Tag Archives: white privilege

The Right Language: Talking About Race and Identity

by Same Air

I was recently reading about racial identity formation and the author of the book explicitly rejected the term “non-White.” This is a term I use frequently in previous posts, so I began reconsidering the language I use in race-based discussions. I want to start by saying that I am reflecting my opinions on the language I choose to use. I do not mean to say anything about any large group of people (e.g., all x people like to be called z). What sort of words do we use to identify people? Why does it matter?

Why does it matter?

At the risk of being dismissed as an attempt to be “politically correct,” I will explain that language matters. It is more than political correctness. Language is a window into the brain. This has been well-established. The type of language we use and the way we structure sentences can speak volumes about our thought processes. It only follows that, in order to be critical of a thought process (perhaps even a discriminatory thought process), one can begin by being critical of the language one uses. Going beyond the individual, language sends a message. The way we talk is suggestive of what we find important, valuable, worthwhile, beautiful, as well as what we feel is unimportant, worthless, negative, or somehow less. These messages are then interpreted and, over time, internalized by members of society, creating and perpetuating a cycle of thought.

In short, I believe changing the way people speak is a first step in changing the way people think.

The words we use…

Black

In my experience, this is an acceptable term. It acknowledges a person of a darker skin tone as well as involuntary membership in a subordinate group in U.S. race culture. Although, the danger lurking in this term is that a person with strong ethnic ties may feel a denial of her heritage. For example, a person hailing from the Caribbean with a darker skin tone and a person whose family is from Africa could both fall under this category, thereby affirming neither of their backgrounds. On the other hand, some may prefer the term. The best strategy here is to politely and respectfully ask.

African American

As a White person, my culture tells me that this term is most closely linked to accusations of attempts at “political correctness.” As stated above, this may be an appropriate term for a person whose heritage is traced to other parts of the world. The assumption behind these words is that every person with darker skin comes from Africa. I imagine (but, being White, cannot know) that this would be similar to calling all Asian people Chinese…For those who embrace an African American identity, this term is obviously appropriate. I will try to avoid it, however, as a blanket generalization.

Person of Color

As far as blanket terms go, I feel that person/people of color is an appropriate term. When discussing subordinate/dominant groups, I feel that ‘people of color’ allows a writer to include all those with a darker skin tone without making any assumptions about that group. Further, by affirming a persons humanity before assigning them a label, the term ‘person of color’ acknowledges the reality that we are discussing human beings who are more than the label we seek to assign them.

Non-White

In my recent reading, this term was rejected for reasons I agree with. It has a negative connotation, implying that somehow to be ‘non-whatever’ is to be missing or lacking something. Do we call women non-male? No. While it seems to capture people who do not have a light skin tone without making assumptions, it seems that it is polemical to ‘person of color’. In other words, female is to non-male as person of color is to non-white.

White

If you have read my short essay The United States Created Race, then you will understand the long battle we as a country have fought when it comes to defining who is White. And perhaps it was not about defining who was White as much as it was about defining who was not White. Either way, for purposes of this discussion, White will be regarded as the identification of a lighter skin tone as well as membership in the dominant race group in U.S. race culture. For more on dominant and subordinate groups, see What is White Privilege?

I do not mean this to be an exhaustive list and I apologize for those who I’ve left out. My blog is, once again, becoming too long. I need to cut myself off before this becomes a paper.

Thanks for reading. Comments and criticism encouraged.

Identities and Privileges: Examining My Advantages

by Same Air

When I look at my resume, I see achievements and successes resulting from my own hard work, perseverance, and desire to succeed. This is what I want to find. While those characteristics are important, I cannot help but wonder how my identity factored in to my opportunities to acquire and develop skills, which cultivated further opportunity. This is somewhat more difficult and certainly less desirable to uncover.

Each person is composed of multiple identities and thus belongs to multiple groups. These groups, dominant or subordinate, can contribute in either a positive or negative way to the life of each individual claiming membership.

For example, a Black male identifying as heterosexual is a member of a subordinate group in U.S. race culture through identifying himself as a person of color. However, he is a member of the dominant group (and thus gains those privileges) in terms of sexuality (by being heterosexual) and gender (by being male). While he may face the structural disadvantages of being a person of color, he stands to gain privileges afforded only to males and heterosexuals. The list goes on.

Lets pretend this man is from a wealthy family. He also stands to gain the advantages that follow wealth. If he was lower class, he would be disadvantaged because of it. Moreover, his membership in two substantial subordinate groups  (being a person of color and being lower class) exacerbate the disadvantages he may face and irritate a host of new stereotypes on which he may be judged.

My point is that each of us claim more than one identity. The culmination of these identities play a key role in life outcomes. Contemplating identities has forced me to examine my own.

Identities I claim:

  • White
  • Male
  • Heterosexual
  • Able-bodied
  • Middle-class
  • Non-religious
  • Fit/Healthy
  • Educated
  • Young
  • College student

The identities above in bold I believe contribute positively to my life because, in my culture, that group holds power.

The three in red are the most influential.

Those not bold place me in a subordinate group.

I have management experience in the restaurant industry. I started as a line cook, was promoted to server, and later became a manager. I was hired through a family connection at the restaurant. Would I have made it out of the kitchen (and received a substantial pay increase) if I was Black? Maybe. Would I have been promoted if I was a woman? Would a man, although less qualified, have been promoted over me? If I was wheelchair-bound, would I have become a server?  These are examples of critical crossroads in my life where my membership in dominant cultural groups may have provided me with somewhat unearned opportunity.

How will my experience as a manager benefit me in the future? It has the potential to create further benefits or what I’ll call stacking opportunities. Perhaps this experience, which I may never have had the opportunity to earn, is a deciding factor in a hiring decision later. Perhaps a career is opened up to me through this experience in combination with my other skills, experience, and membership in dominant groups. How might those experiences lend themselves to my success? How do my unearned advantages snowball into achievement?

While listing these identities, I could not help but notice their permanence. Arguably, the most important identities in our culture are race, class, and gender. All three are nearly permanent. All three place me in the dominant group. When I find myself in the subordinate group by being young, a college student, and non-religious, how permanent are these factors? Two of three will change quite quickly. The other is by choice, unlike race, class, or gender.

What sort of unearned advantages have I already accumulated? How will these work to my benefit in the future? If one or more of my identities were different, how would my resume be different?

White Privilege: Interactions, Impacts, and Influences

by Same Air

This is a continuation of a blog found here. Please be sure you understand the previous posts before you continue to read.

I ended last time promising a discussion of real-world white privilege. What does it look like? How does it impact the lives of Whites? Of non-Whites?

Peggy McIntosh’s Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack will serve as my jumping-off point for these discussions.

What does it look like?

First impressions of a term like ‘white privilege’ vary greatly. White privilege, as I’ve said, is better understood as dominant group advantage. It relies on the fact that a dominant group in a social context has established norms and cultural traditions that non-dominant (or subordinate) groups either are totally unaware of or must attempt to conform to. If we talk about ‘race culture’ in the United States, then it seems apparent that the dominant group is obviously those who appear to be White, or who have a lighter skin tone. White people have unique ways of interacting and, since they comprise the majority, a workable understanding of these ways of interacting serve to benefit them. This is especially true in situations where authority is involved. Whites are more likely to be promoted, hold positions of authority, and conduct interviews.

How does it impact lives?

I alluded to this already, but being White (which means understanding  and belonging to the dominant culture) can present opportunities or at least belay setbacks. To an outsider, the few things I mention here may appear insignificant or small, but to someone whose life is consistently defined by the privilege of others, multiple small incidences compile to confirm ones subordinate status.

To keep this somewhat short, I’m going to bring in a few lines from Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.

“Whether I use checks, credit cards or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of my financial reliability.”

  • This represents the anxiety felt by non-Whites. As a White person, I have never been concerned that being White was somehow going to downgrade my appearance of financial liability. The privilege here: when the majority of people in power are White, their perceptions/stereotypes of non-Whites become a form of effective discrimination, whether intentional or not.
“ I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.”
  • It is commonly known (and well-represented in social science research) that, in many arenas, non-Whites perceive a duty to represent their race. I’ve never felt like, through my actions, the reputation of White people was at stake. This same issue may confront students taking exams, non-Whites frequently being asked, “How do Black (or whatever race) people feel about this,” or in almost any interaction. The privilege here: the actions of white individuals are not attributed to all white people.
“If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven’t been singled out because of my race.”
  • Research also shows non-Whites are more frequently pulled over. Those traffic stops result in non-Whites being searched for drugs more often. This even happens in areas where it has been shown that Whites are more likely to actually have drugs. Once the process has begun, we discover that non-Whites are more likely to be charged and convicted, receive longer sentences, and have less successful paroles.
“When I am told about our national heritage or about “civilization,” I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.”
  • I often hear the argument, “Well why is there a Black History Month but not a White History Month? Why is there Black history but nothing called White history?” Every month is White History Month. We’ve all had White History class, but we just called it ‘History’. A gross majority of history books over represent the contributions and heritages of Whites, or at least ignore contributions of non-Whites to the point of near-total exclusion. This serves to confirm your subordinate status if you’re not White.
This, it seems, is getting too long once again. I have only demonstrated a minute portion of the advantages accrued by having the “correct” skin color in United States race culture.
A personal privilege: I can write about White privilege without being dismissed as a grumbling minority playing the “race card”. Next time you hear this from a person of color, believe them.


 

Duluth’s Un-Fair Campaign: What is “White privilege?”

by Same Air

This is a continuation of a previous blog found here.

Duluth is the first city to launch a major campaign of this kind, focused on White privilege. The campaign has received harsh criticism from many angles, the crest of which has been threats towards the Mayor, Don Ness.

The campaign’s slogan, “It’s hard to see racism if you’re white,” has been at the center of the controversy. Opponents of the campaign call this racist and discriminatory. The slogan has been interpreted to mean:

  • If you’re White, you’re racist. You should feel bad about it.
  • If you’re White, you frequently and purposefully discriminate against non-white people.
  • If you’re White, you can’t possibly understand and work to reverse racism because of your skin color.

In addition to the above, the term “White privilege” adds the following to the interpretation of the campaign:

  • If you’re White, you always get what you want.
  • If you’re White, you never experience racism.
  • If you’re White, life is never difficult and you cannot understand the experiences of those for whom life has been challenging.

I fear this campaign has been grossly misinterpreted. I hope to clear up some of the confusion.

What is “White privilege?”

Typically, discussions of this nature must come after discussions that define racism, paint a picture of racism in the 21st century, and present research to show the disadvantage of a group that is not culturally powerful. Since I must assume that the people reading this do not have that background, let me start this way. What is not White privilege? White privilege is not intentionally exerting your power as a White person over a non-white person. It is not to accuse White people of, in the year 2012, forcing a non-white person to give up a bus seat. It is not to say that all White people are racists or that, if you’re White, you regularly discriminate.

I’m White. I do not consider myself racist. I do not discriminate in any manner that I can know of. I am thoroughly in support of equality. Yet, do not be mistaken. I have White privilege. 

Think of it this way. Take “whiteness” out of the equation. Take the term “White privilege” and change it to dominant group advantage. In every culture, there is one group that is in a position of relative power. There are one or more groups that are in a position of subordination in relation to the group in power. The group in power usually establishes the norms, customs, and laws of culture and the subordinate group(s) must conform or integrate into these established traditions.

Consider the religious culture in the U.S. What religion, do you think, is dominant? The answer is obviously Catholicism. Catholic’s, then, make up the dominant group in the religious culture of the U.S. The subordinate group contains all other religions. Buddhism, Hinduism, Islamic religions, the Jewish, and all other groups (in this case, we call the groups “religions”) must conform to norms and customs established by Catholics. How so?

To show a small example, in Minnesota, cars and liquor can not legally be sold on Sundays, the Catholic day of rest. This is, no doubt, an inconvenience if you are Jewish, work at a liquor store, and are looking to pick up a Sunday shift. Catholics, being the dominant group, have helped to establish the traditions and customs of U.S. society. Catholic’s have dominant group advantage in that culture.

Lets apply this idea of dominant group advantage to race through the same process. In race culture in the U.S., who is the dominant group? Clearly, White people are the dominant group. That means, in this culture (specifically, the race culture in the U.S.) White people have set up traditions, norms, and customs that non-white people must integrate in to. To be White, in a culture where White people are the dominant group, has advantages, or privileges.

To show a small example, White people are not often asked to speak on behalf of their race. Non-white’s may often face questions like, “How do Black/Asian/Native people feel about this.” I know I have done that. But how often do White people face the same question? Another example: in my own experience as a White person, I know I regularly hear stories begin with, “So I know this Black guy that…” or, “My Black friend X said…” As a White person, I know I don’t start stories with, “So my White friend X told me…” These both may seem like small examples or be convenient ways to identify people but when we use language like this we identify and label people before we recognize their humanity and individuality. When we say, “my Black friend X,” my friend becomes a Black person BEFORE they are an individual in your mind. These are small examples of how White people have long established dominant group advantage.

This is getting too long. I will detail how White privilege influences the lives of non-Whites in my next blog. Stay tuned.