White Men Can’t Jump, But They’ve Got Other Tricks Up Their Sleeves: The (Unearned) Privilege of Being White
Here’s a little something to ponder:
Band Aids.
What comes to mind? Perhaps a small, rectangular piece of flexible plastic with adhesive that sticks to your skin and pulls at your little hairs when you finally tear it off, bringing back unpleasant memories of your last Brazilian wax.
No? I should leave the Brazilian wax out of this, you say?
Okay, fine. No wax for you!
Back to Band Aids. Visualize a Band Aid for a moment. (Or, “adhesive strip” if you don’t care to participate in genericized trademarks.)
What color is it?
I think we can all probably answer that question without much debate.
The real question at hand, however, is why I’m rambling on about the color of Band Aids. The answer is because something so simple holds far more meaning than we notice. Considering that they’re named “flesh-colored” or “nude,” it’s an indirect (but bold) statement that essentially says, “White people are the standard human being.”
Coincidentally enough, based on the 2000 Census, CNN reports that by 2021, more than half of all children in the United States will be minorities. (Hence making them the majority.) That’s in eleven years, my friends. Not much time at all. As a result, the common argument that the Band Aids company is merely making a savvy business decision by marketing to its primary demographic will soon be rendered null and void. Hasta la vista, baby.
Yup, That’s Right: Here Comes The Can of Worms. And I’m About to Open It Faster Than You Can Say “Oh, boy.”
While we so proudly claim that racism no longer exists, the reality is that we’re surrounded by it. It might not be overt, but it doesn’t have to be. The technical term for this is called unearned white privilege, which essentially just means that–hey, sugar–if you’re white, the cards are stacked in your favor. Everyday, without even recognizing it, white people–myself included–soak up all sorts of benefits from being light-skinned. From not having women clutch their purse tighter in passing, to being able to drive a brand new car without people wondering if it was purchased with drug money, to being able to move into a new neighborhood without having the neighbors wonder if their property value will be negatively affected. . . right on down to having a “nude” colored Band Aid that are, well, nude. (Let’s not get into the tired argument about Band Aids not being exactly the same shade of your skin color. There’s far more important things to discuss here.)
Unfortunately, unearned white privilege isn’t something you can decide whether or not you want to participate in–if you’re white, you automatically get these fun little chocolate-dipped, unseen luxuries. From this perspective, such a reality admittedly conflicts with one of my strongest convictions here at The Middle Finger Project, that of individual choice enabling us to get out there and take control of our lives. The truth is, that’s a limited viewpoint, because to a certain extent, we are the product of what we will ourselves to be, yes, but also what the society in which we live lets us be.
Meritocracy Exposed (And It Doesn’t Look All That Good Naked, I’m Sorry To Report)
So perhaps more importantly, the concept of the United States system of meritocracy–essentially which says that everything and anything can be earned–is revealed for what it truly is–a myth that serves to boost our self-esteem, making us work especially hard and then allowing us to boastfully assume that we fully deserve whatever reward comes as a result. The truth is, some of us have had a little help.
We really (really) hate admitting that, too. I’m sure that many of you are getting heated inside right now, conjuring up a fiery comment that you can make, telling us how you’ve worked hard for everything you’ve ever had. And no one’s denying that; I’m the first to say that I’ve worked my ass off for everything that I have today. But despite things like discrimination against women or the poor, if those women or those poor people are white, they’re still drawing on white privilege somewhere.
What’s the big deal, you ask?
The big deal is that racism, in general, is (insert expletive) absurd.
It is social construct that’s based entirely on a color. A color. And just in case some of us missed the memo, the color of a person’s skin has no bearing on his/her feelings, thoughts, ideas, intelligence or potential. As a matter of fact it has no bearing at all–just the bearing that we arbitrarily assign. It is so utterly inconsequential, that I’m frankly baffled we could ever make such an issue out of it. It’s comparable to forming a KKK to take out anyone with black hair.
And that’s plain idiotic.
Why should hair color be different from skin color?
If you’re still hopeful that racism doesn’t exist, check out this little gold nugget of a fact: In Andrew Hacker’s book, “Two Nations,” which questions the value of whiteness according to whites, his study asks students how much money they’d seek if they were suddenly changed from white to black. The answer? Most seemed to feel that it would not be out of place to ask for $50 million dollars, or $1 million dollars for every year of blackness. Pretty clear our perception on the value of being white, eh?
Racism Rejected. Hardcore. Like The Guy I Danced With Last Night Who Kept Insisting We Start a Relationship. Note: Very Weird.
This truly makes no sense to me. Have you ever dated one of those people who, you swear, invents drama just for the sake of having drama? Almost for the sake of just having something going on? I feel that when it comes to racism, our collective society is that guy. It’s as if we feed off of it. Yet, at the end of the day, we are all the same species–skin color varies, just as the shape of our noses, mouths, ears and/or pot bellies. And I’ll be damned if someone is going to persecute me if I’ve got a little spare tire action going on. Why should skin color be any different?
As a matter of fact, the lightness or darkness of one’s skin color is really just the inheritance of one particular gene. (For the record, they say that the ability to roll one’s tongue is dependent upon a gene, which a small percentage of the population does not have. I am included in that percentage. Yes, it does frustrate the shit out of me, thanks.) Here’s the explanation on the race gene I got from this really cool website:
Skin color involves a relative handful of genes with the most important being SLC24A5 which produces melanin, a molecule that absorbs solar radiation, particularly potentially harmful UV radiation. There are two variations with the variation that produces the amino acid alanine being associated with a dark complexion and the variation that produces the amino acid threonine being associated with light skin. In general a pigment is black if it absorbs the entire visual light spectrum. It is white if it reflects the entire visual light spectrum.
So, let me get this straight: We’ve been making such a big deal about this in the name of one little gene? Seriously, I can only hope that the tongue-rolling nazis don’t start coming out of the woodwork. Would I, too, be taken behind a convenience store, brutally beaten unconscious, urinated on, stripped naked, chained with a logging chain by the ankles to a pick up truck, & then dragged along a cement road for three whole miles until my head was decapitated…and then thrown to the side of the road, before my assailants took off to enjoy some beef n beer at a god damn barbeque?
Are you kidding me?
Do me a favor. Look this man in the face. This is the man who had to endure that cruel, unjust torture. All because his body produced more of the amino acid alanine.
Honestly, I hope that makes us all feel horrible to our core. I hope that the next time any of us even think about thinking a semi-racist thought, go ahead and picture James Byrd Jr.
Here’s the deal:
Racism is stupid. It hurts me deeply to hear irrational, hurtful, discriminating comments. While researching the issue of unearned white privilege, I came across a forum, where the question was posed, “Are there Band Aids for black people?” to which a commenter responded, “Yeah, they’re called Food Stamps.” I simply cannot express not only my rage at that comment, but at my utter despair as well, because it’s things like that which make me lose just a little bit of faith in the human race. We’re a disappointing bunch sometimes, aren’t we?
Initially, the intentions of this post were to discuss hidden, unearned white privilege, but the direction it took is not one I apologize for, nor one I intend to edit. These aren’t my thoughts; this is hard, cold truth.
And that is exactly what worries me.
From the middle finger project, post White Men Can’t Jump, But They’ve Got Other Tricks Up Their Sleeves: The (Unearned) Privilege of Being White
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Filed Under: Lifestyle Design • Philosophy, baby • Society & Culture
About the Author: Ashley Ambirge is the sarcastic, brash, hot-sauce-addicted founder of The Middle Finger Project, where she gives the evil eye to mediocrity, fervently questions societal assumptions, and aims to inspire readers to flip a cordial bird to the shoulds, and live how they want.
Whiskey shots strictly optional.
While I agree entirely that nobody should be discriminated against on the basis of their race – I think it is PC bullshit to say that the only difference between races is the amount of “amino acid alanine” in their skin.
Saying that is like saying the only difference between a man and a woman is their genitals. (It's not… it will be a very long time before the average man is not physically stronger than the average woman… science has unequivocally proven that men make more testosterone and testosterone makes you physically stronger)
It just simply isn't the case – The reason there are races are because in different parts of the world humans evolved differently due to different selection pressure. It is biology and it is pretty limited to think the only selective pressure differences between Africa and Europe was the amount of sunlight.
A couple of examples -
Asians never had selective pressure to be tolerant of lactose and alcohol and in general they are significantly less tolerant of lactose and alcohol.
Tibetans have selective pressure to be tolerant of high altitudes = When a Tibetan breaths their blood absorbs more oxygen than the average human.
Native American's are FAR more likely to develop alcohol addiction – They are more likely to have the gene combination which creates a predisposition towards alcoholism. Native Americans never had a selective pressure against acquiring that gene because they didn't traditionally drink alcohol. Europeans had selective pressure against it because they did an alcoholics were less likely to have successful offspring than non-alcoholics.
Look at football/basketball – Black people greatly outnumber white people in positions like running back or receiver (white people are far more likely to be offensive linemen) at the elite level. Considering the stakes at the elite level why would that be the case OTHER than because for whatever reason black people experiences stronger selective pressures towards athleticism than europeans? (I would argue that the selective pressure has something to do with agriculture).
Is it that hard to imagine that the type of agriculture possible in Europe was different than in Africa – and that those differences meant that the fastest Africans had the greatest likelyhood of reproductive success whereas in Europe speed didn't make you more likely to reproduce?
I'm not saying that all differences except skin are genetic, that would be ignorant of me… to say all differences except skin are cultural is equally ignorant in my opinion.
One last note – Red heads have a higher tolerance to pain on average – their bodies produce more endorphins than people with other hair colors.
@marctheengineer
Nice examples (and if you like evolutionary psychology etc. You should check out andrew macpherson at rulesoptional.com),and while its interesting to note all of that, the point here is that we're all humans. That's it.
Sent from a Blackberry
You are the one that said “we, as a group,” which I take to mean that you think white people deserve criticism. Had I a choice, I wouldn't breath your air because it's toxic.
Try lifting people up instead of bringing yours down.
Easy boys.
Sorry, not trying to be an ass, but #1 – I don't like being called “bro,” and #2 I'm tired of people trying to tell me I should feel guilty for being white.
David says we're a group, but that we should think beyond groups. I don't get it.
I agree that we should all be thinking as one, but the world just isn't ready for that, and as long as we propagate the race stereotypes, then we'll never move beyond this wall, which is exactly what it is.
Racism is a wall created to protect people from what they fear or don't understand. As long as people don't jump the wall, then for the most part, things remain fine. The problem occurs when you try to knock down someone's wall and they aren't ready for it. The initial response is aggression and animosity, which is normal.
There are always going to be groups because that's how we relate to the world…it gives us perspective and a place to call home. Wildebeests hang with others like them, just as Elephants hang out with other Elephants. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
In my opinion, the problem lies at the top. The government creates dividers because it's easier to manage the people. It's all about balance. This is why the NAACP is “OK,” but the NAAWP is racist.
Eventually, this will either shift to the opposite side of the scale, or someone brave enough will step up to rally people not towards forced acceptance, but to understanding.
By the way, I know your post didn't go here, and I'm not labeling you as the problem…I'm just making my full case so I can finally say my peace and walk away.
Have a happy Thursday!
band-aids? seriously? you call yourself a force for social change and you call band-aids racist?
Ok,
I've read a few things on your site and I’ve decided to call you out. You are nothing but a child crying for attention, who plays the victim all the time because they don't want to take responsibility for their own actions. You’re a sexist and a racist, who believes only their own opinion matters.
I hope your site gets hacked
I recently discovered you blog, and I love it! Just the name was enough, and made me wonder, “Why haven't I thought of that”? Haha! In the wild, animals ignore albinos. They are cast out. Just a thought. I think it's just human nature to fight… Whether it's religious beliefs, color, language or just where you live. Instinctively, it keeps us active and gives us something to do
What I have always been confused about are that most racists(excuse me, some racists) are very religious. Say what?! Yeah, most religions not so gently urge you to LOVE everyone. How can people be so blind? It's so very hypocritical. I don't claim to have any religion at all, and yet, I find I live more like Jesus than anyone I know. There can be no good without bad… So… I don't know. We should just embrace not only our own differences, but those of others. I think it would be very boring if everyone was brown 
As for Band-Aids? I think they're nude to show less dirt.
I acknowledge the existence of white privilege. I know white people feel like they are under attack when they hear it, so they get defensive. But understanding and accepting white privilege is simply an exercise in awareness.
I remember reading a little article written by Quest Love of the Roots. He talked about how as a big black man, just about every time he flies, he gets strip searched and interrogated. That's just the territory that comes with being a big black man at an airport. So, there's one example of white privilege for you. You can fly without getting harassed.
@Grace Face
What interesting points you make here! I wasn't aware of what you had mentioned here with albinos–fascinating. Religion, on the other hand, is a tricky subject–while I think that most stereotypically “religious” persons genuinely mean well, there is an unspoken (or sometimes spoken) marginalization that naturally evolves with the group-think mentality. Whether or not that's something that can ever be avoided is up for debate, but I think that naturally, humans form groups in order to find that sense of belonging…therefore, by marginalizing others, we're somehow reinforcing our own group, and hence our own identity, which is really bizarre because it would seem to suggest that things like racism aren't necessarily a function of other people, but rather a reflection on ourselves.
Thank you so much for stopping by with your fantastic input! Welcome to the site. Glad to have you here!
@Kathleen O'Connor
Thank you so much for making the point I was hoping to make, in a much more succinct, eloquent manner. This is precisely what I was getting at.
I intended it as an exercise in awareness, as you've said, and I think that thinking critically about the realities that surround us (versus just our own reality) is crucial for growth.
Thank you for this. I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
The sad thing is that you don't realize just how wrong you are.
How many white James Byrds do you think there are every year without so much of a peep from the media?
The quote 'white men can't jump' itself is an indication of the racism that white males have to endure every day by the sports media(notice how it doesn't talk about white women or Asian people who can't jump any better), which means if you are black then you can automatically play basketball better than a white person(black privilege).
Also by claiming racism is the same as white supremacy, you are also giving black people the privilege to be as racist and discriminatory as they want because in most people's minds the KKK symbolizes racism while the New Black panthers symbolizes your every day friendly socialists that just want to kill white people because of all the suffering they supposedly went through.
What about channels like VH1 that have shows where black musical superiority is thought to be a given and somehow white people automatically can't keep rhythm or 'don't have soul'?
Don't even get me started on the new sexual stereotypes that white men now face without so much as a chance to prove anyone wrong(I have had this happen to me, so I imagine it is extremely common if a non social person can experience this)
To talk about white privilege in a clearly anti white world that tramples any white person who dares to demand that they should be treated equally, is mindless.