Well glory be, there is a white man out there who gets white, male privilege, and is not above trying to get other white men to understand it, too. He is Nicholas Kristof, and he’s an op-ed columnist for The New York Times. He doesn’t seem to be afraid to call out white, male privilege, and to try and explain it to the community that doesn’t get it.
We’ll get the “not all men” argument out of the way first. Yes, 100 percent of white men are not oblivious the privilege they have in our society. If it were that complete, we wouldn’t have Kristof here, doing what he can to call it out. The problem with that argument, though, is that it refocuses the discussion onto those who only think they’re being unfairly stereotyped and oppressed. It doesn’t add anything at all to the conversation we need to have.
Starting in August, not too long after Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown to death, Kristof wrote a five-part series called, “When Whites Just Don’t Get It.” Part One of that series shot down what he called the white community’s smug delusion about racism in America.
At the time, Kristof noted that a plurality of whites thought racism was getting more attention than it deserved. He mentioned a study from Tufts that said whites tend to believe that anti-white racism is a bigger problem now than anti-black racism, due to all the programs and policies we have aimed at curbing unequal treatment due to anti-black racism. He posted a lot of reasonably well-known statistics, such as incarceration rates, income disparities, and more—the stuff that the white community tends to dismiss as either cherry-picked, or just plain not true.
One thing that whites tend to point out is that the stereotype of black men as criminals is rooted in truth. Kristof acknowledged that, but said that what we need to do is figure out how to steer young black men to education and good jobs. “The best escalator to opportunity may be education,” Kristof said, “but that escalator is broken for black boys growing up in neighborhoods with broken schools. We fail those boys before they fail us.” And this was just the first part of that series!
Unfortunately, Kristof has caught a lot of flack for his writing on race and white privilege. So, he wrote today’s column, “Straight Talk for White Men.” This is where he beautifully illustrated how blind we can be to any privilege we have. Humans, he says, don’t necessarily think as rationally as we’d like to believe. For instance, there are studies showing that people in a supermarket are more likely to buy French wine when French music is playing, and German wine when German music is playing. That’s true even though most of us don’t pay conscious attention to the music the store is playing.
This is unconscious bias, and that’s part of why white people tend not to see their own privilege, according to Kristof. We’re very prone to unconscious influence and bias, and that bias benefits white men more than they realize. Kristof summed it up perfectly with this:
It’s not that we white men are intentionally doing anything wrong, but we do have a penchant for obliviousness about the way we are beneficiaries of systematic unfairness. Maybe that’s because in a race, it’s easy not to notice a tailwind, and white men often go through life with a tailwind, while women and people of color must push against a headwind.
If you’ve ever run a race, or done a long-distance bicycle ride, as this writer has, you’ll understand that analogy. The tailwind is extremely easy not to notice. On the other hand, you’ll not only notice the headwind, you’ll be very aware of it for every inch you move.
Sadly, it’s not likely that this piece will help to open anyone’s eyes to their privilege anytime soon. But we can thank Kristof for his efforts, and hope that he keeps this up. Perhaps he can help make some headway on this issue.
Featured image via Groupthink on Jezebel
The problem is that you posted a photo of Tucker Carlson, a man who disrespects the fine education he had available at Davidson College, who should disown him. The photo is wrong, and while Nicholas Kristof is also wrong, your blaming it on the wrong person does not exhibit your careful reasoning or the point you were trying to make.
I believe Tucker Carlson was pictured as the perfect example of white privilege. Didn’t get it, right? I see you don’t get Kristof’s article either.
Your post is correct, except that it’s not Kristoff’s article. While the article is about Kristoff and his article, but it was written by Rika Christensen. Credit where it’s due.
What I would like to say about the larger topic, though, is that too many people who write or talk about it do so in a way that makes it a shameful thing. The only shameful aspect of white privilege, or male privilege, or wealth privilege, or straight privilege, or cis privilege, or any privilege is to ignore its effects once one realizes the truth of it. None of us is to blame for our privilege, any more than we’re to blame for whom we’re born to. Aggressive accusation is not the way to talk to the privileged about their condition. It only serves to stir up feelings. If we want to solve the problem of privilege we have to allow those who have it first to become aware of the fact and then include them as part of the solution instead of treating them as a problem to be dealt with. Finger-pointing and blame-casting solve nothing.
I totally agree, but when I read whites (and I’m a 64 year old white female) start saying that blacks, or anyone who mentions Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and others are the REAL “racists”, and that the African-Americans should “pull themselves up and get a job”, all I can hear is white privilege. There is a distinct difference of opportunity and education in this country, and it seems, to me, that we are taking a major leap backward. No, I’m not to “blame” for my privilege, but I do acknowledge it.
I have to be blunt. The only people I hear saying “the real racists are…” are the real racists.
Indeed. Sadly, I’ve been hearing it more and more lately.
And the people who cry “reverse racism” didn’t much care about the other kind.
Most of the people talking about reverse racism were not around for the other kind. Racism hurts the young people that are not established more then the older generation. That is why it takes years to see the results of the changes that we make. I am not saying that the oppression of a generation of white me will not in the long term benefit society but to not acknowledge that it is happening is deluding yourself.
I’m always in favor of the truth. I was acknowledging the truth when I observed that I have only heard the term “reverse racism” from folks who didn’t give two hoots about “regular racism”. I understand your point though. I don’t like any of it, but I don’t want to wait another generation to resolve these issues. I’m getting impatient, because there are several obvious, known, reasonable partial solutions that people simply won’t do.
Tell me, does white male privilege explain why they are incarcerated more often and for longer periods of time than white women or women of colour? Personally, I don’t agree with any form of racism, even when you are ‘calling out’ white men. To me, you are still reducing an entire demographic of individuals to the color of their skin.
I am not White and I do NOT believe there is White Man privilege anymore. Blacks, Asians, Native Americans have = rights as all other groups. But here is something which feminists groups almost never talk about but it’s true and will give you proof. Individual feminists are NOT always opposed to violence against women and here are eg.
During WW2, when the Red Army was going into Germany, Soviet soldiers raped & maimed 6 year old German girls. 1 would hope that feminists would be against this. But feminist groups usually did not speak against this. Why? Because some feminists are Jewess. Though not all Jewess feminists believe this truth is that there are Jewess feminists who have the view that they support = rights for women and they are against violence against women UNLESS the woman or girl is German, Arab or Muslim. These Jewess feminists would hate Germans including German girls because of the Holocaust.
If you ask a Chinese feminist what she thinks about Japanese women & girls, don’t be surprised if the Chinese feminist gives you the view that she (or he as there are male feminists as shown in this video) supports = rights for women & is opposed to violence against women UNLESS the woman or girl is Japanese. That’s because Chinese and Japanese have a long turbulent history. 19 to 40 million Chinese were killed during WW2 from 1931-45 in the war with Japan which included Rape of Nanking where Chinese women and girls were raped by Japanese soldiers (Samurai following Bushido). Yes, feminists can hate members of other ethnic groups including ½ the population of the ethnic group they hate. There are Chinese and Japanese who hate eachother.
I hope you can give your view. Because individual feminists are not always opposed to violence against women. If a feminist hates another ethnic group such as if a Jewess woman who calls herself a feminist hates Germans, Arabs and Muslims, then she will likely not care about the women & girls of that ethnic group being a victim of violence. The late Israeli PM Golda Meir did not care much for Arabs and of course since she didn’t like Arabs she would not care for ½ the Arab population being women and girls.D
Abner, While I agree with your statements that rights are equal, treatment by others is often not. And physical appearance is a part of that.
A few years ago I watched a documentary in which an attractive blonde white woman argued that she did NOT get special treatment due to her appearance. That she worked hard for where she was. Then the producers put her in a fat suit, a brunette wig. added a few zits to her face and sent her to a mall.. She came back absolutely appalled at what poor customer service she got. She felt ignored and totally invisible
And I am sure that people who provide customer service were totally unaware that they treat people differently.
In Georgia (never been there), there was a case in which a Black Fire Chief was fired after he wrote a book about Christian views on sex which offended gays. The NAACP did not rally for this Black man’s free speech rights because NAACP has become ideological in that homosexuals right to not be offended by ugly truths is more important than a Black man’s free speech right. If this Black man had been a Muslim & wrote a Muslim book on sex which offended homosexuals, don’t think that he would be fired. Reason is because they don’t want to risk Muslims rioting or doing mass shootings as what happened in France.
My reasons for being against gay/lesbian behaviors and being against sex changes (transsexuals are mutilated gays/lesbians) are unrelated to any religion. They must abolish sex change maimings-they must make it a crime to do sex changes as that’s medically maiming a person to make them a fake opposite sex member and I am against sex changes for the same reason as I am against trying to change a person’s skin color because they think they’re a White person trapped in a Black person’s body or vice versa.
With homosexuality, lesbianism /tobacco use, it’s best for people to not do gay/lesbian conduct just as it’s best for people to not use tobacco. You can be secular as I am and see the harms of homosexual and lesbian behavior as you can see the harms of tobacco use. Gay/lesbian conduct must be marginalized like smoking/tobacco use.If knowing and willing adults want to do gay/lesbian conduct & not harass others, then it’s their life but it needs to be treated like tobacco use by adults. It’s best to find cure for gay/lesbian behaviors, no matter why it happens just as it’s best to help tobacco users be cured-of course, they must want to be helped. If homosexual/lesbian conduct and tobacco use were to disappear eventually, then it’s fine with me and I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.
I personally think this push on white male privilege is just making racism worse. First off I do not think most white males will feel privileged. We go to the same schools as everyone else in our areas. When we graduate we and apply for scholarships we see lots of scholarships we can not apply for because we are white men. When we apply for college we are almost always informed that they are wanting minority applications, so that could affect our admission to that college. When we graduate college and apply for jobs we see that they are also looking for minority applicants that will get preference. Then when you get to open your own business you see benefits for minority owned businesses that you do not get. I see where it was a benefit to be a white man years ago, but most working class white men under 40 do not see the perks. We do see however the benefits of money and how that opens the doors that are attributed to white privilege. Personally I see more of a class advantage then a race one.
Robert, I agree with a lot of that, maybe all of it if I split a few hairs. I’m suspicious of new terms invented to grab attention more than enlighten, but I have taken the opportunity to read a bit on the topic and there’s something to the notion of white privilege. There is no “white studies” major in college because it’s covered under history. I am generally not conscious of my (white) race, because I don’t need to be; a black man knows he’s black every day and that’s been true for hundreds of years. If I choose I can live my life nearly oblivious to the existence of black people. (In fact I have often claimed, I hope humorously, that, to judge from my own life, black people weren’t even invented until the early 60s.) I’m never asked to give the white perspective on matters. An “expert” in white privilege could give you more, some of which I accept, a little of which I don’t. No matter.
What bugs me about affirmative action is that it was intended to be a temporary measure that restored a balance that had been lost or had never been there. Well, we’re at about 50 years with affirmative action and counting and there is zero probability that it will disappear soon. I’m tired of plans (if you could even call them plans), that will “fix” things in 2 or 3 more generations. No, let’s fix NOW the things that we can. I long ago rooted out and destroyed what little bigotries existed in my own head and heart, but I don’t know what else to do beyond wring my hands and hope, neither of which is productive.
I was in computer programming for most of my working life. As a new field it had less problem integrating women and minorities into it than already established fields…. except there were few minorities to be had. Multiple times I watched as our black programmer — singular — quit for greener pastures. Nothing wrong there, but my employer had to scramble to bring in another minority to replace her (it generally was a her). There weren’t any. So, they went to the only reliable source for minority programmers. They aggressively recruited a minority from another company. There’s nothing wrong with that — it’s lucrative for the ones so sought after — but no new minority has been added to the work force. Do not misunderstand. The single minority was not a token. My various employers would have happily hired more, but finding even one was tough enough.
This is getting long, so I’ll stop, but must end on a down note. I know no one wants to hear it, but I live by “seek truth, speak truth”. If you’re 22, poorly educated, and have two illegitimate kids, I don’t have much for you. You’ve screwed up beyond what any govt or private program can fix. This situation needs prevention more than a cure. Each individual needs to take care of that, not me, not the govt…. but the good news is that you need neither my help nor approval to do it.
I am not totally against affirmative action I do not however think it is working. I also think the media pointing the finger at white men is counter productive, as it reinforces racist beliefs on both sides.
I do think we have to do something to even things out just in my wisdom I do not know anything better then what we are currently trying.
Yeah, if I had a better answer, I’d happily share it. I understand a bit the frustration of minorities who don’t want another multi-generational plan; no such plan could possibly work and we/they shouldn’t have to wait that long. What can WE do now that we are not doing? And that’s an inclusive “we”.
Affirmative action, A/K/A reverse discrimination, is government sponsored racism.
Most white males may not feel privileged, and yet they are. The fact that they do not feel privileged is simply an effect of their own unconscious white supremacism. You make substantial claims regarding what might be called reverse privilege for minorities, but offer no evidence that such privilege is wide spread. But what if you could make such claims? Considering the crimes committed by whites on African and Native Americans, it would only be justice if these groups were given some advantage. Can you even point to anything like this occurring in your own life? I see no evidence of minorities hating white men, but plenty of evidence that a few white men hate minorities. Even the lamestream media has figured that out.
I a lot of the DBE’s or MBE’S go to white females because they are a larger population than blacks and Hispanics combined . More women get degrees then men get over it.
You wrote: “First off I do not think most white males will feel privileged.” Well duh, that was the entire POINT of the article which you choose to ignore; once again proving, yet again the old adage, “denial AIN’T just a river in Egypt.”
A liberal spin by a liberal weenie.
Side note to Rika Christensen, since she provides no contact info: “flak” is better than “flack.” It’d be pretty great if credible internet journalists provided their contact info. Maybe they don’t want feedback from their readers.
There was mistreatment of all immigrants when they arrive, Chinese, Irish, italian, etc. There were sign no Chinese, Irish, Italians welcome , no jobs for them There was never reverse discrimination for them. Call it what you want, a policy that helps due to race is racist, period.
As I understand it white males are the only ones that are flawed and everyone else is perfect. We fail the black male because he does not go to class does not read his textbook or do his homework. Now he has the right to live off the white man the rest of his life and complain about what a racist I am. Every female and all people of all other races just bow down before my white skin and give me what ever I want all the time because of my privilege. Sounds so senseless that it is hard to believe.