The Insidious Role that White Male Privilege is Playing in Our Society and the Presidential Election
If Donald Trump were a radical Black leftist spewing hate and lies and insulting whites at every turn, we all know where his campaign would stand today; because he's white, the rules are different
As a lifelong white male, I know a thing or two about white privilege. I’ve benefited from it, and at times in my life, I’ve allowed it to blind me to the injustices of our society.
Given the role that white privilege is clearly continuing to play in our politics as we near (yet again) the most consequential election of our lifetimes, I thought I'd share some of the tell-tale signs someone is allowing their white privilege — particularly male white privilege — to shape their views of our society and the world in ways that elevate their own interests ahead of everyone else’s. I was going to make it a Top 10 list, but I found it impossible to keep it to only 10:
They say racism is not that bad in America because they've never experienced racism.
They say gun violence is not that bad in America because they've never experienced gun violence, or seen the toll it takes on disadvantaged communities on a daily basis.
They say that climate change is not an emergency because they'll either be dead when the emergency turns into a full-blown disaster, or will have the money to escape its worst ravages.
They say they care about the life of a non-viable fetus but say or know nothing about the maternal mortality rate in America, particularly among Black Americans, or just don't care.
They say universal health care is socialism because they have good health insurance and don’t have to worry about losing it, and their life, in the process.
They complain about "painting with a broad brush" when the only brush they're interested in is the white one that covers up any and all injustices.
They can't find the word empathy in a dictionary.
They say that police misconduct is just a matter of a few "bad apples" because they never have to worry about encountering one of those bad apples and losing their life in the process.
They demonize migrants even as those migrants put food on the table for way less money than it would cost otherwise.
They say refugees should just tough it out in their own country while forgetting that their own ancestors chose not to.
They complain endlessly about how much it costs to fill up the gas tank of their car but don't care that others are actually living out of their car because they can't afford the cost of housing.
They say anyone can get ahead by working hard, ignoring the fact that many people (like the ancestors of George Floyd) tried to do just that but were knocked down at every turn by systemic racism and other societal factors that they can never begin to imagine or truly understand.
They insist on normalizing a political movement (and its supporters) built on hate and lies and that is led by a wealthy, white criminal who has done great harm to countless less-privileged people with his actions and crimes; but when a poor Black kid who never had the privileges that most whites take for granted succumbs to the temptation of crime, it's perfectly fine to label him as a "scumbag."
They show more concern about whether their children are made to feel “guilt” or “shame” over the history of racism and racial oppression in America than they do about the impact those things have had, and continue to have, on the people who suffer from them.
They benefit from the inherited wealth that has helped them get a leg up and achieve the American dream while dismissing the denial of such wealth to marginalized communities who have never had the opportunity to give their own children a leg up.
They bristle at symbols and public displays of “pride” for the LGBTQ+ community but cared nothing when those people were forced into societal closets and made to feel shame, and denied equality, for simply being born the way they were.
And if all that weren't enough, here's the No. 1 reason that white male privilege is alive and well in America. A convicted felon who tried to overthrow an election, destroy democracy, bribe a foreign leader for political favors, was found by a judge to have committed rape, and has a long history of racist statements and actions, not only gets to run for president, but may actually win the election in a few weeks, simply because he's white!
Incredible, isn't it?
So how is such a thing possible? I really believe that it largely lies with the toxic masculinity and lack of empathy that affects so many American white males (to bne fair, there's also a fair amount of empathy lacking among privileged whites on the political left, as well, which is why we have an unprecedented housing crisis on our hands in blue states like my own). Yes, not all whites are privileged materially and financially; some struggle with poverty and other societal ills in the same manner that historically marginalized groups do. But instead of showing empathy for and a connection to people of color who suffer from all these things, along with the evils of systemic racism, they too often choose to scapegoat the marginalized, or see any effort to lift them up as a threat to their own prospects for success and a better life. Instead of joining hands with the marginalized to stand against the powerful and privileged who have rigged our society to their own advantage, they have chosen to stand behind a person who has spent his life manipulating the political and economic system to his own benefit at their expense, who has nothing in common with them other than the color of his skin.
The only reason Donald Trump has a snowball chance’s in hell of returning to the White House (his odds are actually much better than that) is that for all the clear depravity and criminality that surrounds his life and campaign, tens of millions of primarily white Americans are willing to vote for him for one reason and one reason only: They believe they will benefit from his election, regardless of what it means for anyone else. That’s what an appeal to white nationalism and white privilege will do for a campaign rooted in corruption, hate and lies.
If Donald Trump were a radical Black liberal spreading the same type of hate and lies from the political left and insulting whites the way Trump insults people of color, we all know where that campaign would stand. It would be as dead as a doornail.
But because he’s a radical White nationalist, he can get away with anything. That’s a reality that should shame every true American who cares about the principles of equality, democracy and justice.
The question is not just what the rest of us are going to do about it between now and Nov. 5. The question is what we will do about it in the years to come, regardless of what happens Nov. 5. Because we clearly have a lot of work to do if our country is ever to live up to the ideals espoused in its Constitution. The last eight years, and reality of the current presidential campaign, have made that crystal clear.