White Privilege

[alcibiades_mystery]

44. Here's what white people tend to say when theyn try to talk about structural discrimination

"Class is more important than race."

It's almost always their first move - an easy enough move, since it brings the discussion on to their own turf, and they get to talk about their own "working class" moments (as if "working class" were a stage in life, like college - something that is mostly only true for the bourgeoisie), while dismissing structural racism as - what? - incorrect?

Needless to say, class and race (and gender and etc.) actually interact in deviously complex ways that these trite assertions can't even begin to capture (or understand), but it's easy enough for white folks to find anything other than race to talk about, since many of them seem structurally incapable of talking about it with any insight or even basic empathy.

Yes, yes, quite right, let's talk about class. Much more important than race. Tell me again about your time as a convenience store clerk, ahem...