White Privilege, Discrimination And Exclusion

Privilege is a term associated with the process of granting certain rights and benefits to a specified group of people and/or an individual. An individual being shown preference in a certain situation may or may not receive similar treatment, when confronting other circumstances. For this matter, it is incredibly significant for one to remain mindful of the ways in which privilege and discrimination function within similar scales of inclusion and exclusion. This essay serves as an examination of the particular treatment received by white individuals, compared to that of non-white beings.

White privilege is the unmerited treatment that favours white individuals. Though its presence can generally go unforeseen, white privilege is regularly practiced,

all over the world. Due to its reoccurring state, privilege is now considered in many ways; a societal norm. In other words, privilege has been existent in various occasions, that its emergence is simply regarded as an ordinary thing. The glorification being received by the white can, and has, persuaded several individuals pertaining to that specific race, to become arrogant, because of their hierarchal placements. One may argue that the normalization of this particular concept is quite derogatory, seeing as the minorities are being treated unfairly. White people are getting used to viewing themselves as predominant beings, which causes minorities to become discriminated against, because of their hierarchal standings.
For centuries now, the stereotypical notion asserting the superiority of white individuals has encouraged society to adulate whiteness, and turn it into a standard of perfection. In substance, not only are the social aspects of the white praised, but their inherent attributes are also looked up to. For instance, many consider the hair of coloured people, precisely that of the black woman, to be deemed as unprofessional, due to the fact that it does not reach the standards set by white women. For most women of colour, natural hair can be a liability to their profession. This is often the case for individuals enrolling in the business industry. In order to land a position, one must dress and style their hair, in accordance to the industry’s set standards. Unfortunately, women of colour are left no other choice than to please others, by becoming and posing as something they are not. It is very common for these women to modify certain traits of theirs, in order to become eligible for a certain position. Contrastingly, this is a situation white women are never placed in. White collared culture pushes these women to adapt and conform with their standards of beauty and professionalism. This disables people of colour from embracing their natural, racial beauty.
Nowadays, it has become evident that the exhibition of scenarios involving such mentioned traits, can be done with great ease. Racial privilege works as an orchestrated prejudice, and basically operates in sort that one particular group is granted more advantages than others. Through this, one can assemble a variety of similarities shared by both racial and white privilege. Other important factors affected are one’s levels of intellect which commonly is judged through dialect. Vocal expression plays quite an important role in today’s society. As previously mentioned, a variety of stereotypes have been spread across nations. Amongst many, the one that stands out the most revolves around ethnicity and levels of intelligence. The concept of a visible minority stems from the racial classification which mainly bases itself on social class, education,  profession. Many believe that the people who aren’t given the opportunity of pursuing higher levels of education, are either financially unstable, unintelligent, etc. For this reason, society tends to neglect people belonging to a certain ethnic group. As intelligent as one may be, this trait can go unnoticed due to the colour of one’s skin. It is believed that children associated to higher socioeconomic status, have better chances of pursuing higher education, because of the resources surrounding them. The children birthed into white families are often born with this privilege. Sadly, a child who isn't presented with such opportunities can be looked down upon. In the long-run, this can affect the individual, in terms of career opportunity and association, which clearly touches up on the topic of privilege.
Over the past generations, many progressions have been made, regarding privilege and ethnic superiority.

Although the amount of discrimination present has immensely decreased over the years, it has not ensured the completion of its riddance. The case of 19 year old, Nikolas Cruz reinforces the previous statement. After having brutally shot 17 people to their deaths, Cruz was simply portrayed as “troubled”, by the media. Asides from having labeled this dangerous individual as something that is not, the media proceeded to defend his character by stating that his mental instability was the only thing at fault for his actions. Contrastingly, if the suspect belonged to another ethnic group, the media would certainly not defend and preserve the individual’s image. As a matter of fact, there have been countless amount of situations in which the media degradingly characterized several accused individuals. Surely enough, these suspects were people of colour. Despite having committed minor crimes such as stealing a pack of gum, or selling cigarettes at a discounted price, these people were exposed to the world as harmful individuals. Yet in the cases of Nikolas Cruz or Brock Turner, none were displayed as a “rapist” or “murderer”. On the contrary, mentions of these mens’ previous accomplishments and/or troubles were set to conceal their dehumanizing actions. These discriminatory approaches promote and encourage white privilege. The media demonstrates and honours the accomplishments of

white people, yet fail specify those of coloured individuals. Instead, they emphasize their alleged crimes, which undoubtedly boosts the levels inequality present in today’s society.
In essence, this paper serves as an analysis of white racial identification and the manner in which it acts as the most characterizing aspect of one’s appearance.

For decades, the white have been offered tremendous amounts of privilege, exclusively based on the tone of their skin. Past occurrences involving non-white racial intolerance, undoubtedly led to racial separation. This issue, which still stands to this day, greatly contributed to the way in which we view the white. Despite being at fault for their wrongdoings, white people tend to be protected by society and the media. Due to the standards adopted by society, many individuals feel the need to disguise and conceal the violations conferred by white people. The media, for instance, always victimizes and/or disregards the injurious actions taken by the white, yet they instantly exposes and accuses people of colour, because of their backgrounds, ethnicities and environmental surroundings. In terms of wealth, success and influence, the white have and still continue to be regarded as superior. The concept of wealth, determination, and striving to succeed, often connects itself to white individuals, which further contributes to the development of privilege. Though a portion of white people can be considered disadvantageous, the race as a whole, classifies itself at the top of the

hierarchy.
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