“White privilege” and How to Spread It Around
11th June 2015
Some good advice for people who, if they were the sort of people who listened to good advice, wouldn’t need it.
The concept of “white privilege” has become a staple of left-wing think, especially on college campuses. But is it a meaningful way to talk about race? Only, I would argue, in a limited sense that those who bandy the term about probably don’t have in mind.
Like Humpty-Dumpty, they’ve decided that a word means what they want it to mean, and to Hell with everybody else.
Whites as a class aren’t “privileged” economically. Nearly all white children had better obtain knowledge and skills, and then be prepared to work hard at least five days a week (and, of course, eschew criminal and other self-destructive behavior), if they want to make a good living. Nearly all black children who follow this path will also make a good living.
Funny how that works.
Morsy and Rothstein propose that the parenting gap be addressed through “quality preschool.” They probably assume that to propose that parents who aren’t doing so start talking, listening, and reading to their kids would make them look foolish.
Yet these practices, not preschool, are the key to spreading “white privilege” around.
As I said, above.
JOHN adds: How about “Asian privilege”? Asian-Americans earn significantly more money than whites, on the average. Is this because they are privileged in some way? Obviously not. On the contrary, the spectacular success of Asian-Americans is due mostly to the same effective parenting that Paul described with respect to whites–only more so. This has everything to do with solid values and hard work, and nothing to do with “privilege.”
Indeed. If the culture is dysfunctional, as black American culture obviously is, then the people who grow up in that culture will turn out to be dysfunctional to, more often than not.