Describing the meaning and sharing examples of “white privilege” only makes me become more accountable to make a change. Just as males are sometimes blinded to the fact that they also have an advantage over women, the same goes for the daily benefits white people have over those of other ethnicities. Stories of people of color (POC) having dealt with police brutalities, incorrect assumptions, and harassment have shocked me, but does white privilege affect the lives of San Luis Obispo High School (SLOHS) students?
When asked the obvious question, “Do you believe that white people get away with more than POC do?” junior James Higgins replied, “Of course I believe in it, it’s hard not to. I get away with less. I get looks in stores, and I’m monitored more than my white friends. People always jump to conclusions.”
The death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black man killed by police officials in Ferguson, August of 2014 and the lesser known innocent teenager, Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, who was killed back in 2012 has brought up the question… Why do we have police brutality against POC but rarely against whites? Not to mention dozens of other POC who have been murdered by police officers and other member of the white community. Those events however, are going off on a tangent.
On June 18, Jessie Kahnweiler posted a video on her YouTube channel titled “Jessie Gets Arrested”. The video basically depicts a caucasian college student doing illicit acts in an attempt to get arrested. Her prediction was that because of her skin tone, she would be free of jail by the end of her challenge. She was drunk in public, trespassed, assaulted an officer, exposed her entire body, and even tried to deal prescription drugs to police officers. She got away with all of it.
Even though people like Kahnweiler are trying to prove white privilege, no one has set a better example than Matt Damon did. On September 13th, actor Matt Damon decided to interrupt a successful black women to explain his idea of “diversity.” Not only was the interruption rude, but what he said was completely arrogant. When laying out what his idea of diversity is, he stated “When we’re talking about diversity you do it in the casting of the film not in the casting of the show.” To summarize that he’s basically saying that diversity of main characters isn’t important.
Yet another example would be a case in Virginia where a white couple pleaded guilty after locking their children in a cage. Three months later a woman of color was arrested for “abandoning” her children at a food court while in an interview 30 feet away.
Although white people have all this freedom, the lack of appurtenance POC have is the problem. However, this will never be a jealousy issue.
“Just because white people get away with more doesn’t mean I would ever want to be white,” stated senior Manny Maldonado.
The good news is, white privilege can come to an end. Ending the stereotypes is a start, plus social media trends such as #BlackLivesMatter help to raise awareness of problems POC face that white people don’t. They seem to take for granted. Know your privileges, don’t abuse them, and enlighten others to try to make a change.
Eric Haupt • Sep 25, 2015 at 1:53 pm
I like this a lot. The bit about the white kid trying to get arrested was especially eye opening and really says a lot about how biased our law enforcement can be.
Eric Osmond • Sep 29, 2015 at 10:55 am
Agreed.
Joel • Sep 29, 2015 at 4:54 pm
I completely agree! I wish my friends were more keen on this subject… one friend in particular, “Slick” Nick, keeps telling me that “If white privilege exists, then why does Kendrick keep winning them Grammys?” and I honestly don’t know what to tell him. I realize that if white privilege was more prominent in our society, Kendrick would have stopped winning Grammy Awards in 1863, and he would have been arrested for that “Alright” video that was recently released… but it’s obvious, as Nick keeps telling me, “K-dot is so hot right now, baby.” I just can’t reconcile these facts with what this article states.
Eric • Sep 30, 2015 at 1:09 pm
I can’t say I’m all that impressed with your friend’s argument. He’s essentially saying that because the problem isn’t as bad as it could be, there isn’t a problem at all.
It’s also a bit of a non-sequitur to say that because black artists have been commercially successful that the entire “PoC” population as a whole doesn’t have any socio-economic disadvantages. That just doesn’t make sense.