Racism is what interested me most this semester. Racism is the belief that people from a certain race are superior as compared to the others from different races. For, example, the whites are regarded as superior to non-whites in all aspects: socially, economically, intellectually, etc. White privilege has been used for long to describe whites as better placed in employment areas, schools, political posts and in matters pertaining security. The belief is held by people who spread the white dominance over other races such as the Africans, Asians, Spanish, among others. White privilege makes some white people believe that they are better than their non-white counterparts who are considered to have some abnormalities. This essay is a literature review of the white privilege.
White Privilege dates back to as early as during the infamous Hitler’s cleansing of Europe by systematically killing Jews (The Holocaust) who were considered inferior. White privilege has since gained much popularity among the whites and the non-whites. The whites believe that they are normal and superior to other races while the non-whites believe they are inferior to the whites and thus occupy a lower social status in the society (Lichtblau, 2013). In the United Sates, White Privilege was seen in the years preceding the struggle for civil rights for the former black slaves. The whites were accorded privileges such as freedom to form unions, engage in business activities, better housing and even better jobs as compared to the African Americans.
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William du Bois and other Pan Africanists expressed the concerns that White Americans were privileged to take part in voting, attending best schools and freely socializing with the “high class” Americans; privileges that the African Americans did not have at all. They wrote essays about the “white privileges” and the need to repel them to have racially equal citizens in political, social, economic and the religious fields in the US. As they observed, the purported white supremacy was a coined mechanism to fulfill the ill ambitions of some whites who wanted to maintain their ruling “rights” over the Africans. Despite the struggle to have the term and the notion repelled, white privilege has remained a thorn in the hearts of many Americans, especially those who want fight for the realization of equality. Their fight has significantly paid off with many American institutions offering equal opportunities to people of all races. However, the problem remains the society, who for some reason has refused letting it go. Many cases of black people experiencing abuse of any kind are reported, perpetrators arrested and charged but the situation gets worse than it had been before in American.
Today, there are many platforms where people express or experience the “white privilege.” From the treatment of people in given circumstances to social media, white privilege has taken root in the society. Though there is nothing to separate the whites and the blacks in terms of abilities and capabilities, those who believe in white privilege think that whites are better than any other race. How better they are remains debatable depending on the views of whoever is handling the case. As stated by McIntosh (1988), white privilege was nothing but various weightless freedoms that white people had over the people of African origin. The treatment of the African Americans by the police has led to some people questioning the position of the government and its commitment to protect the citizens. In the recent past, there has been numerous shootings of the African Americans by the police for reasons that are considered trivial. For example, an African American would be arrested forcefully for refusing to stop for a check while a white American would be handled with dignity even when they were shooting at the public. This disparity in handling people who are believed to have committed crimes elaborates the problem of tribalism.
Social media has had its role in spreading the white supremacy as well as helping in fighting the vice. Through the social media, some people may advance the ideologies of white supremacy. It is also believed that social media can play a major role in stopping this unwanted belief that certain races are better than others. Unlike the early ages when people used letters and mails, today one has to post something once and many people are able to see it within a matter of time. An example is the Black Lives Matter campaign by users of twitter to express their dismay at how the police were handling the African Americans as well as bringing to book the people who went to public places and shot people of the African origin (Brydum, 2014). Such campaigns can help in fighting the war against racism and white supremacy. As a result, the police force and Americans who hold on to the belief that whites are better placed than an African American, are exposed creating awareness in the process.
In conclusion, the white privilege is a term use to show that whites are better economically, socially, intellectually and any other method of classification. It was a term used to refer to the whites having some advantages such as voting, accessing beast schools, and town service: something a few people have been able to do. Biologically, all people are same and the skin color does not affect any of the internal environments. White supremacy or privilege has to be stopped and all people accorded all rights and freedoms equally.
References;
Brydum, S. (2014). The Year in Hashtags: 2014. The Advocate.
Lichtblau, E. (2013). The Holocaust Just Got More Shocking. The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2016 at: http://nytimes.com/2013/03/03/Sunday-review/the-holocaust-just-got-more-shocking.html
McIntosh, P. (1988). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible snap-sack. Race, class and gender in the United States: an integrated study , 4, 165-169
