White Privilege In Today's Society

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The debate on whether white privilege exists in the U.S. continues to split the majority of Americans into two conflicting realms of thought; one believing that the theory of white privilege only results in minorities exploiting this concept as an excuse for their lack of success, while the opposing side insists that the structure of American institutions is biased against minorities, mainly towards black Americans, thus resulting in an opportunity gap that impedes these individuals’ ability to realize their goals. These two opposing viewpoints are easily identified in Jon Stewart’s interview of Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, with Stewart arguing that white privilege is a reality for countless black Americans while O’Reilly refutes this argument vehemently. The central focus of O’Reilly’s case against the existence of white privilege is rooted in the classic concept of “The American Dream”, essentially that no matter where one begins in life, if you work hard enough and better yourself through higher education, then you will be able to …show more content…

O’Reilly reminisced about his childhood in Levittown and how those years growing up in that town molded him as a person and gave him certain morals and values, all of which he asserts led to his success. Except, as Stewart points out, black GI’s were not afforded the opportunity to live in communities like Levittown with their white military counterparts, therefore denying their children that stable upbringing individuals like O’Reilly experienced. This, Stewart contends, is the first of countless hurdles that black Americans face in their lives that, although seemingly small, build up overtime and highly influence those exposed to these barriers. With this argument, O’Reilly slightly yields to Stewart, agreeing that this possible racial inequality could be a

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