"Lets work together to end racism" is more constructive than "whites need to check their privilege".

[BainsBane]

43. No one had to tell me

It has never occurred to me to sit around and complain that people of color aren't being nice enough to me for me to reflect on the ways in which racism influences me and society more broadly. I've studied history. I know that the institution of slavery permeated the structures of our country dating back to the 16th century Virginia colony. I know that racism has and continues to influence all aspects of our society, from the legal system to education and media images about how we view one another (as BTW does sexism). I have never seen anything objectionable about understanding my own privilege as a white person. Because I see racism as something incumbent upon me to challenge, that means I need to examine it within myself. Understanding privilege is a part of that, though it is only a starting point. If I were to insist that I played no part in racism and that it was all the fault of someone else, I would only be contributing to its perpetration. I choose another approach. I try to listen to how people of color experience racism, and in turn reflect on my own thoughts and behavior to do my best to avoid such actions.

Every time you post about how people shouldn't talk about white privilege, you announce loudly that you see your own sensitivities as more important than experiences of racial oppression faced by people of color. I don't view myself that way. When I don't recognize something as offensive toward a subaltern group (as has occurred somewhat recently in matters involving homophobia and antisemitism), I seek to understand what that act or statement means to the person offended.

I know, for example, that as a straight person that should I ever choose to marry again, I face no legal impediment to doing so. I know I can engage in mild public displays of affection without attracting potentially dangerous attention. That is my privilege as a straight person. I also know that I am not pulled over for driving unless I actually commit a violation. I know I can go into a department store and browse without being constantly followed. Those are some of my privileges as a white person. Other straight and white people enjoy those same privileges. The injustice is that people of color and LGBT Americans do not benefit from those same liberties, not that someone points out my own fortune. Why should that bother me? I can't imagine why it bothers anyone, and I certainly can't imagine why people think not speaking of their privilege is what needs to be discussed rather than racism itself. As JustAnotherGen pointed out, why does she need to "work with you" to end racism? Why should she and others have to convince you to stand up for injustice? And why do you think your own ego a more important topic of discussion that their lived experiences of racism?