White privilege is one of the most frequently discussed subjects when it comes to the diversity and issues minorities face today in the United States. Even though most of us have heard about white privilege before, many cannot comprehend the meaning of this term correctly. White privilege is rather complex for understanding and can be challenging for a person of any background. I decided to research this subject because I am fascinated by the complexity of this phenomenon, and I was motivated by my desire to learn about white privilege and how it is identified by the professionals.
American society has been battling discrimination for decades, yet it is still a perfect example of white privilege in some aspects. Even though the United States is one of the most diverse countries in the world, the people of various cultures and ethnicities here still cannot get along and cooperate without crashing from time to time. Mockery and criticism of facial features of non-white individuals is one of the most typical, and unfortunately, frequent signs. Non-white people of all kinds face this highly unpleasant phenomenon at least once in their lives.
For example, disrespectful Black stereotypes are often used against President Obama viewing him as animalistic, underdeveloped, and inferior; racist websites depict him as a monkey, draw him with oversized lips or nose (Racist Obama Facebook Pages & Your Office: What Do You Need to Know? 2015). President Obama’s first lady is also under attack stereotyped as an angry Black woman.
Neither of the spouses is criticized for their political views and opinions, they are attacked based on racial background. Another celebrity, Julie Chen, recently confessed that racist comments at work forced her to undergo plastic surgery on her eyes to make them less “Asian,” otherwise, she had serious difficulties getting hired (Hoenig, 2015). Basically, non-white individuals are under the pressure of white privilege, while this concept is still denied or questioned by many white people.
In the article called “Ask the Whiter Guy: ‘I’m a Young White Male; What Do I have to Apologies (sic) For?’” (2015) the author responds to a question of a 21-year old American student, who does not seem to believe in white privilege and denies that any of this non-white peers experience discrimination from the side of the society. The author explains that making such a bold statement, the young man can already be accused of discrimination because he shows utter ignorance towards the discomfort and challenges people of racial minorities have to deal with every day. In fact, the existence of white privilege can be tested in a rather easy way.
For that, a diverse classroom with children of middle or elementary school age needs to be given a simple task. The children can be asked to write several words or sentences describing them individually. After that, the quick examination of the results will most likely reveal the fact that listing personal qualities and features every minority child states their ethnical background, while the vast majority of white children omit the aspect of the race. This happens due to the assumption that being white is “normal” and is taken for granted. In conclusion, the website called DiversityInc was used for the research accomplished for this paper.
The website provides a wide selection of articles covering all possible aspects concerning diversity in the US today, from healthcare to business, economy, politics, and culture. The website contains videos, newspaper rubrics, discussions, and illustrations. It is easy to use; the articles are sorted and suggested based on their topics. DiversityInc is a great tool for research and earning about social, cultural, political, and economic aspects of diversity in the US.
Reference List
Ask the Whiter Guy: ‘I’m a Young White Male; What Do I have to Apologies (sic) For?’ (2015). DiversityInc. Web.
Hoenig, C. (2015). Big Brother Host: Racism Made Me Have Surgery for ‘Asian Eyes’. Web.
Racist Obama Facebook Pages & Your Office: What Do You Need to Know? (2015). DiversityInc. Web.