As my senior year of high school was in full swing and everything college was being thrown my way, the time to apply for scholarships arose. I had already decided which college I would attend, had done my FAFSA application and everything else that is vital to have as college approaches.
Living in a small and sheltered town, I had never really been exposed to racial conflict. I knew that there were different stereotypes that went along with the different races and all about our nation's history regarding race, but I had never fully experienced any situation in which race was a leading factor. When the word "race" or "black and white people" was said, the different standards that each of those races was and are held to, never came to mind.
I had never thought that white people were different from black people, Asians, Hispanics, or any other race. This was a naive and anything but accurate approach. As I was searching for scholarships and reading through qualifications, I was stunned at the number of scholarships there were that I was not qualified for simply because I was not black.
I was more than qualified in every other area they were requiring and searching for but I had no chance. This didn't seem fair. I had not stumbled upon one scholarship that required you to be of the white race to apply. I was mostly confused. Why was this race excluding other races and why was that acceptable?
In today's society, "white privilege" is a very common phrase. The connotation of the "battle of the races" is that white people are privileged, meaning they automatically receive unearned advantages and everyday perks. While black people are victims, suffering and having to work twice as hard for everything they have. This may very well have been the case 20 years ago. But today, a different race is taking on the privileged reputation. This is what we call black entitlement.
To explain this controversial statement, the reason I say black entitlement is so prominent in our society today is mostly due to, in my opinion, the accustomed nature of the black stereotype. The idea that the past cannot remain in the past. It is accepted for blacks to play the “victim” role and to point fingers for issues that were resolved years ago.
In our society today, it’s okay for blacks to have exclusive scholarships, holidays and organizations. But if the white race were to accustom even one of these, it would be racist and discriminative. They would be known as advantages and privileges, not opportunities.
This isn't an argument on which sides should be taken. It isn't whites against blacks because, in the end, this is what statements like this are meant to end. They are meant to end the long-term feud and battle of the races. They are meant to end the different standards that black and white people are held to. Race shouldn't be what sets us apart. It shouldn't be what determines acceptance into an organization or being rewarded a very deserving scholarship.
The past is recognized. It is recognized that mistakes were made and things have changed, so the black race should realize that as well and stop repeating past mistakes they have fought so hard to overcome.
