‘White privilege’ only makes racism stronger

Schools are wrong to use the phrase, Calvin White writes.

In British Columbia, the term “white privilege” has been embraced and broadcast by the Gold Trail School District in the form of posters. University courses have already been promoting the term for some years. But when a public school district does so, it legitimizes the term and inserts it into the developing intellects of our young. This truncation of deep and acute thinking needs to be fought against.

There is no validity to the concept of “white privilege” and to push that notion is to racialize an already deadly blight of racism that has been our human history and continues to grow. In so doing, we make racism and prejudice stronger, more ingrained, and more hidden.

Crime rates are higher for Afro-Americans and Canadian First Nations. Thankfully, we hesitate to put posters up stating “Help Eradicate Black Crime.” We would not do that out of respect, out of decency, and equally importantly because it is misleading and, at its core, inaccurate. Crime rates have nothing inherently to do with race but with racism, inequality, poverty, brutalization, cultural genocide, et cetera. We know this.

In India and China, which hold a third of Earth’s population, it is highly unlikely there will ever be courses or posters about “white privilege.” There hopefully are courses and posters about racism, inequality, and justice. That’s because “white privilege” is not real, but instead is a limited lens being held up as fact. The reality is that in every country, there may be majority privilege, and there almost certainly is power privilege. It is the power that gives the privilege. Being in the majority usually proffers the power. Being one of the tribe in power often gives privilege. If that tribe falls out of power, the privilege dissipates or transfers to the dominating tribe.

Being connected to power, being accepted by those in power, or valued by those in power, or evoking feelings and perspectives of familiarity, comfortableness, or sameness from those in power all bestow advantage. This is obviously unfair. And it can easily lead to discrimination, inequality and a troubled society. It victimizes those not of the tribe, those not connected to the power holders. Hence, it is not “white privilege.” In other countries the exact same scenario plays out in ways derivative to their power or majority structures.

Ask a Caucasian living in poverty in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside if they have or experience “white privilege.” Ask a Caucasian single mom without education and living on welfare trying to raise a couple of kids how much “white privilege” she has. But ask about power and how they got into those situations, ask about how they are treated by the system, ask about why they think the children of wealthy people maybe get good jobs and then they might have a lot to say.

We can insist on inculcating the idea of “white privilege,” but that will keep us stuck at that level.

We won’t then really wrestle with effecting systemic change, with creating education experiences that penetrate and help students see deeper. We will sidestep the underlying pillars of racism, namely the acting out of one’s inner resentments toward life or parents, basic ignorance, poverty, and unresolved pain. We won’t be growing empathy. We won’t be growing inclusion. We won’t be growing sharper thinking.

No one can change their colour.

So, when we give the message that your colour makes you less than or makes you responsible, it reduces the likelihood of taking personal responsibility.

When we go deeper and talk about how our power and how being born with connection to power advantages us and disadvantages others, then we start to think, we start to realize, we can then feel some responsibility for changing that inequality.