Aaargh. Wading into it: I'm grateful for my "white privilege". I wish everyone had it.

[xocet]

106. If one follows this thread, from the outside it appears

that you cannot accept the way others see the issue, because you appear (not have) to have a chip on your shoulder.

Basically, they are telling you that you should not antagonize people who you want to convince of something. Being needlessly combative with your intended audience (whether you are correct or not) angers those who you wish to convert to your way of thinking, puts them on the defensive and does not forward your cause one bit.

What, after all, is the point of speaking of privilege instead of speaking of injustice? If one wants to speak of privilege, one can make academic points with it and be totally correct. However, if one wants to convince others - by way of creating empathy and understanding - that things need to change, would it not be better to speak of injustice?

If one would rather speak of privilege than of injustice when discussing the ills of society with others outside of academe, one should probably re-examine one's motives for even having the discussion in the first place.