I am a white male and I strongly agree with the author's view on white privilege. I'd like to address some of the comments in this discussion board:
1. The author is not shaming white people. She is simply trying to illustrate that being white means that you have an "unearned" advantage over some other people whether that is job prospects, service at a restaurant, or your ability to travel freely. If you're white, you should be aware of your privilege and use its influence to empower people who are fighting for racial equity. It starts with recognizing that others are struggling too.
2. The author is educated and is sharing her knowledge. Education does not shelter...it enlightens people. The very reason why she can recognize that there is a problem is because of her education. Belittling education is bigotry.
3. Her use of the term "white privilege" was not wrong simply because it's not what the audience wanted to hear. Communication is not telling people what they want to hear, it’s about creating meaning from words to express opinions. If your opinion is that white people are not more privileged, then I suggest that you do some more research and educate yourself on why white privilege exists.
Moral: Use your white privilege to fight stigma, not to disregard its influence.
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1. The author is not shaming white people. She is simply trying to illustrate that being white means that you have an "unearned" advantage over some other people whether that is job prospects, service at a restaurant, or your ability to travel freely. If you're white, you should be aware of your privilege and use its influence to empower people who are fighting for racial equity. It starts with recognizing that others are struggling too.
2. The author is educated and is sharing her knowledge. Education does not shelter...it enlightens people. The very reason why she can recognize that there is a problem is because of her education. Belittling education is bigotry.
3. Her use of the term "white privilege" was not wrong simply because it's not what the audience wanted to hear. Communication is not telling people what they want to hear, it’s about creating meaning from words to express opinions. If your opinion is that white people are not more privileged, then I suggest that you do some more research and educate yourself on why white privilege exists.
Moral: Use your white privilege to fight stigma, not to disregard its influence.