Issue Of The Week VIII Fall 2011-2012: Privilege And Resistance

People often say "I don't judge based on race, I judge but what they do" or "I don't mean to be racist but.." They also say "Not to be racist but.." or "I mean I'm not being racist, but that is what they do.." "Its not my fault, they do not try as hard" or "If I can do it so can they" These are all common things I hear being said and have encountered.

I have told people that it is not that minorities do not try, it is that we classify them as unable to do something or a lesser than us. We make it so they cannot accomplish as much as we can. I also tell people that any racial or bias statement is being racist, and therefore, even if you say "I don't mean to be racist but.." you are still being racist and should not say it. Even when people say they judge on what people do, not on race, they are likely still stereotyping or holding minorities to a low level, and not allowing them to be individuals who can accomplish higher level things. Also, things is life are not all equal and fair, and therefore, we cannot all do what someone else does. We may not have the same resources or abilities.

We cannot ignore racism or issues going on to avoid being racist. We need to realize them and work past them! We need to be conscious of what is going on and try to make things better, not ignore them and block them out like they do not exist. they do and it is our job to fix it.

Often times I will hear someone say something like " but I am not racist" to try to excuse themselves of the situation, or " I would get treated the same by them( a person of another race or ethnic group). I would have never thought about the bandaid situation had it not be brought up and now that i think about it I feel that it is unacceptable. In the hair coloring isle in the stores the hair coloring/styling for African americans is in an isolated section away from the hair color of all other ethnicities. I think that issues as simple as this should be addressd because often times people do not realize the affect they are having. most companies now a days want to please all parties, so why wouldnt owners be more willing to make specific products for different races according to their skin color or hair type, if they are going to crowd pleasing. I think the main problem is that little things like this than can do such harm and overlooked and should be addressed

White privilege is hard to recognize because it has been established as the standard for all social institutions in America. At this point the major, overt life changing rules around race in America have came and passed to create our present day, normalized, and deeply ingrained culture of 'White is better' (or best). There's no reason to feel depressed or helpless about it. Any change made by man has to first start as an intellectual change and that is something everyone is capable of doing regardless of their external conditions. That's the real responsibility we have as humans...to utilize our intellect and recognize injustice when we see it. Then we can start leading by example, and when enough people start living like they respect and value racial difference and begin rejecting unjust social norms we will undoubtedly begin seeing systematic, institutional level changes. Knowledge is only respectable power if our conscious is alive.

“I/Someone I know lost a job to someone because of affirmative action. It just isn’t right to give someone a handout because of their race.” – I’ve heard a lot of this particular phrase lately. This takes the focus off of systems of privilege and oppression and focuses instead on the experience of the individual. When this has come up recently, I’ve tried to be calm and informative. If a white person with a criminal record is more likely to get a call back on a job than a black person without a criminal record, there’s something bigger going on. Studies like this have been done and it is clear that, regardless of the experiences of individuals, there is systemic inequality that needs to be addressed.

The one on the list that caught my attention was "stop being so sensitive, I didn't mean it." I think that is a big part of the problem right there. The white people who consider us all to be equal don't think its a big deal to make racist comments, and they think that people are too sensitive. People shouldn't have to hear cruel comments about their race. In todays society a lot of people think its ok to racial slurs because they hear their peers and people they look up to doing it. That is where the change needs to occur.

All of these excuses resonate with me. I have heard them all, and I have honestly probably used most of them myself at some point in my life. It is much more comfortable to dismiss ways in which I contribute to oppression. The phrase, "ignorance is bliss", is very true. Life is so much more peaceful and pleasant for ourselves when we don't look at the impact we have on others' lives. However, this bliss is at the expense of others. I would therefore rather have awareness and discomfort if it means I can help small change against oppression as a white individual.

My Favorite!
I have never ever hear anyone say “My family didn’t own slaves”, but if I did I think I would find it kind of humorous if I heard someone say it. That’s taking a major huge piece of history and trying to claim that you didn’t take place in it, of course you weren’t there. How would someone even know for one thousand percent sure if their family had slaves or not? That is an outrageous saying in my opinion. People trying to take personal blame off themselves is hinting at the fact that they may feel guilty or feel like they are being accused of something. This personal way of looking at things can present a major problem. Saying I “didn’t do this” or “I don’t do that”, I believe to be a counter productive way of approaching things. What happened is absolutely important as the articles mentioned because it greatly impacted the way things are now, but equally if not more important is what is going on now. What do you do? How do you approach the privileges and inequalities that are going on today?

I honestly am very naive when it comes to worldly issues, and when I hear of instances of racism I am taken aback. My naivety stems from lack of awareness, and I realize the need to actively pursue knowledge. I was not aware of the issues for the "non-privileged" races by society standards because the issues are not present in my daily life. It did not occur to me the the bandages I see, if they are not cartooned, they match my skin color! Or when I am driving I do not worry about being pulled over if I am not speeding or breaking any traffic violations. I feel embarrassed that I have not been aware, thinking all was happy and great. The world's attitude does not reflect what the attitude I see on campus. I will stop using lack of knowledge as a reason to promote the new age of racism. America has accomplished so much in the past centuries; I believe bridging the gap between races can be done as awareness increases.

So many of us in the world today are naïve to think about how we are lucky to not face as much discrimination compared to others. I know there are sometimes in my life when I have thought on how lucky my life is with not receiving much discrimination. This occurs to everybody at least several times in their life. We are all naïve at some point. After seeing discrimination against a member of a minority, I always thought of how lucky I am to not receive any discrimination. When I hear stories of minorities being pulled over for speeding or just driving a really nice car, I am always saddened. It’s hard to believe that there are cops out there that have a badge and that will pull a member of the minority group over for just driving a fancy car. We need cops that uphold the law in the most respectable way possible. It’s so hard to end prejudice and discrimination in our world today. Hopefully, some day discrimination and prejudice will not exist in our society anymore, but it will be a long time before we see the end of this. We just have to remember that people in our society today will always be discriminated against, and that we need to always keep our eyes open to help these people out in anyway possible.

These responses are not new to me considering I am part of a group that receives privileges. When I was younger I used some of these responses as well. Most people don't want chaos in their life and because of this they choose to remain ignorant when it comes to privileges and discrimination in the United States. These groups with privileges overlook these prejudices because their lives do not show hardships in terms of racism and oppression. These groups need to be educated about these differences to try to make changes. Although this awareness will probably bring discomfort to many people it is necessary in order to start making changes.

This matter of race still being an issue within society today no matter how much progress our country has made is very true. Although many people who are not colored nor from a foreign nation try to play down the issue of racism, many times people are still judged by the color of their skin and this is not directed just towards African Americans. White people do feel a need to excuse themselves when they make a racially biased comment, so that tells me that even if they interact and associate with colored people they still identify themselves as different and potentially better or privileged. I was quite taken by the comment McIntosh made in her article about how whites feel privileged because they even have bandages that match the color of their skin. WOW. Ignorance is not bliss. Although, she may think whites are the only ones who are light skinned she must be ignorant to the fact that many people from other races and cultures have “white” skin.

Something that is very interesting about white privilege is that most white people don't know that it is even going on because it is so part of our culture these days. Black people notice these different types of privileges because it is obvious to them. They have to deal with it everyday. I just think that if white people became more sensitive to the issue of white privilege then it would start to lessen in our society.

One response that I hear regularly is essentially, "I work hard for what I have- other people could do the same!" When I hear this excuse, I usually try to explain that even if minorities did work equally as hard, they most likely would not experience the same privileges from working hard. I try to explain it to people as a race that white people (and other people with privileges) have gotten a five minute head start on, leaving the rest of society in the dust. Even if a minority tried really hard to get ahead in life, it still takes a lot of effort and luck to get to where they want to be.

As a lot of people commented, I, too, have heard all of these excuses used numerous times and, in all honestly, I have probably used most of them as well. Before I started learning about the ongoing cycle of American privilege and oppression, I had no idea that phrases like "I'm not privileged; I work hard, too!" and "Anyone can get ahead if they try harder!" were just that: phrases. And EMPTY phrases, at that. Because the thing is, I was completely closed off from the institution of oppression here in the United States; I didn't understand anything the systemic inequalities that create an unfair system. But now that I AM aware of it, I realize just how harmful those phrases of resistance can be. Sure, I work hard to get what I want in life. But the fact that I'm white has, I'm sure, played a role. A large role, most likely. And no, not everyone just succeed by "trying harder." When there are so many obstacles in the way, just because of race or culture, "trying harder" isn't always enough.

It is easy to fall back on these oft-used sayings regarding the supposed dissapearance of racism because SO MANY people are completely ignorant of the ways that racism manifests itself. It isn't just in name calling and slurs; it is in denied privileges and wage gaps and missed opportunties. It's believing that racism is gone, and so the fight is over. It's saying things like, "How is America racist? We have a black president."

The biggest roadblock on the path to equality is people who deny the fact that changes still need to be made. Like the article states, pretending that racism doesn't exist doesn't mean it goes away; it just means things are going to take longer to fix once we finally acknowledge the fact that modern racism is a big deal.