“Caneda, where do you come up with all your ideas on what topic to write about?” That is among a long list of questions that no person asks me on a regular basis. Nevertheless, the ideas come like fish getting entrapped in a net. Case in point…
In today’s culture, the race card has been folded into a parody as a result of its overuse . The race card is usually reserved for when Ben Affleck’s feelings get hurt by uncomfortable grown-up conversations.
And now that the race card has been somewhat diminished, the term White Privilege has taken its place. I was first made aware of this evolutionary shift during the infamous Unfair Campaign endorsed by the guilty white people of University of Wisconsin-Superior (84% White, 2% Black) in 86.2% white Wisconsin. I have this feeling that they really believe the “Superior” part of their name.
Fortunately, the White Privilege has been slow to take off the runway due to the fact that even the most minimally observant among us know that this is just academic spin on Race Card. It is still a game! Greg Gutfeld said, “This is what passes for religion these days. Instead of confession, you kneel before the aggrieved and take your punishment.” No too long after this video was posted, a rebuttal video was made to combat the Unfair Campaign. See below:
Comedian and radio megastar, Jim Norton, provided some interesting commentary on the Unfair Campaign by saying that what drives this attitude
of these guilty white people is paternalism. He said it’s as if these guilty white people are saying, “Black people need us.” You have to give credit to a movement if they successfully give a euphemistic spin on derogatory attitudes like co-dependency and selfishness.
Do not misunderstand me; I believe that there are still racial injustices in America and White Privilege does exist. It is the “people that doth protest too loudly” that raises my suspicions. I happen to think that the reason there are still instances of racial injustices in America is because it’s a hunk of mud inhabited by people. The United States has had a particular flavor of racial injustice that left a stain on the fabric of America, but a sense of proportion must be brought into the picture if alleviating the problem is the actual agenda.
If one is to examine racial grievances and their solutions, then it’s necessary to extract ego, self-righteousness and the need to score ideological points or getting even. Thomas Sowell said that there are forces behind those who possess this myopic view on the causality of racial injustices.
“Why this provincial view of a worldwide evil? Often it is those who are most critical of a “Eurocentric” view of the world who are most Eurocentric when it comes to the evils and failings of the human race. Why would anyone wish to arbitrarily understate an evil that plagued mankind for thousands of years, unless it was not this evil itself that was the real concern, but rather the present-day uses of that historic evil? Clearly, the ability to score ideological points against American society or Western civilization, or to induce guilt and thereby extract benefits from the white population today, are greatly enhanced by making enslavement appear to be a peculiarly American, or a peculiarly white, crime.” (Sowell 111).
To highlight White Privilege and never actually do anything about it IS the epitome of White Privilege! This epiphany was made more aware when a Facebook friend (#WhitePrivilege) posted a status on one of the most unholy of days; Columbus Day.
She raises a good point… did any of you self-enlightened types who took a Facebook stand on Columbus Day actually do anything to improve the lives of Native Americans or did your sense of justice end after clicking the post button? Or, perhaps I myself am engaging in White Privilege for thinking that the Native American community even wants anyone’s help. I don’t know any Native Americans personally, but then again, I slept in on Columbus Day. D.L Hughley once made a joke about the silliness of holidays in that he would observe KKK Day if it got him off of work. The less neurotic Americans will need that type of humor if we are going to cope with the endless amount of self-important posts on Thanksgiving Day.
I read another brilliant Facebook post on White Privilege. It said something to the effect of “I never have been accused of White Privilege by someone who wasn’t more privileged than me.” Every time I see White Privilege mentioned on social media, it is always well-to-do white people. Either I am missing something or these people have a serious case of projection.
Does White Privilege exist? I think so. Is it a uniquely American phenomenon? No, it is not. But you have to relish in the irony that those who bitterly cling to their newly laminated White Privilege cards are far more entrenched in Eurocentricity than they realize. What do the stereotypical Confederate Flag waving racists and progressive keyboard warriors have in common? White Privilege.
