Introduction
Perceptions of the white privilege have seen somewhat of a decline over the past 60 years but the idea continues to afflict many different types of people in all parts of the country despite any assertions to the contrary. We now have increased representations of ethnic minorities in universities, as police officers and in other positions of authority within the government as well as higher percentages in various forms of the media.
This societal evolution of inclusion, however, has been dreadfully gradual and not been at a sufficient pace so as to satisfy those of the minority ethnicity. The United States was an openly racist society in the 1960s when the Civil Rights movement began, finally winning for ethnic minorities the legal protection to vote and take part in the decision-making processes of their world. Racist murders continue to take place, however, such as the James Byrd Jr. lynching in Jasper, TX in 1998, but this type of senseless racially motivated murder is now viewed by society as a horrific crime against a human being and not as simply a byproduct of ‘purifying’ the nation.
Main text
Beginning with the Civil Rights Movement, attitudes regarding the white privilege began to change ever so slowly. Generally holding that white people have a greater right to the ‘good’ life than those of other ethnicities, the white privilege is an idea that has served to limit ethnic minorities from within and without. Inner cities were the usual center of racial issues but now this concern has shifted to the smaller, outlying towns. While the point can be argued that there is less overt racism now than there was 10 years ago, there has been a resurgence of widespread unsympathetic reporting in both local and national print media which portrays refugees as ‘beggars’ and involved in ‘violent crime.’ This reflects the new reinforcement of white supremacist attitudes across the nation.
It is widely ‘known’ that those of ethnic minority are more likely than whites to live in depressed neighborhoods, suffer ill health, live in congested housing and suffer a higher rate of unemployment even when compared to white people of similar education and employment qualifications. The majority of violence reported within the city takes place in economically depressed locations, although it is not uncommon in city centers and in more prosperous areas as well, further giving rise to white supremacy attitudes because these areas are associated with minority ethnicity.
Racist hostility is to some degree a manifestation of racism combined with the social inequality within which perpetrators themselves are trapped within their own minds. Economic deprivation does not directly motivate race crimes but is a substantial predisposing dynamic.
Economic deprivation operates as instigator in conjunction with another stimulus such as sociological aspects, preconceptions of differing races derived as children from adults and representations of ethnic minorities projected by various media types. Whether because they are living too close or living in too much isolation and therefore are unable to understand each other, the consequence of racial biases is feelings of estrangement from mainstream society, accompanied by shame which in turn leads to humiliation-induced rage and aggression.
The recipients of this rage are those who could be perceived as ‘lower’ on society’s economical, cultural or racial rung than the recognized ‘white’ population, forcing whites to rise in anger against other ethnicities when there is disparity seen between them in which the white person is lower on the economic ladder. Simply put, those with a low self-esteem believe that they can elevate themselves by perceiving other groups as inferior.
Summary
This, fueled by an encouragement of racist elements, can lead to racially motivated crimes and feeds into the system of white as powerful and other ethnicities as sullen, malevolent or simply naturally inferiors.