ENC1101
Understanding White Privilege
“Privilege” is defined as a special right granted to only a particular person or group. (Oxford.) Since the dawn of time, certain people have had these advantages over others for uncontrolled reasons – from skin color, to sex, to even where you come from. Although this is a universal truth, people can go through their entire life without even knowing they have privilege. In their articles, Laila Lalami and Gina Crosley-Corcoran attempt to create a call to action on the awareness and issues of white privilege and identity in the United States. While both these authors create a compelling argument of what it means to have white privilege, they are significantly different arguments. Lalami focuses on how racism and anxiety of whites often leads to discrimination of other races. Meanwhile Crosley-Corcoran, who is white, delves into what it feels like to have white privilege, while still being discriminated based on other factors.
The first article I read was “The Identity Politics of Whiteness” by Laila Lalami, published in The New York Times Magazine. Written from the perspective of a muslim immigrant, this article was a rant about white privilege, and how it is seemingly unattainable for others to gain this type of privilege. The article begins with an anecdote involving Lalami’s daughter: when finishing the book “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” the young girl asks why Tom did not tell Jim the truth about Miss Watson freeing him by her own will. Lalami answers, stating white identity would not exist without black identity. The author backs up this big claim by claiming that racial identity is only applied to people of color, but never whites. She describes white as the default race, the absence of race. Lalami provides an anecdote recalling the 2016 election of Donald Trump. While running his campaign, Trump appealed to the majority of white Americans and their anxieties. At the root of this anxiety, many white people fear that they will soon become a minority in the United States. Trump used his campaign to link America’s common problems together, such as immigration and terrorism. Lalami argues that the other candidates were not so focused on these issues, but more on the needs of working class families. There have been trends occurring in our country involving addiction/alcoholism and how these issues are caused by general economic failures. Lalami relates to these issues, revealing that she also comes from the working class. Her parents did not go to college, but they managed to provide for their children. The author continues on by describing the hypocritical side of those who voted for trump: white women who voted, even though dozens of women accused him of sexual misconduct, rich white voters, who have economic safety but still flocked to the candidate that promised working class improvement. This occurred because these voters did not want to vote for Clinton. Lalami goes on to suggest that white people should experience the disadvantages of being a race. She finishes the article by describing her privileges, such as living in a suburb, having health insurance, etc. But she goes on to explain that while she does have these privileges, she is also a person of color. “For all the privileges I can pass on to my daughter, there is one I cannot: whiteness.” (Lalami.)
“The Identity Politics of Whiteness” provides an insight on what it is like to be a minority in America. Laila Lalami focuses mostly on using pathos, sharing personal anecdotes to back up her point. She was also able to utilize ethos, as she is apart of the muslim immigrant minority in America. I agree with Lalami to a certain extent. While she provides an interesting viewpoint, she lacks a well-rounded argument and comes off as biased. She expresses a bias by making statements such as “…those voters chose a candidate who promised them relief from their problems at the expense of others,” and “The only thing that the president-elect never faulted for anything were whites…” (Lalami.) This bias will generally lose the reader’s interest if they are white, as she is attacking and even blaming whites for Trump’s presidency. Although these arguments would work well with an audience that is mostly part of a minority race, it is ineffective otherwise. I see Lalami’s viewpoint as hypocritical. She creates an argument blaming whites for all the bad things going on in America, but neglects to acknowledge that there are bad things about all races, sexes, cultures, religions etc. She also does not acknowledge that everyone has certain privileges; just because they are not “white privilege” does not disregard them as privileges. Lalami’s overall argument is effective, but at times ineffective, since she provides a biased viewpoint that does not consider that the reader may have a different opinion on this controversial matter.
The second article reviewed was “Explaining White Privilege To A Broke White Person” by Gina Crosley-Corcoran, published in the Huffington Post. As a white person living in poverty, Crosley-Corcoran provides a unique argument on white privilege. The author begins her argument explaining her living situation as a child: a small camper with no heat or running water during the winter, making ramen noodles with water from a public bathroom, no mailing address, etc. Crosley-Corcoran explains that people of her race are widely represented, and she does agree that there are privileges to being white. White people and people of color differ in many ways, but white people should not feel the need to feel guilty for being born with white skin. It is not one’s fault for being born with white skin and the privilege that comes with it, but it is an important responsibility to recognize their privilege. Although Crosley-Corcoran experienced the advantages of white privilege, she still experienced the disadvantages of poverty. It is nearly impossible to turn the cheek to unearned privilege. People of other skin colors are simply never afforded the privilege of just going to the grocery store without worrying about an incident occurring or harassment. They are also not able to be pulled over by the police without feeling anxious. Crosley-Corcoran suggests that instead of using race in arguments involving white privilege, substitute “race” for “class,” as it changes the story completely. As a white person living in poverty, the author too feels worrisome about shopping in her neighborhood, as it is low income and can be filled with dangerous people. She describes her neighborhood as one filled with people rarely making it in the world past gas station employment, barely being able to pay the rent on their trailer, and self-medicating with prescription drugs and cigarettes. Crosley-Corcoran provides examples of her white privilege, stating the fact that she even got published in the first place was a privilege, as she has no academic background and comes from a poor family. She introduces a term “intersectionality.” Intersectionality is defined as the concept of some people being privileged in certain ways but not others. The author argues that there are a plethora of privileges: citizenship, class, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, and so on. She attempts to call to action the acknowledgement of our privileges, not feelings of guilt for having them. Some people must work harder than others throughout life, it may not be fair, but that is how it is. Crosley-Corcoran completes her argument with examples of her own privileges: she is a cisgender woman, natural-born white citizen, her natural tongue is the language of our country, and she is able-bodied. Finally, she requests that people stop acknowledging only white privilege, but acknowledge all privilege through intersectionality.
Gina Crosley-Corcoran’s article “Explaining White Privilege To A Broke White Person” provides a similar argument to Lalami’s article “The Identity Politics of Whiteness,” but delves into the opposing perspective. The author is able to relate to having both white privilege, but disadvantages of poverty. This unique perspective allows the reader to understand that while there may be certain privileges for races, the disadvantages of one’s lifestyle can outweigh the advantages. She creates an informative argument on privilege in not only all ethnicities, but sexual orientation, sex, religion, and so on. I find that her argument is much harder to disagree with, as she touches base with both sides of the argument in an unbiased manner. I believe intersectionality is a term that should be used more often. It explains privilege in a more accurate fashion, instead of being biased because you are apart of a certain ethnicity. I see the authors argument also as a way of displaying that not all white people are naturally privileged in terms of being rich, powerful, or educated. Overall, Crosley-Corcoran’s argument is very effective at arguing her side of white privilege, but while also considering that others may have an opinion on the topic.
If we are truly willing to understand American racial identity issues, we must begin by understanding discrimination, along with privileges aside from race. We must put aside our biases and learn to accept that some have privileges and some do not. We must acknowledge our own privileges, but not feel guilty for having them. Once we have the capacity to hold back our extreme views about privilege and race, we will be able to come to a resolution and make progress together, as equals.
Sources:
Crosley-Corcoran, Gina. (2014, May 08). Explaining White Privilege To A Broke White Person. The Huffington Post.
Lalami, Laila. (2016, November 21). The Identity Politics of Whiteness. The New York Times Magazine.
Oxford Dictionary. Privilege. <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/privilege>