White privilege, in America at least (but also in most other developed nations), undoubtedly exists. Any American who was born white, no matter if you're poor, rich, male, female, immigrant, disabled, etc, possesses this privilege. If you deny that it exists, you're either too engrossed in your white privilege and can't see out of it, or you're plain racist. You might just think "white privilege is just a phrase butthurt liberals use to silence other white people", but I'm a straight, cisgender white male (as privileged as they come) who feels conservatively on many political topics, and I acknowledge white privilege is real. Here are just a few examples of hardships nonwhites experience that white people are almost completely immune to:
- Degrading racial stereotypes. This is a more obvious issue. In America, black people are too frequently stereotyped as violent, "ghetto" and welfare reliant, asians are stereotyped as uncool, overly academic-focused, and having poor social skills, and hispanics are stereotyped as undocumented day-laborers who refuse to learn the English language. White people aren't stereotyped like this. Also, there are derogatory terms to describe these minorities, like n*gger, chink, illegal, etc. White people do not have these names to degrade them, and "cracker" doesn't count.
- Representation. White people are seen everywhere, literally everywhere. In movies, advertisement, television, business, finance, literature etc. White people outnumber and outrepresent minorities in these categories. Yes, you could argue that it is this way because there are more whites than colored people in America, but that's not a defense. Don't you think a child of color who sees only whites on TV, in movies, in ads, in books, and in high-paying jobs would at some point feel that they are lesser, or not worth it? Also, wealthy company owners are overwhelmingly white. Only about 10% of Fortune 500 company owners are minorities, yet 40% of America is a minority. Also, as almost all company leaders are white, too many qualified minorities are turned down from jobs due to unfair racial stereotypes.
- Income. White people on average out-earn African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics everywhere in the country, usually by tens of thousands of dollars per year. This is because white people are almost always guaranteed higher quality schools and are pushed to succeed, causing them to pursue university and get a good job.
- Police brutality. African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans are far more likely to be killed by cops for doing nothing wrong than a white person.
- Fairer prison sentences. Many white people who commit felonious crimes like rape only get a few years in prison, while a black person can get a longer sentence just for marijuana or cocaine possession. "Stop and frisk" policies unfairly target African Americans as criminals just because of their skin color, leading cops to unfairly search them. Also, African Americans are more likely to be imprisoned for crimes they didn't even commit.
- Family ties. African Americans and Hispanics are far more likely to be born into abusive, or single-parent homes than whites, which stems into the child doing poorly in school, being depressed, more likely to commit a crime, and more at risk for suicide.
- Neighborhood safety. Far too many poor minorities live in neighborhoods that are unsafe, run-down, and are exposed to lead paint. These neighborhoods are extremely crime ridden, where even taking a stroll down the block can result in being mugged, raped, or attacked. Conversely, low-income whites generally live in safe neighborhoods, mostly white neighborhoods, like trailer parks.
- Perception of criminals. White school shooters and mass murders are referred to by the media as "troubled kids" or "having mental issues" while colored shooters are called "terrorists" or "thugs" and even "animals".
- Not having their voices heard. White Americans have always had their rights guaranteed to them (right to vote, work, own land, etc), while people of color never had any rights given to them. They had to protest and fight to gain basic rights. This still occurs today. No wonder why it is mostly people of color who participate in rioting and looting, because they suffer from injustices whites do not.
- Cultural appropriation. Marginalized groups have had their culture exploited and erased by privileged whites. Native American and Asian clothing and symbols are fetishized by whites. Dreads, a unique part of African culture, are worn by white people to be "trendy", while black people with dreads are denied good paying jobs because their hair doesn't look professional enough by white standards. White people who love Mexican foods but oppose Mexican immigrants living in their country is another example. White people wanting to "be black" to appear cool, by using black phrases and partaking in African-American culture, but do not want to experience the hardships and oppression of black Americans is also white privilege.
Yes, there are more examples of this privilege, but if I were to list them all out, this post would never end.
If you're still not entirely convinced that white privilege exists, I'll provide an example from a much more personal level. I live in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Population 150,000. The majority of Elizabeth's inhabitants are either black or hispanic and are working class and whites make up roughly 10% of the city's population. For the most part, the city suffers from being run-down, having way higher than average crime, and failing schools, and is referred to as "the ghetto" by both the minorities who live there and by white people in more prosperous towns surrounding it. Most residences are run down duplexes and apartments, but there is one small section of the city near a decent university with more expensive, well-maintained single family homes. I am fortunate enough to live there, and I am white. My neighborhood is beautiful, has almost zero crime, is well-regarded, and almost entirely white and upper-middle class. The white families there send their white children to private schools in wealthy white towns (me included), instead of the failing public schools. See what I mean? The minorities in my city are mostly poor, live in violent, run-down neighborhoods, and have to make do with failing schools. But the very few caucasians in Elizabeth are mostly upper-middle class, live in a safe, beautiful neighborhood, and do not have to endure poor schools.
Don't misunderstand my point about white privilege, though. In very rare cases people of color do have advantages over white people (affirmative action, being taken more seriously in some political discussions). Saying that whites have white privilege is not saying that whites are immune from poverty, hardship, and have perfect lives. Acknowledging white privilege does not mean all minorities live a poor quality of life. White people should not feel guilty for having white privilege, or for the racist and damaging things their ancestors did, but because they are privileged, it is the responsibility of the white person to recognize their privilege, see outside of it, and realize that minorities have it harder than you. White privilege does not mean that white people never go through anything serious, it just means that white people will never have to deal with certain issues simply because their white.
By that logic the "n" word isn't racist either since black people use it all the time. Last time I heard the word "coloured" when referring to people of colour, blacks specifically, was on All in the Family back in the 70's.
