U.S Capitol immediately brings to mind the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, where the stark comparison of police reaction to both crowds honestly sickens me. Video footage of the storming of the U.S. Capitol showed a predominantly white crowd forcing their way into the Capitol building past barricades and police officers, flooding the building. Another video shows the rioters chanting for Vice President Mike Pence to be hung, while a photo captured shows a rioter in full tactical gear carrying zip ties, likely to be an attempt to secure hostages [5]. The law enforcement response was initially to attempt to hold back rioters, however a video was recorded of a police officer taking a selfie with a rioter, and it was later revealed that two of the rioters were off duty police officers [6, 7]. During the BLM protests, the national guard was deployed as the crowd protested peacefully for their lives, however during the U.S Capitol storming the national guard was not deployed until after the rioters had entered the building. On June 1st, 2020, BLM protesters were holding a protest outside the White House and were dispersed with tear gas and rubber bullets so that Trump could have a photo opportunity outside a nearby church [6]. Trump tweeted in response to the BLM that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” and threatened protesters with up to 10 years in prison [11,12] and the BLM protests resulted in over 950 counts of police brutality during anti-racism protests over a five-month period [8]. Comparatively, the U.S capitol riots had a death toll of four rioters and one police officer, with many photographs of protesters being calmly escorted out of the building by police officers with very few arrests [9]. The racial hypocrisy of the justice system towards the POC protesting for their lives compared to the largely white rioters revolting to keep an impeached, racially biased president in power is painfully obvious, and paints a stark picture of the reality that racism is still so prevalent and powerful in today’s society.
Image source: C. Poujoulat, Getty Images
Left: Rioter Andrew Johnson carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern during the Capitol riot. Credit: Win Mcnamee/Getty Images.
Right: Rioters in the United States scaling the walls of the Capitol building. Credit: Jose Luis Magana.
The mixture of emotions I have been feeling in response to the recent U.S Capitol riot has made it hard to put my feelings into words. Michelle Obama tweeted her response to the U.S. Capitol riot in comparison to the Black Lives Matter movement shortly after the recent riot, saying
“In just a few hours, though, my heart had fallen harder and faster than I can remember” [10].
This too, is how I and how I can imagine many others felt the morning of January 6th. It is my hope that one day, the people of colour in next generations to come will be able to live a life free of racism.
Rioter Jake Angeli during the storming of the U.S Capitol building. Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta
In conclusion, white privilege is increasingly prevalent in society today, and we need to continue taking steps to repair the gap between the treatment of the white population and people of colour. We need to continue to educate those around us on racism and speaking up when we identify it.
References:
[1] https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2018/what-is-white-privilege-really
[2] Francis E. Kendall, Diversity in the Classroom and Understanding White Privilege: Creating Pathways to Authentic Relationships Across Race
It’s awesome reading your writing 💙 What came to mind while reading this is a newsletter written by a university professor and historian from America. It’s called the Heather Cox report and she often writes about the current news in relation to America’s past history. She writes really well about racism and specifically, things like BLM and the attack on the capitol. If you have time, check out her work, I think you might like it 🙂