Reflection on White Privilege

White privilege is a topic that has obviously caused a lot of controversy in the past few years. It is a topic that most people would rather avoid in conversation, because it is a cultural taboo that could make people feel uncomfortable.

White privilege is not always a positive aspect to society. Being white, myself, I feel that it is a factor that people just assume all white people accept. Weather or not they want to. I myself do not feel the pressure of white privilege, while I do not ignore the fact that it exists. 

Last week in class we did an activity where we listed some activities we do daily. Such as: going to class, going to the gym, getting lunch with friends, and studying (just to name a few). Then we had to go through the activities and talk about how we thought they would be different if we were a different race. It wasn't until this activity did I realize how prevalent white privilege is in our society. Even in just day to day activities. Non-white races are looked at differently on the streets, they are regarded as not as civilized as white people, and even looked at negatively in some ways. Clearly these ideas are so completely farfetched. 

The idea that another race is not as civilized or looked at in a negative light because they aren't white is such an outdated idea. It dates back to the idea of segregation in civil war times. This idea is literally preposterous. When we think about the fact that white people oppressed African Americans because of the color of their skin makes me feel so incredibly unsettled. This is why I feel so unsettled when I see white privilege taking place in our society. Therefore the best thing we can do is treat everyone with the respect they deserve. It may be cheesy to say but I really do believe that the golden rule is one of the best rules to live by.