Aternet posted an excellent article about the role of white privilege in the current presidential race. It can be hard for white folks to recognize privilege, precisely because we have it and consider it normal. The article does a good job of highlighting things we may have overlooked, for example:
White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-size colleges, and then governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. senator, two-term state senator and constitutional law scholar means you’re “untested.”
There are twelve other excellent examples of how white privilege is skewing our perceptions of Palin in her favor. At the same time, we could make a list of how male privilege is benefiting all the men in the race, and it might look something like this:
Male privilege is knowing that discussions about your gender will not supersede discussions about your qualificaitons to lead. Male privilege is not having your sexuality considered one of your qualifications. Male privilege is being judged for your words and not your wardrobe. Male privilege is not having to suffer questions about your ability to balance your family with your career. And the list would go on.
It’s important to understand how our privilege affects our perceptions. It’s also important to understand the complexity of oppression. Palin has white privilege, but must combat sexism. Obama has male privilege, but must combat racism.
September 21st, 2008 at 6:54 pm
dude. i posted this same article online and one of my friends got really pissed!!!!
September 21st, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Bummer, it’s a good article. Was there a conversation?
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:21 pm
no, no conversation. But his background and his experiences (which I won’t get into right now) make it easy for him to feel personally attacked and to respond with anger instead of wondering whether it isn’t his own privilege that allows him to dismiss those notions so readily. I liked the article though, and I’m reading an excellent book by Angela Davis right now about feminism and intersectionality that I think you would enjoy.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
I am a beneficiary of both white privilege and male privilege, yet I fear citing these facts for sounding elitist. Am I too sensitive? Is it hubris of me to believe that my life would have been different, possibly for the worse, were I not white and male?
October 6th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I know, “hubris of me” is nonsense, but you know what I mean…
October 25th, 2008 at 9:11 am
It’s the opposite of hubris, it’s the first step toward owning your privilege.
If you can recognize that, it means you recognize there are systems of oppression at work which benefit you. Admit that and be humble about it. Then seek to mitigate the harm it causes others by confronting those systems, and being willing to make sacrifices for those who have been at the losing end of things.