Any headline that includes the phrase, “then have your mind blown” is probably unworthy of being opened. So when we heard that The College Fix had just published an op-ed by Princeton freshman Tal Fortgang titled “Meet the Poster Child for ‘White Privilege’—Then have your Mind Blown,” our reaction was a collective Eye roll. By “have your mind blown,” The College Fix must have meant “spend the rest of your night clenching your fists and fuming over the sad irony that those who don’t understand the meaning of white male privilege are the ones who benefit most from it.”
We decided that we had to respond to this op-ed, which completely misses the point and grossly misinterprets the meaning of privilege and the way it functions.
Tired of feeling like he has to apologize for being a white male, Fortgang is frustrated that his family history is rendered irrelevant by discussions which link skin color with privilege. But nobody is asking for personal apologies for historical injustices—that’s literally not the point.
To be clear, nobody wants, or needs, more nuanced understandings of race than people of color. The fact that family history and other factors that influence a person’s station in society are often ignored in favor of skin tone just speaks to how reductionist our understanding of identity can be.
Fortgang accuses those who tell him he’s privileged of toeing the line of racism. (Let’s forget for a minute the inherent contradiction in the idea of “racism against white people.”) His success, Fortgang argues, should not be diminished to a socially constructed narrative of white male privilege and ascribed to “some invisible patron saint of white maleness.” But what he fails to understand is that this “patron saint” of white maleness isn’t so invisible—historically, socially, and politically, institutions have protected and supported white men. Recognizing the fact that white men benefit from the kinds of racist and sexist structures on which American society is built isn’t meant to diminish his accomplishments. It’s meant to remind us that white men don’t have an inherent predilection for success—the odds have just been stacked in their favor.
Fortgang continues to criticize those who ask him to check his privilege, saying, “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.”
First of all, meritocracy is a myth. We are not all born with the same opportunities to succeed—and that is not a conspiracy.
But perhaps the most infuriating and telling part of Fortgang’s op-ed is its ending: “I have checked my privilege. And I apologize for nothing.” Except, he clearly hasn’t checked his privilege—because he doesn’t even understand what it is. The very act of writing a defense of white privilege (and a condemnation of those who point to it) is in itself an exercise of the very entitlement he refuses to acknowledge.
Comments
Check your privelege
Thanks for backing up Mr. Fortgang's eloquently written opinion piece. He simply asks for the right to an opinion and you spend your time telling why he isn't entitled to one. Typical.
You aren't bright. How'd you
You aren't bright. How'd you turn a computer on?
Yup
Thank you for proving why the people who disagree with Fortgang simply have no argument, and are trying desperately to pull at anything like asking how someone could turn on their computer. That was about as well thought out as the author of this article's piece.
You lost me...
...at 'Let’s forget for a minute the inherent contradiction in the idea of "racism against white people."'
Seriously. That's just dumb.
How is that dumb? Racism is
How is that dumb? Racism is prejudice plus systematic oppression. Yes, there may be prejudice towards white people (people assume things about them based on the color of their skin), but prejudice alone is not racism. In 2014, there is not systematic oppression against white people in the way that there is against people of color. Are people of color banned from public spaces the way they were in the mid 20th century? No. But they still face obstacles that whites do not. Stereotype threat, for one, on school entrance exams and job interviews.
Look it up
You can use the word racism without it meaning "systematic oppression." I just looked it up and only one (the second) of the three definitions of racism was even close to suggesting that.
What you're saying does not make sense
It is absolutely dumb. Ever heard of affirmative action? My parents came to this country without a penny in their pockets. However, someone of "color" or however you would like to put it has an easier time getting into university just because I am technically 'white'. There are specific organizations and scholarships aimed at giving these minority groups a leg up, when my ancestors absolutely had it no better than yours. In fact, I can almost guarantee that.
I (who wrote the original
I (who wrote the original comment to which you just responded) am also white. I liked how you assumed my race based on my opinion though; nice touch. Yes, there are many scholarships that we as white people are not eligible for. There are scholarships for women that men aren't eligible for. But look at the bigger picture. If it were giving these groups "a leg up" as you say, they would be the majority demographic at universities—and that's just not the case. And please, don't make assumptions about my ancestors.
Women are the majority
Women are the majority demographic at universities.
Racism?
"Racism is prejudice plus systematic oppression"
So Donald Sterling is not a racist under your definition?
Yes, he is absolutely racist,
Yes, he is absolutely racist, because 1) he is clearly prejudiced and 2) systematic oppression against African-Americans exists. How is that concept so hard to understand?
Wow
If systematic oppression means being paid millions of dollars a year to play a game once a week... Sign me up.
systematic oppression against
systematic oppression against blacks exists therefore anyone who doesn't like black people is racist?
I thought you were defining racism as "nu uh it doesn't count unless it's institutionalized". So just saying that black people suck is institutionalized oppression?
Look it's obvious to everyone that you're just trying to redefine racism so that you can't be racist against whites. Just quit while you're behind.
Worldwide
Are you sure there is no systematic oppression of white people anywhere in the world?
No, that is dumb
Racism is not systematic oppression, racism is judging someone based on their ethnicity. Black teenagers assaulting white people is racism. There is racism towards white people, and only idiots deny it.
No, this is what racism means
No, this is what racism means: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/racism
Your definition is just blather made up for Women's Studies 101 classes.
"Racism is prejudice plus
"Racism is prejudice plus systematic oppression."
No it is not. There is not a single dictionary on the planet that defines it that way.
"Yes, there may be prejudice towards white people (people assume things about them based on the color of their skin), but prejudice alone is not racism"
Yes it is.
rac·ism
ˈrāˌsizəm/
noun
noun: racism
the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
Oh cool you know how to use a
Oh cool you know how to use a dictionary! Look: it doesn't matter your definition. It can not be denied that racism towards blacks is different than "racism" towards whites. Racism towards blacks carries with it 300+ years of oppression, and that's why "racism" towards whites (if we can call it that) will never be the same.
Racism is racism. It has
Racism is racism. It has nothing to do with systemic power, it has everything to do with race. Stop trying to redefine words to suit your twisted agenda and excuse your own racism.
You can try and pretend all you want, but the truth is what will come in the end, and when the veil of bullshit, linguistic gymnastics, and blatant lies is lifted, you know where articles like this will sit in history? The same place as stormfront.
Oh sorry, I completely forgot
Oh sorry, I completely forgot that if you have a different skin color, it's an automatic carte blanche to be a dickhead to people for no reason.
I don't think you've refuted
I don't think you've refuted any of Fortgang's substantial arguments. He doesn't claim that his personal family history is troubled. He claims that there are systemic forces of oppression which have worked against Jews, just like the systemic forces working against people of color.
His argument demands that we discuss privilege in a more nuanced way.
Fortgang is arguing that, as a Jewish man, he has not benefited from the system which stacks the deck in favor of white men--and thus does not consider himself to be white-privileged.
Please respond to that, instead of eye-rolling and getting angry. The discussion NEEDS to be more nuanced if it is ever going to be more effective.
I think the point that
I think the point that Fortgang is missing though is that, despite the historical discrimination his family has experienced in the past, his status as a white heterosexual male in American institutional life means that he is immediately privileged over people of color. While I sympathize with the serious struggles his family has faced, their ability and capacity to succeed wasn't hindered by their race. He doesn't seem to understand that he does still benefit from some white privilege. His own family history of marginalization should make him more sensitive to the struggles of POC. It's kind of sad that it doesn't.
Yes, Fortgang should
Yes, Fortgang should acknowledge that he does not need to worry about being stopped and frisked on account of his skin color and that his whiteness offers him protections that he is very clearly unaware of. I fully agree.
But I don't see the major distinction between race and religion. (You use the word family, but I will use the word religion, since the discrimination which Fortgang mentions is collective, not personal).
White Jewish males weren't accepted into ivy league universities in this century, and were discriminated against in the workplace due to their religion. (Yes, in this city and in this day, it seems hard to believe that.) And it goes without saying that white Jewish males and females, 70 years ago, were murdered on account of their religion.
Fortgang seems to be correct that the privilege which he has experienced is not really summed up by the term "white privilege."
And let's not forget how much
And let's not forget how much harder it is to get into an Ivy League school as a Jew (or any other less desired minority), and especially as an Orthodox Jew.
I think concentration camps
I think concentration camps count as being hindered as a result of race
...
"While I sympathize with the serious struggles his family has faced, their ability and capacity to succeed wasn't hindered by their race."
Did you even read his piece? Do pogroms and the Holocaust not count as hindrances?
Their ability and capacity to
Their ability and capacity to succeed in America I mean
Holocaust
So that whole Holocaust thing counts for nothing?
Or maybe you think it is a myth, right?
Let's just remember that as a
Let's just remember that as a Jewish white man coming to America in the 20th century, he HAS benefited from the system. True, it was tough for Jews. As someone who also had grandparents on the run from the Nazis, I'm not denying that for a second. And it's also true that his grandfather was probably very hardworking, as are most successful people. But there are facts on the ground: his grandfather could open up a hardware store, and he'd be eligible for social security. African Americans, no matter how hardworking they were on their farms, couldn't. That's just true.
The other problem here is that he's equating himself with his grandfather. Yes, his grandfather worked hard, but that doesn't negate the fact that he was born into a world which was set up for him to succeed: he had the money to attend an excellent private school. It's true, I'm sure he worked very hard and had to be very bright in order to get into Princeton. But there are plenty of people who are also very hardworking and very bright but who can't end up as the Editors-in-Chief of their high school papers, because they're parenting their siblings, trying to make enough money to take the SATs (forget taking them three times and hiring private tutors), or trying to get their parents into drug rehab. Yes, we all face challenges. But he was born into a world which was set up for him to end up at Princeton. Not everybody was.
So your argument is that
So your argument is that Hitler's attempt to exterminate Jewry was done to set up Mr. Fortgang for Princeton? That is quite a claim.
White privilege
If so, how is it that we have three Jews in the U.S. Supreme Court? Jews do not suffer the same type of discrimination Blacks suffer, period. When the Great Justice Thurgood Marshall was arguing school desegregation, there were Jews in the Supreme Court. As far back as the 1940s, a Jew was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. So, the discrimination Jews suffered in the United States is nothing close to what Blacks suffered and continue to suffer in this country. If you want to know the epitome of White privilege, look at what happened to Mr. Debo Adegbile! The man was eminently qualified to head the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice but the power of White privilege was used to deny him that opportunity. A Jewish immigrant to the United States starts off with White privilege that an African immigrant will not get. This is a fact!
As the Columbia article correctly observed, meritocracy in the United States is a myth! Consider the standard of merit that is used to determine who enters which undergraduate school or law school: SAT and LSAT. Neither of these examinations can hardly be deemed a valid standard of merit, because SAT is a mere two subject examination while LSAT has zero positive relationship to either the study or the practice of law. Yet, because of White privilege, these examinations are used as standards of merits. If you have enough money to learn how to game the system by taking standardized test prep courses, from the third grade fro some, you too can be and adept at standardized tests and when you score high in them, you can declared a genius, even though, overall, the only thing you have done is do that which you have been trained to do since third grade. As a result of White privilege, Whites decide what constitutes merit and a high scorer is deemed deserving of admission and one who did not score as high but equally intelligent and more well-rounded is deemed unqualified. Take the writer of the original article for example, he is a freshman at Princeton and he considers himself to have achieved the ultimate already, even though all he has done was probably score high on standardized test and be admitted to Princeton: TO study "history" and "political science." Of course, the same White privilege he denied gets him media coverage by Jews in the media. Do you think that if the same article was written by Black students about Affirmative Action, he or she would have gotten the same privilege? No!
How are Jews privileged?
How are Jews privileged? Judenhass is history's oldest hatred; there was even a war waged for the purpose of exterminating Jews. Jews have been subject to pogroms and intifadas.
White privilege
If so, how is it that we have three Jews in the U.S. Supreme Court? Jews do not suffer the same type of discrimination Blacks suffer, period. When the Great Justice Thurgood Marshall was arguing school desegregation, there were Jews in the Supreme Court. As far back as the 1940s, a Jew was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. So, the discrimination Jews suffered in the United States is nothing close to what Blacks suffered and continue to suffer in this country. If you want to know the epitome of White privilege, look at what happened to Mr. Debo Adegbile! The man was eminently qualified to head the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice but the power of White privilege was used to deny him that opportunity. A Jewish immigrant to the United States starts off with White privilege that an African immigrant will not get. This is a fact!
As the Columbia article correctly observed, meritocracy in the United States is a myth! Consider the standard of merit that is used to determine who enters which undergraduate school or law school: SAT and LSAT. Neither of these examinations can hardly be deemed a valid standard of merit, because SAT is a mere two subject examination while LSAT has zero positive relationship to either the study or the practice of law. Yet, because of White privilege, these examinations are used as standards of merits. If you have enough money to learn how to game the system by taking standardized test prep courses, from the third grade fro some, you too can be and adept at standardized tests and when you score high in them, you can declared a genius, even though, overall, the only thing you have done is do that which you have been trained to do since third grade. As a result of White privilege, Whites decide what constitutes merit and a high scorer is deemed deserving of admission and one who did not score as high but equally intelligent and more well-rounded is deemed unqualified. Take the writer of the original article for example, he is a freshman at Princeton and he considers himself to have achieved the ultimate already, even though all he has done was probably score high on standardized test and be admitted to Princeton: TO study "history" and "political science." Of course, the same White privilege he denied gets him media coverage by Jews in the media. Do you think that if the same article was written by Black students about Affirmative Action, he or she would have gotten the same privilege? No!
The "idea of racism against
The "idea of racism against white people" is no "inherent contradiction." While I understand the idea that not all people are born with the same opportunities, the idea that opportunities are based on race is ridiculous. A poor white child lacks opportunity as much as a poor black child. Actually, the poor white child may have even FEWER opportunities; there is no NAACP to back them up and "lift them out." If we are ever going to reconcile the races in this country we need to be able to have an honest discussion
There's a difference between
There's a difference between discrimination and racism. Racism = institutionalized discrimination. When white people find themselves facing barriers to jobs and opportunities based on the color of their skin, then maybe we can talk about "racism against white people." But me calling you out for white privilege isn't racist.
No barriers?
When white people face barriers to employment? Ha. My white husband works for a company where (although he is one of the MOST successful in the whole company at his job) he is unable to get the exact position he wants because he was told by higher-ups that they were looking for a woman or black (and bonus points for a black woman). And fill the 2 spots they did. With a black man and a white woman. They both suck at their job, but hey! They're not white men. So don't say there are no barriers for whites. That is a blatant lie. Blacks who are willing to do the extra work to be qualified for a position, whether educational or career-related, have more than a head start simply because of race.
Yeah. Because they've been
Yeah. Because they've been facing decades of discrimination and have been categorically disadvantages. That's not called a "head start". That's evening the playing field.
And?
Do you really want to be known as the race that has to have the bar and standards lowered so you can get that job? There are very few whites who would not hire an African American just because of their skin color. Believe it or not. Probably less than there are African Americans who would rather hire a fellow African American over a white.
No that is making an uneven
No that is making an uneven playing field against whites, by having double standards against them.
No wonder you people desperately try to redefine racism. You just don't like white people and totally fine when they get the shaft.
And he is the most successful
And he is the most successful according to you! Neither of you are in the interviews and of course the woman and the man suck because you already see them as inferior.
Wrong
I don't have to be in meetings. My husband is consistently recognized as one of the top in his field in the company (through official company rankings, not just gossip), while the people I'm talking about score MUCH lower than him. And I am a woman so why would I see a woman as an inferior?? There are blacks and women in his company that do an outstanding job. Then there are those (like the ones I'm speaking about) who are known to have only gotten and kept their spots because of race and/or gender. You can't cry racism only when it goes against your own race. We cannot even begin to start saying racism is gone in this country until all racism (including affirmative action) is removed from our laws. The job or spot in college should go to the best person. PERIOD. None of us existed for slavery and few of us were around for segregation. I can't help what happened in the past anymore than I can help my sex and race. Same with you. So let's move on from the past.
Wrong
I don't have to be in meetings. My husband is consistently recognized as one of the top in his field in the company (through official company rankings, not just gossip), while the people I'm talking about score MUCH lower than him. And I am a woman so why would I see a woman as an inferior?? There are blacks and women in his company that do an outstanding job. Then there are those (like the ones I'm speaking about) who are known to have only gotten and kept their spots because of race and/or gender. You can't cry racism only when it goes against your own race. We cannot even begin to start saying racism is gone in this country until all racism (including affirmative action) is removed from our laws. The job or spot in college should go to the best person. PERIOD. None of us existed for slavery and few of us were around for segregation. I can't help what happened in the past anymore than I can help my sex and race. Same with you. So let's move on from the past.
Your husband should speak to
Your husband should speak to a lawyer.
White people do face barriers
White people do face barriers to jobs. I worked for several years in the personnel department for my local school district. I was often asked to produce candidate reports for posted teaching positions. These candidates reports would often specify 'codes 2,3 and 4' only. These were internal racial codes. What that meant was that someone white would not be considered for that position, in fact their resume would never make it to the hiring committee.
This was done under the guise of 'leveling the playing field'. That's fine. I understand the notion that minorities suffered job discrimination for many years. This was a way of making sure that was no longer happening.
One could argue that the playing hasn't been leveled enough, and perhaps you're right. But you cannot say that whites do not face employment barriers, that simply is not true.
white-people-getting-butthurt
white-people-getting-butthurt-by-an-article-written-by-two-women-of-color dot tumblr dot com
White privilege
"Actually, the poor white child may have even FEWER opportunities; there is no NAACP to back them up and "lift them out.""
You are playing the same faux victim role the writer of the original Princeton article is playing! A poor White child can go out and borrow a suit and go to White a neighborhood and sell shoes door to door, because that is where the people with the money to buy the shoes are located, and nobody will harass him. However, a poor Black child can try the same thing and end up have police called on them. I'm an African immigrant and if hard work is all it takes to make in the United States, I would be doing a lot better than I am right now! Am I successful? Yes! Has racism stymied my upward mobility commensurate with my education and abilities? Absolutely! Do I expect Whites to agree with me or understand my predicament? Nunca!
By the way, send me information how NAACP can "lift [me] out"help out, since you seem to know about that information!
"However, a poor Black child
"However, a poor Black child can try the same thing and end up have police called on them. "
Can you name an example where that's happened?
Oh and where the hell is the poor white kid going to get shoes to sell door to door or the suit? And how successful do you honestly think door to door shoe sales are going to be?
Definitely check YOUR privilege
Wow...you definitely offered support of the original author's article. Meritocracy is not a myth and those who work hard and achieve that which they desire despite and/or in spite of the lack of opportunities they are born with supports the idea of meritocracy. Those opportunities are not based on race, but most racists like to spew that venom. I would say class has so much more to do with opportunities than anything else. And, yes there is reverse racism...in fact it is very alive and well in current times. In fact, I would say that the privilege is much more skewed in favor of an affluent black or hispanic male than it has ever been in favor of a white male. They are able to benefit from 'black or hispanic only' opportunities that have never been available and heaven help us all if anyone was to even try to make white only scholarships or schools or clubs or anything else! So continue your whining about white privilege and denying that lack of parenting and social economic class are the real reasons for failure. If you want changes, minority parents needs to quit giving their children a crutch and saying nothing is their fault cause the mean whitey is all to blame and maybe instill values and ethics in their children....take advantage of those BS extra opportunities available to minorities and rise above. I did and I came from a minority family in the lowest class/poorest situation you could imagine. However, my parents would never let me blame anyone for my situation. They took responsibility for our economic position and instilled values in their children and we are all successful. Take responsibility and rise above or shut the heck up.
"They are able to benefit
"They are able to benefit from 'black or hispanic only' opportunities that have never been available and heaven help us all if anyone was to even try to make white only scholarships or schools or clubs or anything else"
WOW ok you're a fucking idiot
`ty
You worded yourself so perfectly, I had to thank you for your lack of ignorance.
Pages