General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: White people need saving? [View all]hfojvt
(37,573 posts)Privilege means "special benefit". A benefit is a relative thing. It needs to be relative to all of society. Is it really reasonable for example, for a black man who isn't fighting foreclosure, who has insurance and isn't trying to eke by every day to point to that much worse off white person and tell him he has "white privilege"? Is it reasonable for white people who are better off, to tell the person worse off that they have "white privilege"?
Secondly, are you sure that a white person in the same circumstances is going to be better off than a black person in the same circumstances? I just looked at some resumes today. Resumes are scored by HR based on education and experience. The top scores get interviews. But then some other people are put on the list for interviews even though they have lower scores. They are put on the list because they are minorities. One thing that might help somebody who is struggling would be a job, particularly a good job, like the one I am interviewing (okay, it is only sorta good. Decent hourly rate, but no benefits and spotty hours, but a leg up in this organization. It seems, in today's actual fact, that a black man in the same circumstances would actually have an advantage there over a white man with the same education and experience.
If somebody is at the 10th percentile, it is absurd to say that they are privileged because they have an easier life than some others at the tenth percentile. The reality is that they have a harder life than 90% of the population - and that is not a privilege.