General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: As a black man living in America (A nice, long essay)... [View all]KSNY
(315 posts)This essay raises some important ideas and issues.
In the context of the essay, the sentence you quoted does not offend me as white person in the U.S., because each and every white person in the U.S. benefits to a greater or lesser extent from white privilege.
The sons and daughters of white people who marched and championed minority rights took blows and some were killed, but white privilege is an ongoing phenomenon that still exists.
The questions are : how do white people use this privilege and how do we work to dismantle it?
This won't happen by attending a march or by voting (although that is important sometimes), but by a long-term, concerted effort among white people to notice, react (if possible), and try to educate our fellow white people whenever (even when in an all-white gathering) we encounter racist practices.
Not every black person will express gratitude for our presence in anti-racist marches or for our work to dismantle white privilege, but then again, we shouldn't expect that, if we are doing it because it is MORAL AND RIGHT.
If Northam was at a party where attendees were wearing Klan outfits and blackface, then he should have told the offenders that their costumes were offensive and left the party. If not, then there is a problem.
White privilege is invisible. We need to make it visible. Trump is the poster child for white privilege in this country.