The Construct of White Privilege

       I have been reading and researching the construct of "White Privilege" from the beginning of my doctoral program in 1997. This is not a new idea but one that has been promoted in academia for decades.  Academia has a way of pushing belief systems in all content areas through the use of textbooks, lectures, media and pressure. By pressure I am referring to the power held over students by professors as they grade and evaluate students but also through their public shaming in class and by closing the doors on educational and career opportunities. Professors (aka academics) often solicit students to pursue further education, write letters of recommendation, nominate students for awards and scholarships and inform them of job opportunities in their particular fields of study. In other words, professors can make or break students' careers in many subtle ways that are often not discussed in public.

      So how does this relate to White Privilege you might ask? Well, think about it. If you are a White student who does not repent or take a knee when asked to do so, you might find yourself cancelled in the job market. If you are a student who applies for a doctoral program or MA program and you do not strongly adhere to the notion of becoming a SJW (social justice warrior) in your graduate program, you will most likely find yourself not being invited to go to graduate school. While no one would tell you why you weren't accepted, I can guarantee you that a discussion has taken place behind your back about your privilege, your lack of SJW commitment or your race. The desire to hire particular races, genders, sexual orientations, and viewpoints regularly take place in faculty meetings. While you may not see meeting minutes containing exactly what was said, you will find some innocuous agenda item like "student recruitment or faculty recruitment" with no further elaboration.

     As a person who loved school beginning as far back as kindergarten and extending until I completed my doctoral program, I find that constructs such as White Privilege are really just an academic's way of making bigotry and racism against a particular group sound valid and even admirable. I will end by saying that the biggest group of bigots I have ever met reside in the Ivory Tower. There are some good ones there for sure but they are slowly (or maybe rapidly) being relegated to the dungeon.