If there is no racism, make it up.
White Privilege Theory Dreams
In researching the history behind "white privilege" theory, I came across a telling quote. The quote is from an article entitled "White Like Me" written by Robert R. Detlefsen. Robert was a postdoctoral fellow in the government department at Harvard University. His article appeared in the April 1989 edition of the "New Republic" magazine.
In this article, Robert was reporting on the activities of a week-long program of panels and workshops that occurred at Harvard collectively titled "AWARE," an acronym standing for "Actively Working Against Racism and Ethnocentrism." The goals of AWARE week, according to the "Workshop Evaluation Forms" that were distributed, were: "a) to address people's denial about racism; b) to engage people in trying to understand racism and to take responsibility to change it through action; c) to give people some new perspectives, ideals, and tools to use."
There are a number of interesting observations about this AWARE week, but here's the quote that jumped out at me the most:
Saturday was the final day of AWARE week. Fred Jewett, dean of Harvard College, launched the day's festivities with a rhapsodic speech in which he praised the goals of AWARE week and challenged the audience to keep its spirit alive throughout the rest of the year. Many of the people who had served on earlier panels were back for one last fling. Among the speakers whom I listened to that day, one in particular stood out. He was Lawrence Watson, identified in the AWARE week calendar as "Assistant Dean for Academic Administration at the Graduate School of Design and the Co-Chairman of the Association of Black Faculty and Administrators." Watson was the moderator of a panel on "Classroom Sensitivity: The Experience of Teaching and Learning," and after reading a lengthy list of specific elements of "white privilege"—a litany that included, inter alia, white people's unique ability to purchase band-aids that match their skin tone—he offered the following assurance to minority students: "When you experience racial insensitivity in the classroom, whatever way you choose to deal with it is valid, provided you are willing to accept the consequences." And later, in the same vein: "Overreacting and being paranoid is the only way we can deal with this system. . . . Never think that you imagined it [racial insensitivity], because chances are that you didn't.
Let me paste that part again, in case you missed it:
Overreacting and being paranoid is the only way we can deal with this system. . . . Never think that you imagined it [racial insensitivity], because chances are that you didn't.
If you understand the shift in thinking that began to pick up steam in the mid-80s thanks to the work of Peggy McIntosh, a “white” feminist, this quote should not be shocking. Prior to Peggy, “white privilege” was barely used, but when it was, it referred primarily to overt, blatant acts of discrimination codified by the government. But once that was made illegal, academia had to explain why discrimination was still happening. “White privilege” then became psychological and unconscious advantages given to “whites” by other “whites.” Most “whites” don't even know they have it. According to Peggy's own testimony (watch on YouTube), she stayed up late one night, praying (to whom, I have no idea), demanding her brain to reveal these psychological and unconscious advantages. Her first one came up out of nowhere in the middle of the night, and the list of her “white privileges” grew from there. It then became Peggy's mission to combat racism/discrimination by helping other “whites” discover these "invisible" advantages.
It was her work that exploded the “white privilege” theory. If you visit Google's Ngram Viewer and type in “white privilege,” you'll see how the use of this phrase in literature took off, coinciding with her work in the mid to late 80s.
So what's the takeaway here? If you have ever been left scratching your head, wondering how in the world people are finding "racism" in places where there is absolutely no evidence for it, understand this....these people have been trained by their leftist masters to do exactly that! By its very definition, “white privilege” is not evident until you make it so.
"Overreacting and being paranoid is the only way we can deal with this system. . . . Never think that you imagined it [racial insensitivity], because chances are that you didn't."