"WHO…. ME?”; HOW IGNORANCE & COGNITIVE DISSONANCE FUELS WHITE PRIVILEGE & WHITE SUPREMACY

Most people are well meaning people who tend to view themselves as good fair-minded folk. Because of this viewpoint, most people also think you're crazy when you tell them that they are exercising White Privilege, and in some cases, White Supremacy. They simply believe that these are actions one must be conscious of and must engage in willingly. This is not always the case, and it's this misunderstanding that allows White Privilege and Supremacy to continue.

White Supremacy is the belief that being White is superior to other races, just as male superiority is the belief that males should dominate over females. Supremacist attitudes are not, and have never been limited to race. They also apply to religion, nationality, sexual preference, language and a variety of other factors used to separate and establish a class system. Supremacy is learned, taught and is a conscious action, typically supported by a sense of entitlement and righteousness.

White Privilege, on the other hand, is when Whites have, or are granted privileges that non-Whites aren't granted. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE AWARE THAT YOU HAVE OR EXERCISE THESE PRIVILEGES IN ORDER TO PRACTICE THEM. In fact, a significant portion of the White U.S. population exercises these privileges EVEN IF THEY ARE NOT PREJUDICE OR RACIST because many of these privileges are embedded in the fabric of our laws, practices and policies.

Some people learn what White Privilege truly is and they do what they can to avoid it or minimize it by speaking out when non-Whites are denied privileges that they are granted. They realize that this issue is both systematic and generational, and that the best way to change things is to change the system itself.

Then there are those that do not accept the idea that they have privilege, because they don't initiate it or because they don't CONSCIOUSLY engage in it. As a result, some people tend to think that privilege can only exist IF THEY CHOOSE TO PARTICIPATE IN IT. This also tends to lead to the false belief that, if they don’t consciously engage in it, then IT SIMPLY DOES NOT EXIST IN THEIR LIVES.

According to https://www.thefreedictionary.com, COGNITIVE DISSONANCE is "the psychological tension that occurs when one holds mutually exclusive beliefs or attitudes, and that often motivates people to modify their thoughts or behaviors in order to reduce their tension."

White Supremacists avoid cognitive dissonance because they believe they are superior and justified in their actions. This is the position of the "Alt Right" movement and similar neo-Nazi groups.

However, Whites who are unaware of their White Privilege avoid cognitive dissonance because they do not view themselves as participants in any form of prejudice, racism, superiority or privilege because they can't see or understand how they can have such privileges and not be aware of it.

White Privilege is a more abstract and challenging concept to describe, so I'll spend the bulk of this article clarifying it rather than focusing on White Supremacy.

Think of it this way....

I am not sexist whatsoever. But I know that I have privileges as a male that most females do not have. Most people will assume I'm in charge because I'm a man. Most people will pay me more because I'm a man. Most people will assume that I'm smarter or more emotionally stable simply because I'm a man. This isn’t logical or true, but these are common beliefs and actions. I did not ask for these unfair advantages that society has placed upon me due to hundreds, if not thousands of years of accumulated misguided beliefs and practices....yet, I have them nonetheless. Some men do not know that they have male privilege, yet they do, while others are aware of it, even if they are not sexist.

Until we can see and address this as a systematic, generational societal issue rather than just as an individual action, these problems aren’t likely to disappear anytime soon.

This article found at the web link below provides more information and examples of this phenomenon.

https://www.quora.com/Why-are-white-people-forced-to-accept-diversity/answer/Elliott-Mason-1?srid=z9KH&share=89ce336b

These videos below also further defines the phenomenon of White Privilege...

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I'd like to provide you with yet another example of how we exercise privilege and supremacy. White Privilege and White Supremacy are the most prevalent examples, but privilege and supremacy go well beyond race!

[About 18 months ago, I conducted an interview of some of my students for a research project about different lived experiences and perspectives based on race/ ethnicity. This is a segment of that recorded interview. PLEASE NOTE: These are the actual words expressed and recorded in this confidential interview on that day].

INTERVIEWER: "Do you think that there's racism in this country?"

SUBJECT: "Yes, absolutely."

INTERVIEWER: "Do you think that White Supremacy is acceptable?"

SUBJECT: "No, of course not."

INTERVIEWER: "Can you give examples of White Supremacy?"

SUBJECT: "Sure, cross burning, lynching, KKK, segregation."

INTERVIEWER: "Are their other forms of White Supremacy?"

SUBJECT: "I'm sure there are."

INTERVIEWER: "Do you think that you exercise any kind of White Supremacy, any kind at all?"

SUBJECT: "Of course not. It's wrong, ridiculous, and I don't practice it or support it at all."

INTERVIEWER: "Do you think that you have and exercise privileges that other races do not have?"

SUBJECT: "Not at all. Why would I do that?"

INTERVIEWER: "Do you ever practice any non-Christian holidays like Hanukkah, Ramadan, Yom Kippur, or Juneteenth?"

SUBJECT: "No, not really."

INTERVIEWER: "At Thanksgiving, do you ever have "ethnic" foods other than the American traditional turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce?"

SUBJECT: "No, but isn't turkey, dressing, stuffing and pumpkin pie traditional Thanksgiving foods?"

INTERVIEWER: "The point is, they are, if 'traditional' means White Anglo Saxon American Christians.”

INTERVIEWER: "Are you familiar with other religious quotes other than those associated with the Bible?"

SUBJECT: "No, it just never came up."

INTERVIEWER: "Do you know people who practice a religion different from yours?"

SUBJECT: "Yes, but I guess we never discussed their religion."

INTERVIEWER: "Why not?"

SUBJECT: "I don't know."

INTERVIEWER: "Has security or shop owners ever followed you around their store to make sure you aren't stealing anything?"

SUBJECT: "No, not really."

INTERVIEWER: "And have you actually ever stolen anything before?"

SUBJECT: "Yeah, a long time ago, but not now."

INTERVIEWER: "Do you know anyone White who was caught stealing, and if so, what happened to them?"

SUBJECT: Yes, back in high school. A friend got busted and they had to call his parents.

INTERVIEWER: "Do you know of any people of color in high school who did the same thing, and if so, what happened to them?"

SUBJECT: "I didn't really know them, but they were in my class. When he stole something from a different store in the same mall, I remember that he didn't come to class the next day. They said the police picked him up. Wow, that's weird."

INTERVIEWER: "When you are with people of color, has a peace officer ever asked you, and only you, if you are okay?"

SUBJECT: "I thought the cop was talking to all of us, but a few of my friends said he was just talking to me. I think they're wrong, but that's what they told me."

INTERVIEWER: "Have you ever said the phrase 'I got gypped'?"

SUBJECT: "yeah, but who hasn't?"

INTERVIEWER: "Did you know that this is a derogatory phrase that suggests that Gypsies are thieves?"

SUBJECT: "I didn't know that."

INTERVIEWER: "Have you ever said the phrase 'No can do'?"

SUBJECT: "Yes, but what's the big deal?"

INTERVIEWER: "Did you know that this was derogatory as it depicts "broken English" as spoken by Asians?"

SUBJECT: "Seriously?"

INTERVIEWER: "Have you ever said the phrase 'Long time, no see'?"

SUBJECT: "I have, but I'm guessing there's something wrong with that too?"

INTERVIEWER: "It's derogatory because it depicts "broken English" as spoken by Native Americans."

SUBJECT: "I see what you mean."

[This is not the end of the interview...but...you get the point]

Don't get me wrong... I do not want Whites, or, for that matter, ANYONE to feel guilt, shame or embarrassment about their actions or the actions of their ancestors.

BUT...

I also do not want these histories and past negative actions to be ignored either.

I only hold people responsible for their actions, but I also think it's important for all people to realize that the playing field is not and has never been EQUAL. When a marginalized person or group complains about social inequities, they are not "bitching". They are sharing a reality that non marginalized people not only do not experience, but often are unable to see or recognize. As a result, many non-marginalized people think of the world as a relatively fair and equal place because this is a reflection of THEIR reality, NOT the reality of the marginalized. This is also what fuels quick judgments, and tensions between those with privilege and those without privilege.

This chart below displays common and current concepts of attitudes depicting Microaggressions, and Prejudice, all the way up to White Privilege and White Supremacy and where they measure in terms of offensiveness and hierarchy.

You may not be able to eliminate your privilege. But there are things you can do!

1.     ACKNOWLEDGE IT...WITHOUT GUILT OR SHAME.

2.     SPEAKOUT WHEN OTHERS ARE BEING MARGINALIZED.

3.     DENY UNWARRANTED PRIVILEGES IF AND WHEN YOU CAN.

It seems that no one has all the answers to these centuries’ old issues.....but....

This could be a good beginning.