So, I was born white. I never really considered that this fact gave me any particular advantage in life. This may be because I grew up around other white people. They were my competition. I had to compete against other white people for everything I wanted. I never really worried about my whiteness until recently, when I was informed over and over that the mere act of being born white is, in fact a crime.
Imagine my shock when I found out that, even though I am not in any way affiliated with or even sympathize with white supremacists, that I am somehow one of them because I am white. Actually, I am like most white people and we are really more of a pinkish-tannish-yellowish color. I have seen some really white people and they are kind of frightening. Now, I don’t know my exact heritage. I haven’t sent in my DNA , so I can’t learn the customs of my forefathers because, well, I just don’t care all that much……and anyway, I’m white so I must be Nazi spawn or something similar.
Growing up I felt neither privilege or oppression. I was raised to live with the cards I was dealt. I was raised to think I could be whatever I had the ability to do. And that is important. I was not raised to think I could be anything….that’s not realistic. Being 5 foot nothing and a little pudgy, I seriously doubt that runway model or basketball player is in the cards I was dealt….although Spud Webb did kinda disprove the height limitation once upon a time. Now, imagine my surprise when I read that I was born into something called white privilege. Really? And what exactly is that ?
White privilege is supposed be a social status I have gained by the mere fact that I was born white and that I don’t deny being white and that I don’t claim to be anything but white(but again, my DNA was never sent, so who knows?). I evidently won the lottery for social status and opportunity. Could’ve fooled me. My white privilege evidently meant I was guaranteed success because everything was rigged in my favor—and yet I am not a super model or basketball player, so go figure. My privilege is something I should be very ashamed of. I should admit it sheepishly and apologize for having the nerve to not reorganize my DNA inutero to make sure I was born some other color. But, alas, bad me just came out white…maybe because my parents were white, but it could also be because I am a racist and chose to be white.
I was born with privilege. I was born in a country where I could pursue whatever path I wanted to…but I WAS smart enough to not try the supermodel or basketball thing. I decided to go to college, like many others and actually completed several degrees and now work in a field of my chosen final major. It’s not important that you know what major, it could be anything. I was so privileged that I had to work my way through all 3 degrees I hold. I was also privileged enough to borrow the rest that I couldn’t come up with by working in a factory at night and going to school during the day. I hope you all reading this realize that I am NOT being sarcastic. I do consider it a privilege to be able to do these things.
So, am I- you may wonder- going to apologize for my whiteness and offer up my job to someone less qualified and less white? Ah, that would be a big fat no. I would also not expect any black or brown person to give up what they worked for simply due to the color of their skin. No decision should be made concerning anything in someone’s life based solely on the color of skin. No decision. Period. Is that not the very definition of racism? To make decisions based solely on the color of skin?
I actually read an article that Farmer’s Markets were designed to force people into ‘white eating habits.’ What? I don’t know what a white eating habit is. I grew up in western Pa and then moved down South. Food in western Pa is vastly different than in Georgia…..and guess what? I found different things in the Farmer’s Markets down here than I did in Pa. Whether or not the food up here vs. down here is white or not, I’m not sure. What is it about a Farmer’s Market that says it’s for white people? Was there a sign? Is it stamped on the vegetables? I don’t really understand all this ‘white’ bashing.
I get that perhaps a few more white people are successful than some of other colors. There are still, however, white people in this country that live in abject poverty. Where exactly is their privilege? Why isn’t it considered Black Privilege for Beyonce to be as successful as she is? Aren’t we unabashedly reminded often that white people have less musical ability or rhythm than black people? If this is really true–and just ask most black people, they will tell you it’s true–isn’t that a privilege? Since the NBA is populated with mostly black athletes, because white men can’t jump, isn’t that a privilege?
What they whole issue nowadays boils down to is not black and white, it’s jealousy. When you look at other people who have more than you, you can a couple of things. You can angrily say it’s not fair and cry yourself to sleep and wake up the next day with nothing more. You can lash out the person who has more and make their life miserable. You can steal what they have so that you now have it. Or, now here’s a thought, you can find out how they got what they got and decide whether or not you are willing to do what they did to get there.
I think all of us in this country are born very privileged. It’s up to you what you do with that privilege. Whining and crying because someone has more than you is a losing venture. Someone will ALWAYS have more than you, just as someone will ALWAYS have less. If you can’t be happy with what you have, look in the mirror to determine why, at least here. There are places on this earth where privilege does exist between groups of people and where you can never succeed unless you were born into this privileged group. That is just not the case here. Here, we are all blessed with American privilege.