So I agree with the concept, but would prefer to talk about “white privilege” than “white men of privilege,” because I think it applies to women, too, although to a lesser extent. The sad thing is that most white people don’t recognize that they are privileged, they accept it as their due and don’t think about having the privilege at the expense of others. I remember being in a class in which this was brought up and discussed. Two white men never budged one inch from their belief that there was no such thing as white privilege and they claimed to have earned every privilege they had. Sadly to me, they never understood the concept, much less applied it to themselves.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
White Privelege
To me, “white men of privilege” means the sense of entitlement that empowers “white men” to use themselves as a yardstick against which everyone else is measured. They tend to accept as their due their higher cultural, social and economic positions such as the fact that they are paid at higher wages because that the way it’s always been; it’s the norm. Helping to enable this sense of white privilege is the fact that Hollywood has historically made white men the heroes in stories and chosen white women as its heroines. Sadly, as research shows, people worldwide have accepted Hollywood’s values and even tend to choose avatars that have the “white” Hollywood-determined qualities of handsomeness or beauty.
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Hey Lee, good post! I agree that some people do not recognize that they or other white men in particular have been privileged. I was having a conversation about this with a few friends, and it was interesting how one of my friends, a white male, said there is no such thing as white privilege, while my other friend, who is half black, talked about specific examples in his life where he has witnessed and been affected negatively by white privilege. I found your point about Hollywood to be interesting and pretty accurate too. Obviously the power that white men have held is rooted in history, but you are right about the image and glorification that pop culture has helped create around white heroes.
ReplyDeleteGood evening Lee, good post. I want to start with the what you said about the two white men that never budged one inch from their belief that there was no such thing as white privilege and they claimed to have earned every privilege they had. While it maybe true that they had to work hard for what they have, it would have been interesting to see if they would have agreed that if someone were to put someone from another race if they would have had the same opportunities as they have. The buck tends to stop at some point for others.
ReplyDeleteYes in Hollywood they tend to historically make white men the heroes in stories and chosen white women as its heroines. If you look at the latest Marvel movies,each one of the heroes white, and who do they rescue or who do they have by their side, I think you already know.
Good post and keep up the good work.