White Privilege: An Illustration

[StarfishSaver]

[LeftInTX]

1. So true

Last time, I was pulled over, I thought, "How am I gonna get out of this? I'm doing 95 in a 65 zone and I'm being pulled over by a state trooper. This is gonna cost $$$$$...."

I talked him out of it. It was the first day of school and I was visiting one son who lived 65 miles away and had to pick up my younger son from his first day of 7th grade. Cop fell for it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. I've been pulled over a couple of times for minor traffic violations

like expired license tabs and running a stop sign. I had the same reaction - Oh, hell, what did I do? Am I going to get a ticket? I was never, ever afraid. And those incidents always went like this:

Cop: "Ma'am, did you know you just ran through that stop sign?"

Me: "No, officer, I'm sorry; I didn't notice it. I guess I was distracted."

Cop: "Well, try to be a little more careful. Have a nice day."

I have become aware of my white privilege. Nobody is completely immune from police brutality since our police forces have become nests of authoritarian assholery, but as a white person the only time I would be at significant risk for getting beaten up by cops is if I'm participating in a protest against police brutality. I can drive, watch birds, walk through a park, attend a barbecue, cash my paycheck, swim at a pool, nap in a dorm lounge, and sleep in my own home, without worrying for a minute that I might be interrogated, arrested, or even worse. That's white privilege - shit you don't have to worry about if you're white.