The Problem With “White Privilege” and “The Umbrella Of Oppression” On College Campuses

Alex Buscemi10 years ago

Northeastern University recently published a guide for Room Advisors that says white males cannot be oppressed.

From The College Fix:

“Men cannot be oppressed as men, just as whites cannot be oppressed as whites” and “for a male to experience oppression they would also need to be a person of color, gay, disabled or in a lower social class,” states a screenshot of training materials for Northeastern University’s Resident Assistants, or peer leaders who supervise residence halls or dorms.

Seems like an odd thing to bring up in a guide on how to be an RA. It must have looked something like this:

-Host events that encourage the residents to get to know one another, like kickball games and movie nights.

-If a resident looks down in the dumps, be sure to talk to them. Remember, you’re more than just their advisor – you’re their friend!

-Every now and then, be sure to give everyone a friendly reminder that the white man is the devil.

A spokesperson for Northeastern University responded to The College Fix by saying the statement was taken “completely out of context,” and that “This material is designed to kickstart spirited conversations, which is the lifeblood of any academic institution. No one should presume that these statements represent the position of the university or its administration.”

Ah, yes. Nothing like a spirited game of “which race’s fault is it?” to stimulate a fun-filled dorm environment.

Not only is it ridiculous to bring up race in a guide on how to be a glorified hall monitor, but the statement fails to have a firm grasp on the definition of “oppression.” Let’s google it real quick.

“Subject to harsh and authoritarian treatment.”

Based on that definition, publishing a guide that authorizes campus staffers to treat white males differently because “white men cannot be oppressed” sounds, well, oppressive.

Given what’s been happening lately on college campuses across America, the contents of the guide are hardly surprising. From the bashing of sororities for being “homogenous” to college orientations portraying white males as insensitive dick-bags, the “white privilege” mantra has done some serious damage to the public’s perception of white people.

But in the eyes of the progressive social justice warrior, whites are too privileged to feel the blowback of the sweeping implication that all white people are racist, sexist assholes. To them, white people are exempt from the possibility of facing any sort of difficulty in life. Even worse, as the one group excluded from “The Umbrella of Oppression,” straight white men are now held responsible for the oppression of the other groups.

“But what about the pay gap and police brutality?” asks the progressivist. “Aren’t white males the ones holding the jobs that exclude women? Aren’t white males the ones gunning down black people in the streets?”

Yes and yes. And those things are shitty and unfair. But it is also unfair to blame all white people for the problems – and that’s exactly what is happening.

It’s not like there are picket signs and megaphones calling for white people to be hung from their necks. The blame is far more insidious: sorority girls being publicly shamed for not having all white members (Latino fraternities and historically black colleges are okay, though – even though they both include their blatant racism in the title of their organizations), a student group at Duke likening all white people to Charleston shooter Dylan Roof, a professor at the University of Memphis tweeting that “whiteness is terror,” a Rutgers professor claiming “there are no good white people…only less bad white people.” That’s just to name what went down over the summer.

“What the fuck are you bitching about, honkie? You’re still going to make more than a woman who does the same job as you. You’re not going to get killed by a cop for carrying a bag of Skittles.” These things are true, because I don’t fall under “The Umbrella of Oppression.” But currently, the umbrella, whether originally intended or not, leaves me in the rain with those KKK imbreds. And I don’t want to be stuck with them. They smell bad, and Jim-Bob keeps asking if I want to “take a gander” at the inside of his shed.

The goal of progressives is becoming less about progress and more about bringing people down. “White privilege” exists, and it’s an unfortunate thing. But let’s work together to make it right..

[via The College Fix, The College Fix]

Image via Shutterstock