Ask White people whether racism is acceptable or not, and I guarantee you, the vast majority of them, of us, will tell you very clearly that it is not. Yet it persists; yet it increases; yet it remains consistently unaddressed and pervasive in our society. Why then, with legislation, with initiatives, with the apparent collective … Continue reading The Racism of Our Cultural Historical Whiteness.
(This work is drawn from my Doctoral research and is heavily informed by the scholarship of Michael Foucault (1972, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982) and Judith Butler (1988, 1990, 1993, 1997) In a previous post, I talked about why we need to talk about Privilege, about the reality that society is set up to benefit certain … Continue reading The Making of Privileged Identities
For some time, Privilege, particularly White Privilege, has been a subject that has raised many an angry and defensive voice. The “I’ve worked hard to get what I’ve got” response is an oft heard refrain. More recently, politicians in Britain have weighed in, marking not just talking about White Privilege with a sense of illegality … Continue reading We Need To Talk About Privilege
As ‘class’ and particularly the ‘White, working-class’ are being weaponised by those who promote ideological middle-class Whiteness to undermine and resist the furtherance of racial justice, it is important that we have a sense of the history that sits behind their efforts. Let us not be fooled into believing that their façade of championing the White, working-class in their efforts to discredit the reality of White privilege is anything other than their defence of their own privileges. In truth, as throughout history, the intersectionally privileged White, middle-class men and the purveyors of their ideologies have only ever used the White, working-class to suit their own ambitions and ends.
Amidst the current political attacks on White Privilege in the UK it is important that we have an accurate and informed understanding of what White Privilege really is. White Privilege is NOT about telling children, or adults, that they are different because of their race. It is about educating people that our society is iniquitous and is set up to favour people who are racialised as White.
