"Check Your Privilege"?
More and more lately, racism, anti-male-ism, and free speech-squashing are used to keep people down. To be white and male means being sneered at for having "white privilege" and expected to wallow in shame for having it easy because of who you are.
In a great piece for the Princeton Tory that's now gone viral, Princeton undergrad Tal Fortgang (class of '17) lays out how that "white privilege" business worked for his family. An excerpt:
There is a phrase that floats around college campuses, Princeton being no exception, that threatens to strike down opinions without regard for their merits, but rather solely on the basis of the person that voiced them. "Check your privilege," the saying goes, and I have been reprimanded by it several times this year. The phrase, handed down by my moral superiors, descends recklessly, like an Obama-sanctioned drone, and aims laser-like at my pinkish-peach complexion, my maleness, and the nerve I displayed in offering an opinion rooted in a personal Weltanschauung. "Check your privilege," they tell me in a command that teeters between an imposition to actually explore how I got where I am, and a reminder that I ought to feel personally apologetic because white males seem to pull most of the strings in the world.I do not accuse those who "check" me and my perspective of overt racism, although the phrase, which assumes that simply because I belong to a certain ethnic group I should be judged collectively with it, toes that line. But I do condemn them for diminishing everything I have personally accomplished, all the hard work I have done in my life, and for ascribing all the fruit I reap not to the seeds I sow but to some invisible patron saint of white maleness who places it out for me before I even arrive. Furthermore, I condemn them for casting the equal protection clause, indeed the very idea of a meritocracy, as a myth, and for declaring that we are all governed by invisible forces (some would call them "stigmas" or "societal norms"), that our nation runs on racist and sexist conspiracies. Forget "you didn't build that;" check your privilege and realize that nothing you have accomplished is real.
But they can't be telling me that everything I've done with my life can be credited to the racist patriarchy holding my hand throughout my years of education and eventually guiding me into Princeton. Even that is too extreme. So to find out what they are saying, I decided to take their advice. I actually went and checked the origins of my privileged existence, to empathize with those whose underdog stories I can't possibly comprehend. I have unearthed some examples of the privilege with which my family was blessed, and now I think I better understand those who assure me that skin color allowed my family and I to flourish today.
Perhaps it's the privilege my grandfather and his brother had to flee their home as teenagers when the Nazis invaded Poland, leaving their mother and five younger siblings behind, running and running until they reached a Displaced Persons camp in Siberia, where they would do years of hard labor in the bitter cold until World War II ended. Maybe it was the privilege my grandfather had of taking on the local Rabbi's work in that DP camp, telling him that the spiritual leader shouldn't do hard work, but should save his energy to pass Jewish tradition along to those who might survive. Perhaps it was the privilege my great-grandmother and those five great-aunts and uncles I never knew had of being shot into an open grave outside their hometown. Maybe that's my privilege.
Or maybe it's the privilege my grandmother had of spending weeks upon weeks on a death march through Polish forests in subzero temperatures, one of just a handful to survive, only to be put in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where she would have died but for the Allied forces who liberated her and helped her regain her health when her weight dwindled to barely 80 pounds.
Perhaps my privilege is that those two resilient individuals came to America with no money and no English, obtained citizenship, learned the language and met each other; that my grandfather started a humble wicker basket business with nothing but long hours, an idea, and an iron will--to paraphrase the man I never met: "I escaped Hitler. Some business troubles are going to ruin me?"
My great grandfather came over to America as a Russian peasant and scavenged metal from the trash in downtown Detroit. He scavenged enough to send my grandfather to Wayne State Medical School, where he became a family doctor and sent my mother to University of Michigan. And for the record, that isn't a result of "white privilege," but American privilege, and plenty of people of various colors take advantage of that in this country. There should be more talk of how to do that and less of how to keep down the people whose parents and families have.
Great article. I hope is really does go viral, because that's the story of so many Americans. My own great grandparents lived in a one room "dugout". My grandfather ran a food store in Texas during the Great Depression - he couldn't say no to hungry people, so he "sold" food on credit till he was broke.
The American dream is that anyone can succeed. Some subcultures value education and hard work...and some want it handed to them on account of their skin color. Which ones are the racists?
a_random_guy at April 30, 2014 10:34 PM
" My grandfather ran a food store in Texas during the Great Depression - he couldn't say no to hungry people, so he "sold" food on credit till he was broke."
Yes.I had two great grandfather's who did similar things. Couldn't stand to see hungry kids.
Letting the gubmit do it all has eroded social responsibility on the part of the haves, and gratitude from those on the receiving end.
Two very useful constructs for keeping your culture together.
"Check your privilege" is the rallying cry for those who think they are entitled to equal outcomes without doing the work.
Isab at May 1, 2014 12:06 AM
Kid's gonna wish he hadn't written that in a few years when he can't find a job.
dee nile at May 1, 2014 4:54 AM
The very notion of Princeton students (Princeton!? The very ground-zero of privileged you!) calling a fellow student on their privilege will have me giggling for the rest of the day.
Consul-At-Arms at May 1, 2014 7:26 AM
My God. I can't believe anyone would use that phrase in seriousness. It's just a reactionary comeback for the ignorant. Whoever taught them to do that did them a real dis-service.
Canvasback at May 1, 2014 7:35 AM
I believe it was Thomas Sowell who said "The assumption that spending more of the taxpayers' money will make things better has survived all kinds of evidence that it makes things worse. the black family which survived slavery, discrimination, poverty, wars and depressions began to come apart as the federal government moved in with its well-financed programs to help."
Flynne at May 1, 2014 8:35 AM
I've been hearing a lot about "privilege" and like the author, find that it is usually an assumption based upon nothing more than one's apparent gender, race, sexual orientation, and sometimes religion.
Because we all know that all "white male hetero Christians" are born to wealth, never work hard, are racist bigots, never have a single hard spot in their lives, never live in places where either Christians or white people are a minority (no trips to India or Japan - ever), and are greedy hate-mongers.
s at May 1, 2014 9:46 AM
The current trend in college white male privilege is to be thrown out on any baseless accusation of sexual misconduct.
Matt at May 1, 2014 10:09 AM
I guess my response would usually be "anti-intellectual claptrap" but really it should be to throw back another one of their favorite tropes in their faces:
"are you trying to shame me for being born who I am?!? are you seriously using the tools of 'othering' in order to further your diversity agenda? wouldn't we call that hypocrisy?"
prolly doesn't matter what you are going to say... if they are asking you to "check your privilege" They have already made up their minds about you.
"keep your head down and get back in line..."
SwissArmyD at May 1, 2014 10:11 AM
Matt said: The current trend in college white male privilege is to be thrown out on any baseless accusation of sexual misconduct.
Word. And the rally neat thing about it is, you can hang a label around their neck they will carry the rest of their lives, thereby handicapping them forever. Cue "You've come a loooooong way, baby."
Some Patriarchy.
The WolfMan at May 1, 2014 10:20 AM
"really."
The WolfMan at May 1, 2014 10:21 AM
@Consul: "The very notion of Princeton students (Princeton!? The very ground-zero of privileged you!) calling a fellow student on their privilege will have me giggling for the rest of the day."
Exactly. Who do you hear talking like that? I'll bet it's not the underprivileged. My middle daughter was on an exchange trip last summer with about a dozen and a half other high-schoolers. One of the girls in her group, a student at an elite charter school, and daughter of academics, liked to chirp the "check your privilege" line. I don't know whether she was aware she was part of the group she was addressing.
Old RPM Daddy (OldRPMDaddy at GMail dot com) at May 1, 2014 11:48 AM
Meh I'm not impressed by the article. I don't care what your family background is when it comes to the nuances of white privilege. Everyone always writes about how much THEIR family suffered. I think its the second most common theme, right after self suffering.
Do I think white privilege exists? Yes. Just like I think a young great looking woman (of any race) will have more of an advantage than a white male. No one can have the privilege of a woman who is a 10.
I know I have had many advantages because of my light eyes and white enough features. I'm acceptable (even to East Asians & Gulf Arabs which is no small feat). And traveling the world I know how black people are treated and how they view each other.
So white certainly has an advantage because of people's biases. But the thing people forget is that it's not white people who impose these biases and its certainly not the media.
And you can't make laws about it.
Also I think I have a better view of it because both my parents look "off white" so I'm right in the middle of it ya know? People on both sides of the spectrum have made enough comments for me to realize that it does exist-but not in the manner it's portrayed.
Ppen at May 1, 2014 12:07 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/05/01/check_your_priv.html#comment-4568107">comment from Old RPM Daddy (OldRPMDaddy at GMail dot com)Life is filled with privilege. People who are attractive, people who have wealthy parents, people who are of the tribe of the person doing the hiring have privilege. I was taught that this is life -- and that a number of people don't like Jews and that I would probably have to work a lot hard to attain things because of it.
More and more, there are "minority" internships and fellowships that go to people based on having some color of skin that is not white. So, a kid with coffee-colored skin (black, Latino, whatever) who comes from a wealthy family can get one of these while a kid who's poor and white can't.
Amy Alkon at May 1, 2014 12:10 PM
Privilege. Yeah, right. This son of a working-class family worked his butt off in school to a get a ROTC scholarship to a good ENGINEERING school (ah, but not one of those oh-so-privileged Ivies. . .), spent the next 6 years in uniform, and went off to be an engineer.
No family pull. No trust fund. No political connections (and in fact, I ended up severing the family political connections we DID have, by "coming out" as a Conservative in a family of Union Democrats. . . ).
Just hard work.
Keith Glass at May 1, 2014 12:13 PM
Think he should keep his head down and graduate first before getting into this dog fight.
Nothing good is likely to come out of this unless he can finish school (and at some schools he would be unlikely to be allowed to do so).
Hope he has an advisor/mentor at school that can help him 'cause he is screwed and probably a 'walking dead' man.
This is a clear case of being 'dead right'.
Bob in Texas at May 1, 2014 3:15 PM
Think he should keep his head down and graduate first before getting into this dog fight.
Nothing good is likely to come out of this unless he can finish school (and at some schools he would be unlikely to be allowed to do so).
Hope he has an advisor/mentor at school that can help him 'cause he is screwed and probably a 'walking dead' man.
This is a clear case of being 'dead right'.
Posted by: Bob in Texas at May 1, 2014 3:15 PM
Clearly, this would have been in his personal best interest, but sometimes standing up for a principle is in everyone's long term interest.
However, I suspect a lot of the wealthy Jewish bankers, and lawyers are nodding their heads in quiet agreement, These are the businesses where he will find employment.
There is a lot to lose from speaking your mind, but it was past time for some push back.
Isab at May 1, 2014 3:58 PM
a_random_guy says, "Some subcultures value education and hard work...and some want it handed to them on account of their skin color. Which ones are the racists?"
Which subcultures are the ones who want it handed to them on account of their skin color? What color are they? Which ones are the racists? You may have unwittingly answered your own question. I know you don't see it at all, but read your words again.
I've never heard the term "check your privilege". I'm going to guess that it's not in response to someone being a white male. I'd imagine it's probably in response to someone saying something as asinine as the above statement.
Oh, and if you're going to Princeton, guess what? You're very, very privileged. You're family may have gone through an awful lot to get into that position, and you may have worked very hard yourself, but you yourself are very privileged. Nothing wrong with that, but you should definitely realize that you have a perspective that not a lot of people enjoy. "Check your privilege" is probably meant as a reminder that there are a lot of other perspectives out there and that you should make an effort to understand those perspectives.
A lot of people work just as hard and harder as our Princeton friend and they get nowhere. That's the privileged part and it often has nothing to do with being white.
whistleDick at May 1, 2014 6:34 PM
I think "check your privilege" is a rebuke, usually against a white man (sometimes a white woman) who presumes to make a comment about an issue that pertains to a different identity group, that members of that group disagree with. It suggests that he's not qualified to comment because, due solely to his race and gender, everything has been handed to him on a silver platter, and he has not experienced the misery, hardship, struggle and oppression experienced by the identity group on which he presumed to comment.
However, "check your privilege" is not a valid response to members of other identity groups who make assertions about white men without ever having experienced life as a white man. White men only see things from the perspective of white male privilege. Members of other identity groups see all as it really is.
Ken R at May 1, 2014 8:05 PM
I think it's at best rhetorically lazy and dishonest about being so, right down there with "let's agree to disagree."
Michelle at May 1, 2014 8:31 PM
Isn't the proper response to this type of snotty verbal assault to simply ask "Or what?".
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at May 1, 2014 8:45 PM
This reminded me of a little thing in today's weekly about drinking on May 5th at the bar. Getting to the bartender:
Someone has always started drinking before you and they are usually hanging out at the bar and you have to chest bump and engage in there crap before you can get your drink. I suggest a sombrero and puke stained poncho...they'll get out of your way and you can get your drink. If that doesn't work try being a hot chick...hot chicks get right through often times the drinks are paid for....this has worked for almost 100% of the hot chicks I have seen try 100% of the time.
(not verbatim but close).
Being a "Hot chick" has its privileges.
The Former Banker at May 1, 2014 9:30 PM
"Oh, and if you're going to Princeton, guess what? You're very, very privileged. You're family may have gone through an awful lot to get into that position, and you may have worked very hard yourself, but you yourself are very privileged. "
And the ones making the accusation are Princetonians too. Are they checking their own privilege? It doesn't appear so. Let's be honest, phrases like "check your privilege" are just fancy words dressing up a grade-school level of immaturity. It's their way of letting you know that the clique has rejected you.
Cousin Dave at May 2, 2014 7:08 AM
White privilege something I experience every day when I walk about in my community and never once wonder if I’m being judged by my skin color, or am having assumptions made about me that are based on my race.
That’s it.
To that I would add that it is increasingly popular to use stupid little buzz phrases like ‘check your privilege’ to address (or just close down) inquiry into complex ideas that may have components that we find tough to hear. Not helpful.
Now, that said, the young man who wrote the article in question is not adding a bit to the discussion with his admittedly well written, but completely misinformed rant.
railmeat at May 2, 2014 4:38 PM
>>White privilege something I experience every day when I walk about in my community and never once wonder if I’m being judged by my skin color, or am having assumptions made about me that are based on my race.
So if I feel like I am being judged because my skin is white do I still have white privilege?
Assholio at May 2, 2014 4:54 PM
"check your privilege"?
I've never heard that expression before; but, it does sound like the kind of thing that young snappy liberals would say because they think it makes them sound very profound when in reality it just makes them sound bitchy and judgmental.
So, here's my new expression: "check your judgment"
(P.S., Why, yes. I AM being hypocritical by being judgmental on them.)
Charles at May 2, 2014 5:53 PM
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