Not All White People Are Racist, But All White People Benefit From Racism.
From what I’ve gathered, when most people hear “white privilege” they conclude that to be as their personal direct influence on racism and social hierarchy.
Whenever the one on one topic of race is brought up, I’ve noted how defensive white people are in their casual uniform statements of, “I’m not racist but…” or, “reverse racism is real”, or, “well by saying white privilege is real, aren’t you being racist by stereotyping white people?” I recognize that everyone will have a bad experience with race, however the systemic distress of racism and the exploitation of POC culture is a structure breached into global humanity, that inherently is a benefit to all white folks.
Not all white people are racist, but all white people benefit from racism. The benefits decree from economic status to the basic simplicity of treatment and the profiteering of culture. For example, American education was initially developed for the white consumer. History books, dating back to early grade school were constructed to make out genocide induced terrorism as an imperialist endeavor to enhance and enrich the white society. When we look at historical context and our lessons of imperialism, we learn of it, as what the pioneers brought to us, whether it be plainly taught as genocide or the three G’s, and while doing so, we dismiss native and POC culture. As our Native American students learn of their history, they are taught that they are both the victims and counter-products of white nationalism, and their traditional culture is invalidated in the form of white saviorism. When our African American students learn of their place in history it is conceptualized into only slavery and the civil rights movement, giving little to no insight on their experiences as anything but victims. Mexican-Americans are taught in the curriculum through the Ceasar Chavez movement (which was still white washed in context), and their culture is simplified to farmer and miner advocacy.
Our students of color are much more than victims and advocates, our culture has so much contribution to America, but is dismissed through the teaching of white saviorism. History books that are taught from the beginning of early grade-school are written to pose white saviors as not imperialist rapists, but rather patriotic heroes. The terms “globalization” and “neocolonialism” in itself imply that expansionism was a necessary route for economic and political growth, even if it came with the abolition of thousands of tribes and the rape and murder of millions of people. “Founding Fathers” quite literally indicates that the land we sit on, was achieved rather than stolen and depraved.
The social hierarchy of American culture and where white people stand in representation unravels that people of color are merely components of the social pyramid. Every institution and individual is responsible for dismantling the historical system of oppression that is carried upon people of color. Although America was founded upon their exploitation of labor and service, and although the age of globalization is well over, its remnants of racism and micro-aggressive tactics still remain persistent. When speaking of representation, we advocate that it still matters not solely because we are unsatisfied with the medias ability to portray realness and diversity, but because for so long, society has been fixated on the white aesthetic, and the white aesthetic is a tarnish to our communities of color and how we perceive ourselves in the face of America. Pose said it best in explaining ball, queer and POC culture,
“Realness is what it’s all about — being able to fit into the straight, white world so we can embody the American Dream. But we don’t have access to that dream, and it’s not because of ability — trust me.”
On a more modern note, long-standing and wealthy businesses such as high modeling agencies and wall-street entrepreneurs were developed on the basis of white economic goals and aesthetic and diversity is only dignified when it is relevant to trendiness. The exploitation of POC culture dates back to the beginning of time… white people who can get away with dressing as Indians for halloween, wearing headdresses at Coachella, media-based stars using AAVE, and using Latino and Black culture as a fashion cue in music videos and magazine shoots. White people conspicuously appropriate culture as it applies to them in terms of trendiness, but it derails the history of our communities as it injustices the centuries of patronizing and perversion prompted by white people. Society is built on the foundation of colonialism and violence against communities of color. Racial violence is not always directly provoked by white people, but all white people benefit from racial micro-agressions and bystanderism.
In high school I had a conversation with one of my favorite teachers. He told me something that stands remarkable with me to this day. Upon a discussion of male and white privilege he mentions to me his self reflective question: “Everyday when I come home, I sit in my driveway and I ask myself, ‘what have I done as a white cis privileged male today, to interrupt the systemic racial toxicity among queer and communities of color’?” (However, it was much more literate than this). For two years his mentioning has stood out to me, not because his direct question is an appreciation to me as a gay Latina, but because it allowed me to dig deeper into the phenomena, that cultural normatives and social hierarchies are still grounded in white convenience.
The concept is simple, for so long people of color have been secondary aspects in historical and societal ladders, and the institutionalization of white saviorism and white aesthetic is a convenience that all white people are constituted to - it’s inevitable. The dismissal of pre-colonial culture and minority experience in media and education is a catastrophic blow to our identities, and while media is a progressive stool to representation - realistically, it is only becoming better because we demanded it. Not all white people are racist, but all white people benefit from the structural racism it was founded upon.