The 'white privilege' burden

If I hear or read about one more white person lamenting “white privilege,” especially a Christian, I might drive to a remote location, step out of the car, and scream until I lose my voice.

That’ll show ’em.

John McWhorter, linguist and author of such books as Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America and Authentically Black: Essays for the Black Silent Majority, penned an article for The Daily Beast about so-called “white privilege.” Although McWhorter is no conservative (he supports redefining marriage and says he’s never voted for a Republican), he discusses race in a way you don’t often hear from a black person … aside from me.

In “The Privilege of Checking White Privilege,” McWhorter asks: For whose benefit are white-privilege, consciousness-raising sessions, and what are they meant to achieve?

“I assume, for example, that the idea is not to teach white people that White Privilege means that black people are the only group of people in human history who cannot deal with obstacles and challenges,” he writes. “If the idea is that black people cannot solve their problems short of white people developing an exquisite sensitivity to how privileged they are, then we in the black community are being designated as disabled poster children.”

McWhorter believes he’s pinpointed the motive behind the white-privilege fixation: “In a society where racism is treated as morally equivalent to pedophilia, what whites are seeking is the sweet relief of moral absolution.”

I share McWhorter’s view that white guilt can lead certain blacks to “some bad old habits,” including adopting the status of the “Noble Victim.” Some wallow in it, but I don’t want or need anyone’s pity or apology. Even if I’m at a distinct historical disadvantage, I can maintain some level of pride as I make my way in the world and refuse to see myself as a perpetual victim weighed down by phantom chains.

Perhaps I’m just made of different stuff. For instance, lamenting over white guys in a fraternity chanting about the N-word and lynchings? Distasteful, but get a grip, people. Totally blown out of proportion. More pressing are the disproportionately high crime rates among young black men, whose actual victims span the races. Isn’t that a tad more distasteful? Where’s the anger? The embarrassment? The hand wringing? We must reframe the issue when these news stories emerge and avoid groveling.

There will always be people greater and lesser than ourselves. Apologizing for advantages you’ve had in life is a weak position. It’s also paternalistic, and it makes me believe you think I have lesser moral agency or can’t master my emotions.

Christians of all people know we’re accountable for our own actions. Unless you owned slaves or infringed on someone’s rights, get rid of the misplaced guilt, and stop the moral preening. (For the record, it’s not illegal or immoral to prefer living among and/or socializing with members of your own race.) Apologize and/or make amends to an individual if you’ve wronged that individual. And don’t presume to speak for an entire race.