White privilege is said to be the unfair advantage that white people have over nonwhite people in society due to the old societal constructs and resultant prejudices that carry over to today. It can be a conscious effort of suppression or an unconscious effort of exclusion. It can manifest in society in various ways, such as not showing people of color in movies, sitcoms, newscasts, etc. It can occur by not hiring someone for a job due to their skin color, shunning people of a different race, disregarding their opinion, and using a person’s “white status” to prevent others from sharing in the benefits of that status. Opponents of this privilege say it is nontangible, often unconscious, and most often unseen. It is woven into the fabric of society that favors white people over others.

This disparity of advantage can occur on TV where white people are the only characters even when it would be obvious that people of other races would be there. It can manifest in Magazine covers that don’t reflect the population’s racial demographics. It can surface in unintended areas such as stores where the clothing and makeup don’t match a nonwhite appearance.  Then there is the issue of advancing people in jobs because they speak better, look better, and have a better education that is more in harmony with white-favoring social constructs. One of the most prevalent accusations concerning white privilege deals with law enforcement, where being white will get you better treatment than those who are not.

It is hard to define

There are a lot of factors to consider when tackling the topic. We have to ask questions and examine motives. Please consider the following.

1. What does it mean to be guilty of white privilege?
2. If you’re white, are you automatically guilty of benefiting from it?
3. If you’re white and work against white privilege, are you still guilty of it?
4. If you’re white and not aware of so-called privilege, are you still guilty of it?
5. If you are white and had to work very hard to succeed, did you still benefit from it?
6. If you are white and have succeeded, is your success or position in life invalidated?
7. If you are not white and have benefited directly from a white person’s so-called privilege (i.e., work promotion due to being a friend), are you guilty of it?

These questions raise other issues, and their answers can affect how we understand the condition, benefits, disadvantages, etc., of white privilege.  One thing we have to make sure of is not invalidating people because of their skin color, whether being white, black, brown, or whatever. Our goal is, of course, to seek equity among all people.

“And white privilege is not the assumption that everything a white person has accomplished is unearned; most white people who have reached a high level of success worked extremely hard to get there. Instead, white privilege should be viewed as a built-in advantage, separate from one’s level of income or effort.” https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2018/what-is-white-privilege-really

Guilty because you’re white

One of the problems with white privilege is that you’re automatically guilty of all this privilege if you’re white. I think this is dangerous and unfair. I can’t speak for other white people, but I know I had to work very hard for a long time before I ‘succeeded.’  Doing CARM isn’t because of white privilege. It is because of hard work despite so many setbacks, and there were quite a few. As far as the secular realm goes, some people I worked with in various jobs of all colors, were more successful than I, and others weren’t. My interaction with people led me to believe that you can make it if you work hard, no matter who you were. But even then, that was no guarantee. All kinds of factors come into play regarding success. Personally, I resent the idea of being guilty because I’m white and somehow automatically benefiting from white privilege. It was something that never crossed my mind. But what did was consistent hard work.

The Bible and White Privilege

The Bible does not support racism, prejudice, or people’s suppression because of their skin color. The Bible says to seek justice (Isaiah 1:17), to fight for the rights of the less unfortunate (Proverbs 31:8), to not be partial to the poor or the rich (Leviticus 19:15), and to love your neighbor (Matthew 22:39). And in the society you’re in, you can suffer or benefit from a particular skin color. There can be black privilege, brown privilege, etc., depending on the circumstances. We have to make sure that people aren’t guilty simply because they are white. But, as Christians, we are supposed to treat others fairly, not based on their skin color.