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The Hard Truths of White Privilege
The myths and realities of America’s continuing struggle with race and class privilege
The white privilege debate is about each American’s slice of the pie and the color of the baker who cut the slices. The mistake is assuming that the baker and the pie are the same thing.
White privilege is the most polarizing topic in American politics today. Part of this is due to its intersection with major issues like the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, as well as the perceived white male dominance of Trump’s administration and agenda. But the importance of the debate over white privilege in America goes beyond all these issues to hit at the core of American culture itself. It begins with the argument that white Americans have advantages in society that others don’t enjoy which in turn has led to significant inequalities in the country. The primary cause is a history of racism and discrimination that built social, economic, and political systems of privilege for white Americans. The result is a contemporary America where even if a white American is not rich or connected, well-known or highly respected, they inherently enjoy privileges that nonwhites of relatively equal standing don’t get. For its proponents the white privilege debate is critical because it is the starting point for almost all other issues of inequality and injustice in America.
