White privilege is a term that describes societal advantages that benefit white people not commonly experienced by non-whites under the same circumstances. For example, whites are more likely to be hired, less likely to be stopped by police, and more likely to get a loan than blacks. White privilege is often used to silence dissent by claiming a white person's opinion is less valid because they benefit from white privilege.
The problem with white privilege theory is the problem with racism in general — it applies averages to individuals, and that's not how averages work. For instance, it would be racist to assume a black person is underprivileged because statistically he/she is more likely to be poor. The same logic follows when assuming one is privileged because of their race.
According to intersectionality theory, people have multiple social identities that intersect or overlap. The problem of white privilege theory is that it uses an 'all things being equal' approach when people have different capabilities, personalities, and levels of attractiveness that may benefit or hinder them in life. For instance, a white person with a speech impediment may face greater struggles in getting a job giving speeches or interfacing with the public than the average well-spoken black person. Adam Carolla gives a great explanation of this in this video.
It is not fair to focus on benefits without focusing on detriments. A white person is 25 times more likely to be attacked by a black person. Also, trillions of dollars have been spent from a largely white tax base to help lagging non-white groups who often turn around and say "f*ck white people". Is this white privilege, too?
The same disparities attributed to privilege apply to Asians as well, who outperform whites in education, job hiring, income, etc. Also, various non-white immigrant groups, including black immigrants, enjoy the same advantages. For instance, Nigerian-Americans outperform whites in income and college degree attainment, but it is never called privilege.
It seems as though there may be another variable at play other than racism that explains these disparities, which is behavior. This is further explained by the Great Thomas Sowell here in this video.
The problem with white privilege theory is the problem with racism in general — it applies averages to individuals, and that's not how averages work. For instance, it would be racist to assume a black person is underprivileged because statistically he/she is more likely to be poor. The same logic follows when assuming one is privileged because of their race.
According to intersectionality theory, people have multiple social identities that intersect or overlap. The problem of white privilege theory is that it uses an 'all things being equal' approach when people have different capabilities, personalities, and levels of attractiveness that may benefit or hinder them in life. For instance, a white person with a speech impediment may face greater struggles in getting a job giving speeches or interfacing with the public than the average well-spoken black person. Adam Carolla gives a great explanation of this in this video.
It is not fair to focus on benefits without focusing on detriments. A white person is 25 times more likely to be attacked by a black person. Also, trillions of dollars have been spent from a largely white tax base to help lagging non-white groups who often turn around and say "f*ck white people". Is this white privilege, too?
The same disparities attributed to privilege apply to Asians as well, who outperform whites in education, job hiring, income, etc. Also, various non-white immigrant groups, including black immigrants, enjoy the same advantages. For instance, Nigerian-Americans outperform whites in income and college degree attainment, but it is never called privilege.
It seems as though there may be another variable at play other than racism that explains these disparities, which is behavior. This is further explained by the Great Thomas Sowell here in this video.