On privilige

[alias_sqbr]

EDIT: *cough*, meant to post this to debunkingwhite. But hey, you guys may be able to help too :)(*) If you're unfamilar with the concept of "white privilige" I reccomend White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.

A statement I've seen pop up fairly frequently is "I don't want to give up my white privilege, I want to share it with everyone". I've seen enough criticisms of this statement not to say it myself, but I don't have quite enough of a grip on it's wrongness to explain it to other people.

The counterarguments that I can see (which combine together in complex ways):
-Maybe POC don't want to live exactly like white people, but to have their own lifestyles validated (ie it's like turning women into men to remove male privilige)
-It may not be possible (ie it's like giving all peasants a castle to remove class privilige)
-Certain priviliges only work if there's another, less priviliged group (ie "not getting suspected of shoplifting")

But I have a feeling that's not all there is to it, and can't express it very well.

So, in words of one syllable: why is this wrong? It is wrong, right?

(*)n.b. to sonnlich, I realise this oversimplifies the position you were taking in our particular discussion, but I decided to pare down the question to it's simplest form rather than adding a bunch of qualifiers etc, esp. since I'm interested in general.

Comments

[ataxi.livejournal.com]

"So, in words of one syllable: why is this wrong? It is wrong, right?"

Well, it's a starting point for discourse / debate that lends itself to making no effort for positive change, since (as you say) there is no way that all the elements of white privilege can be retained if they are also granted to POC (and therefore not acting to remove those elements that must be removed must fail to redress inequality).

Perhaps it's analogous to a climate change "strategy" that doesn't involve reduced personal consumption.

[alias_sqbr]

Perhaps it's analogous to a climate change "strategy" that doesn't involve reduced personal consumption.

Mmm, the "All gain no pain" approach to positive global change. I mean, it would be nice in principle...