Privilege, or Why White People Don't Need A Helping Hand

There was recently a story about a Hispanic owned restaurant that was hosting a White Appreciation Day for its more Caucasian customers.

For you, my friend, it's on the house.

As always with these kind of stories, it's the case where one slightly crazy person's actions seem to have way more impact than they rightfully should. A bit like that crazy guy from Florida who said a few years back that he was going to burn the Quran; he was a nutter, but the fact he said he was going to do it meant that it became an issue which the news would talk about, and the public in turn would talk about it. The act itself is fairly pointless and inconsequential, but it's a magnet for the more reactionary elements of society. Such is the case with the White Appreciation Day; a 10% discount for pale people isn't that big a deal in itself. The real fun comes in the comment section, like lifting a rotten log to expose a variety of disgusting and putrid creatures. To be fair, many of the comments were pointing out the idiocy of the principle, but there were many virulently defending the owners and getting pretty gosh-danged mad.

It happens a lot, and you see variations all the time: "Why is there a Black History Month but not a White History Month?", "Why is there not a White Entertainment Television?", "Why are there not scholarships for white people?"

The short answers is white privilege. When you're part of the hegomonic majority of society, you really don't need these things, because you're already empowered. "Why is there a Black History Month but not a White History Month?"- because the other eleven months of the year are implicitly set aside for white history. "Why is there not a White Entertainment Television?"- because TV networks are still overwhelmingly owned and run by white people, catering mostly for an audience of white people. "Why are there not scholarships for white people?"- actually there are, but seeing as black people are statistically more likely to come from disadvantaged backgrounds, it makes sense to reward and incentivise those who deserve to college. It's something that you might not even think about if you grow up as a white male, because you're often not even aware of the privileges you have; you don't have to look far to see other white males doing pretty much any job and completing any achievement you could ever aspire to. Politician? CEO? Doctor? You got it, junior.

Now you'll sometimes get people who say "white privilege isn't a thing. I'm white, but I'm not wealthy and have had to work hard for everything I've got".

Look, a disadvantaged white person! PRIVILEGE IS A LIE!

Ok, sure. But that's not what privilege is. It's not a case of:

Being born white + male = easy life of wealth and power

It's more that being white means that there are fewer barriers to success in your life. You're less likely to be discriminated against in a job interview, less likely to get arrested, more likely to go to college. Being white doesn't mean you get a free run at wealth and status, but it does means you're less likely to be impeded along the way too. So please, don't claim that white privilege doesn't exist just because you're not making six-figures or your dad wasn't a Senator. To put it more harshly, as the Onion once said, you've probably just squandered your white privilege.

In many ways, the fact that so many people seem unaware of their white privilege (or deny its existence) demonstrates how strong it is; it's so insidious that people aren't even aware they're benefiting. The reason for this is obvious; they've never had to live without it.

I guess what I'm trying to argue here is that we mustn't make false equivalencies. Just because there are initiatives out there to help minority groups, it doesn't mean that they are harmful to the majority group; rather, they are trying to level the playing field and counteract the innumerable acts of discrimination- large and small- which occur in our society everyday. The hegemonic majority- in this case white people- don't need a helping hand to get to the top. They're already there.

From the always brilliant Bo Burnham.