Last weekend, people took to Twitter with #MyWhitePrivelege to show the outrageous things they’ve gotten away with because of the color of their skin – and some of the stories were pretty shocking.
It all began when user @Freeyourmindkid posted this tweet:
White people – What is the most outrageous thing that you've gotten away with as a white person that you know damn well a black or brown person would have never gotten away with?#MyWhitePrivilege
— 🍉 Black 🇭🇹 Aziz 🇳🇬 aNANsi 🍉 (@Freeyourmindkid) March 30, 2019
Responses ranged from mild to truly outrageous:
As a teen I spat in a cop’s face when he broke up a party I was at and all he did was drive me home and tell my mom that I was a “trouble-maker” #MyWhitePrivilege
— sav (@twofatcocks) March 30, 2019
Renewing my Greencard I was seriously taken from the back of a hours-long line & put directly in the interviewers office. I thought I was in trouble for something actually, it scared me. In & out in 15 min. It wasn’t till I was leaving that I realized it was #MyWhitePrivilege
— Tracy Facey (@HeyTracyFacey) March 30, 2019
But while some users took the opportunity to call out and acknowledge systemic racism, many also ridiculed the hashtag, calling white privilege a “myth.” Some even went so far as to accuse the original poster (and those responding) of “race-baiting.”
Huh? Are you saying only white people give birth in hospitals?
I can’t deal with this level of condescending racism and stupidity this #MyWhitePrivilege hashtag is creating today.
— Mindy MF Robinson 🇺🇸 (@iheartmindy) March 30, 2019
https://twitter.com/tapangrmi/status/1112055069795586054
The fact is, white privilege is all too real. And while calling it out so that others can see it and be aware of it is a good thing, one has to wonder if this type of online activism actually accomplishes anything.
https://twitter.com/DelitionHikari/status/1112095779144065025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1112095779144065025&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.papermag.com%2Fmywhiteprivilege-twitter-trending-2633257214.html%3Frebelltitem%3D12
Do you think the hashtag misses the point? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
