The Problem With “White Privilege” and “The Umbrella Of Oppression” On College Campuses
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
Nice to see at least a small challenge to the notion of “white privilege.” Still, you give too much ground to the so-called progressives. If you read Prof. Thomas Sowell and Prof. Walter Williams on the issues of the wage gap and “white privilege,” you will find that these issues are really non-existent. Remember, progressivism was never about “progress.” It was about tearing away the classical liberal foundations of America (free markets and limited government) and it is about imposing the Cultural Marxist view of society on us all by the force of the government today. Conservatives and libertarians ought not give them an inch in this fight for America’s future.
10 years ago at 6:52 pmI hate this article
10 years ago at 8:03 pmYou ruined it at the end, Boosh, when you gave credence to “white privilege.” White privilege is a myth. It’s true that not everyone is born with the same set of advantages, and some people clearly have a preferable starting place. The fact of the matter is that skin color doesn’t play into this in any significant way. For example, the white son of an Appalachian heroin addict is not privileged in any way. The black son of a successful M&A attorney is very privileged. It’s also true that white people are more likely to be advantaged than black people (and it’s also true that Asian-Americans are more likely to be advantaged than any other ethnic group), but that doesn’t mean that their advantage stems from their whiteness. It doesn’t. It stems from other things, like what their families value, how much money they have, where they live, etc.
10 years ago at 9:38 pmIt’s never been a worse time to be a white boy. Scared for the future, you guys.
10 years ago at 10:08 pmI was with you until you said white privilege exists… Sure black people are generally lower income earners and some of that goes back to slavery, but that has nothing to do with the way people act today. I dont get into better colleges, get chosen for a job, or receive any special treatment because im white. in fact, black people do get this special treatment! and often times this special treatment causes blacks and other minorities to remain low income workers, as they are accepted into colleges they aren’t ready/prepared for, have to drop out, and there arent many options left from there. if we really want to eliminate the problem of race in this country, then forget it fucking exists and stop talking about it. everything should be based on merit no matter what, whether youre gay, black, green, transpanhomosexual or whatever the fuck else you want to be
10 years ago at 10:17 pmI love being white.
10 years ago at 5:18 pmOn a serious note, America is turning into a baby-proofed home, but instead of a toddler it’s anybody who feels “oppressed”. None of these things were anywhere near as popular, if they even existed as problems 4 or 5 years ago. Back then people told Tebow to knock it off with the Jesus shit, now people are are fighting for Asexual rights and things like what was mentioned in the article.
10 years ago at 5:54 pmI like my white privilege the way it is. Let’s
10 years ago at 6:31 pm