As a white woman, I will never understand what it is like to suffer from racial oppression because I am privileged. The moment that I popped out of my mother’s womb, I was already naturally receiving benefits from the ways in which our society is set up, all because of the pale color of my skin. This is incredibly unfair. I work very hard to be aware of my privilege so I can stand as an ally to those who experience the brutal disadvantages of our social hierarchy. Unfortunately, many white people are deeply in denial about their privilege which leads them to perpetuate racism without even realizing it. Myths and misconceptions about racism end up being spread throughout our society like wildfire because too many white people wear their privilege across their eyes like a blindfold.
Here are some of the most common misconceptions:
1. Black people can be racist, too, ya know!
Racism = prejudice + power
Yes, all humans can be prejudice, which means that of course, black individuals are capable of bigotry and hate towards white folks; however, racism is a sociological phenomenon that is entirely different. Racism describes a specific system of disadvantage based on race. In our society, black lives are significantly disadvantaged, while white individuals have the power. Black humans and other racial minorities simply cannot be racist because they lack the institutional power to do so. This means that having a Black Entertainment Television Network is not racist, but it would certainly be racist to have a White Entertainment Television, and it's not racist to have an all black college or organization yet it would, in fact, be racist to have an exclusively white one, etc. Contrary to popular belief, racism does not work both ways.
2. I am not privileged just because I'm white!
Privilege refers to a special advantage that is only granted to a specific person, or group of people. We live in a society where white people benefit from the oppression of black lives, whether we want to or not. Having privilege does not negate any hardships that you face in life and it certainly doesn't make you a bad person. It just simply means that you naturally benefit from a rigged social system. Talking about privilege with white folks can be extremely difficult because they typically aren't aware of the benefits they receive, or the power that they have. It is incredibly important for white individuals to be aware of our privilege so that we can use it to help those who aren't privileged, and stand as an ally to those who experience racial discrimination.
3. Police brutality affects white people just as much as black people.
In 2015 unarmed black individuals were five times more likely to be killed than whites. Black individuals make up 13 percent of the U.S population; however, they make up 37 percent of unarmed Americans killed by the police. Of the 102 deaths of unarmed black individuals last year, only two officers served time in jail and one of them was accommodated to only serve jail time on the weekends. These are facts. Research shows that all humans experience unconscious racial bias and when faced with situations where one needs to make a quick decision it is extremely likely to draw on stereotypes in order to decide what to do. This is not something that is done on purpose or with malice, but rather as a typical psychological response to our ingrained racist sociological system. Unfortunately, police officers are not free of this unconscious bias which would explain these alarming statistics.
4. The "Black Lives Matter movement" is prejudiced against white people! Besides, all lives matter...
This movement is not anti-police or anti-white people. The Black Lives Matter movement seeks to affirm the worth of black individuals in a society which continuously oppresses them. Blacklivesmatter.com describes their movement as "an ideological and political intervention in a world where black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression." Saying "all lives matter" in response to the Black Lives Matter movement completely negates the entire purpose of the movement. I once saw a Twitter post that captured this idea pretty well by saying " when we talk about saving the rainforest we aren't saying fuck all the other forests!" Of course, all lives are important but we need to focus on the black ones right now because they are the ones suffering from our rigged and highly oppressive social system.
