Is white privilege real? To what extent?

[paulpablo]

I'm sorry, but the irony in your conclusions about white privilege is palpable.

I cannot speak for England, but in America, as a black person, you have no clue what you're talking about. While I object to Buzzfeed's use of the word 'never' in most of those memes, a lot of their examples are spot on.

By and large, white people do not have to deal with a lot of the systemic injustices that are a part of everyday life for people of color. Some of the things you said were "Not True. Without a doubt" are absolutely credible examples of white privilege.

The fact that regularly people act surprised at how well spoken I am, or that white people dressed with the exact same clothing (hoodies, baggy jeans, certain natural hairstyles) will be labelled stylish when a black person would be labelled a thug, the worry (not the prospect that it will never happen, but the consistent, constant concern) that any contact with police could be your last or could end up in imprisonment or violence, or that if you wear your hair the way it naturally grows out you might not get a job or might be pigeonholed into a cultural meme are all examples of white privilege.

None of these things never happen to white people. It's not that only black people have to deal with these things. It's that what you don't or won't recognize is that these little things are part of everyday life for black people and other people of color. Every day. There are other factors at play, sure. There's economic/class privilege that plays a lot into it.

The most telling aspect is that black people are saying, "hey--pay attention, you guys by and large don't have to deal with this crap all the time." And a lot of white people are seriously just dismissing this out of hand, like "no you don't" or "it's not that bad, get over it." This is the most invasive type of privilege.

How would I know that I have white privilege? I can't know when I've got a job over someone else because the interviewer unconsciously prefers white people. I hardly ever bother doing anything with my hair and it can get quite unruly. I don't even own a hair drier and until your post I've never known that if I was black then this would have had an impact on how people perceive me. I wear fleeces (hoodies) and I look like a sports chick rather than a thug. I walk or drive along the streets without worrying about being stopped by the police and because of this I'm never aware that it's an issue for other people who aren't white.

But I am aware of male privilege. There have been countless examples of me being denied a job because I'm a woman. I've seen it from the other side as well. I interviewed a white man who was much older than everyone else in the company. We wanted to hire him. The CV went up to the manager who never met him and instantly decided that he wouldn't be a good fit because of his age. I saw the same thing happen to me for several years in my mid thirties when as a childless woman I was considered a child bearing risk.  And the times that my opinions have been ignored and discounted when in a group of men even though I know that I am right and am later proved to be. I work in a male dominated profession so it's something I am very aware of. Or when my boss gave work in my specialist area to someone else who struggled with it and ignored all my years of experience. I knew that what he was going to would fail but everyone ignored me.

If I mention this to my brother who is also a software engineer he dismisses it. He comes up with excuses or tries to rationalise it away. And by doing so perpetuates male privilege.

If a demographic tells me that I am privileged in a certain way, why should I not believe them? My default position is to accept what they say because I'm not the one living their lives.

I suppose this might be classed as petty to bring up but I feel the need to.

If a person from a certain demographic tells you that you're privileged in a certain way I know for near enough certain that you would question it if it was something you disagreed with.
You've already said your profession is male dominated profession and it's something you're aware of.
So what if a white male told you that you got your job for being an attractive female and it's just a case of female privilege?
So you asked why would you not believe a demographic if they said you're privileged? Because you might have come to a reasonable conclusion that they're wrong?