5 Hidden Indicators You Have Been Born Into Advantage

I’m going to talk about race. But in the US, today, race is an extremely volatile conversation. So, we need to address a couple things first.

Why is this conversation so volatile? Why do people who talk about race tend to end up talking past each other, failing to understand the other?

One of the reasons conversations on race get heated—perhaps the only reason anything in the USA becomes difficult to address—is because race has become extremely politicized.

The political left has their narrative on race and buzzwords to go with it, as does the political right. When two people converse about race, and one of them uses a buzzword unique to one of the political sides, the other begins filtering everything they say through that side’s narrative, or vice versa. I’ve seen this happen over and over again. I’ve had it happen to myself. I’ve done it to others.

This country is obsessed with its politics and immersed in its own narratives that the people of the country seem to find it hard to evaluate life any other way. We jump to conclusions, convinced we know better what the person means than they know themselves.

We are also incredibly idealistic. Not that aiming for the best is bad—we should! But issues of race are messy. There are many layers to what we experience with issues of race today, so we need to be careful not to let our idealism get in the way of trusting people who are caught in the middle of an extremely flawed system. Neither should we let our idealism get in the way of trusting the people who have created the flawed system, in the first place.

For example, the political left idealizes a world where everyone’s needs are met. They picture a world where million-dollar homes alongside tents under an overpass.

But since what they idealize does not exist, they have to find a solution to the problem of why it doesn’t exist.

And in order to find a solution, they must first identify a problem (or problems). And one of the problems they have identified standing in the way of the current USA and their ideal USA is that USA’s cultural narrative gives a strong impression that the white man is more trustworthy than the black man. In order to offer a solution to this problem they have to expose the problem for what it is, which they do through collective guilt: white privilege.

Thus, out of a pursuit for their ideal world, they have politicized an issue of race.

On the flip side, the political right idealizes a world where everyone is independent and free, able pursue whatever dreams they have in whatever way they choose. They picture a world where anyone can attain anything, if they’re willing to put in the work.

Since the political right is mostly white, and since many of them enjoy the success of their own efforts, they react to the collective guilt put on them by the left. To them, such accusations are symptoms of what they view being the greatest threat to their ideal world: restraints and restrictions by others—in this case the left.

Thus, out of defense for their ideal world, which many of them enjoy, they vehemently oppose all things left.

But if everyone’s needs are truly going to be met, and if every man is truly going to be free, we have got to find a way to talk about issues of race without filtering things through the narratives of the dominant political parties. We cannot blame everything people experience in life on the political values and agendas of our enemies. Other problems play into people’s needs not being met or men and women not being free.

Furthermore, if we as Christians are going to truly live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ, issues of race must concern us. For the fact that all tribes and tongues and nations are joint heirs (with the Jews) of the inheritance given through Jesus Christ (Eph. 3, Rev. 7:9) is at its core racial integration.

And racial integration never happens naturally. It did not in Jesus’ day or in Paul’s day, and it most certainly doesn’t happen naturally today.

So, if you are black Christian reading this (or brown, yellow, indigo), please bear with me and with my fellow white men and women as we try to dismantle some of the volatile emotions around this subject so we can better understand you.

And if you are a white Christian reading this, please lay aside your need for the conversation to be tasteful to your palate in order to hear what others have to say.

We don’t do well with uncomfortable conversations, and this one is extremely uncomfortable. Yet, this conversation is also extremely essential. People may use terms we don’t like but let’s let it go. We have got to listen to them and seek to understand where they are coming from (without correcting their terminology, first). I’m confident that as we do we will discover not only a greater understanding of our colored friends, but also a broader body of believers with whom to worship and share in Christ with.

Do Whites Have Privilege?

About two years ago, I began paying attention to conversations on race within my church circles (Anabaptist). Some of these conversations happened face to face, but I observed most of them through social media.

As I observed these conversations, I noticed the conversations typically did not include people of color. Rather, they usually consisted of only white people debating about issues of race. No doubt that is primarily because there are not many people of color in Anabaptist circles—especially conservative Anabaptist circles. But I know there are some, and it made me wonder what they think.

This has led me to begin dialoguing with several friends of color, friends from within conservative Anabaptist circles and from other Christian circles as well. I am still dialoguing with them because the more conversations about race I have, the more I realize goes into the conversation as a whole. There is so much I have to learn.

I’ve also listened to many influential black people, people from both conservative ends of the spectrum and liberal ends of the spectrum.

I’ve listened to people such as BJ Thomson, Myisha T, Steve Patton, Larry Elder, Jemar Tisby, Ally Henny, and many more. I do this to get a grasp on conversations about race from the perspective of black people. If we’re going to talk about issues of race, we need to hear and understand the perspectives of people of other races.

One of the topics I ask people about (or at least pay special attention to when I hear them talking about it) is “privilege” or, as some might prefer, “advantage.”

Do whites have a special advantage in USA? And if they do, what does it look like?

Ironically, I find that almost every person of color acknowledges the concept of advantage, regardless of their political preferences. There are a few who deny any kind of advantage, but I’ve also noticed that the kind of advantage they deny is the suggestion of systemic advantage that the political left touts. If we talk about advantage being that fewer whites go to prison then blacks, or that somehow whites can become wealthy more easily than blacks, then we are merely regurgitating the mantra of the left.

But when I hear most blacks talk about advantage, especially the everyday person like me, I hear different kinds of examples than what often gets discussed in media. This is what leads me to believe we as whites do have advantage.

But in saying we have advantage, I am not trying to place collective guilt on ourselves.

Actually, I believe every race has advantage when that race is most dominant. It’s a reality that just kind of is, and not one we need to feel guilty about. However, I believe we must be able to identify it so we know the dynamics at play when we’re seeking racial reconciliation and integration.

So, what are examples of advantage we as white people experience in 2019 USA, that people of color may not? Let me share the five most common examples I hear about from my friends of color.

1. Nobody gives you hassle when you move into a new neighborhood

My aunt tells a story of when her family moved across town to an all-white neighborhood, they were out in their back yard burning brush when one of the neighbors called the cops on them. They weren’t doing anything illegal. And once the cops saw what they were doing, the cops didn’t do anything to them.

If this was one isolated story, I might not consider it an example of advantage. But almost every black person I listen to has a story of moving into a new, primarily all-white neighborhood and getting some kind of hassle from neighbors.

2. You’ve never been pulled over by a cop just because you’re in a neighborhood where people of your skin color don’t normally go

I think about this one a lot. I live in North East Los Angeles. I’ve been down many streets where I was the only white person. Whites don’t normally go down these streets. These streets are in all brown or all black neighborhoods. Yet, I have never had a cop pull me over.

A couple of months ago, an Asian friend of mine (who could easily be mistaken as Latino) was pulled over by a cop for no apparent reason other than that he was someplace he wasn’t supposed to be. Again, I hear this story more from my friends of color than from my white friends. Actually, I’ve never heard this from a white friend.

3. Your history spans more than a month in the year (or a page in a textbook)

February is “Black History Month.” I think we have such a month as an attempt to apologize for slavery and to recognize the contribution they have made to America. But most blacks that I’ve talked with find “Black History Month” rather condescending.

First of all, they wonder where the “Brown History Month” is? Secondly, they know black history spans all twelve months just as white history does, or anyone’s history.

Even more condescending, however, is how most history textbooks designate a mere page (maybe both sides of a page) to the contributions of blacks in American history. America was built on the backs of blacks. There are many, many black inventors and mathematicians that go unrecognized.

And while I am sure there are white inventors that remain unrecognized as well, when 99% of your textbook is devoted to the perspective or contributions of one race, it bends the narrative in favor of that race. It’s not fair to blacks growing up, and it gives young whites an advantage by telling their story as if it’s the only story worth spending time on.

4. People don’t refer to your ethnicity when you’ve disappointed them, as if all those with your ethnicity disappoint

I run a small handyman business here in LA. Over the last year and a half, I have had quite a few customers I meet for the first time who had someone previously do work for them: “those Mexicans!” It wasn’t done well, in their minds. This happens almost monthly.

There are several things that appall me about this. First of all, I always hear about the bad job “those Mexicans” did before I have done any work for them myself. Who is to say my work will be any better? There is an automatic trust not only in my quality of work, but also in my confidentiality as they feel free to slur “those Mexicans” to my face.

Secondly, since when did “Mexicans” become notorious for doing bad work? Are there some Mexicans that do bad work? I’m sure there are, just as there are Americans who do bad work. But I know many Mexicans that actually probably do better work then me. Many are more qualified than me. And while I certainly aim to do quality work, I know it’s erroneous to slur “Mexicans” as if they usually only do bad work.

Here’s the thing, though. Let’s say a white guy had done the job before, and let’s say it was just as bad of a job. In this case, I have never heard “those white people!” used as a slur in frustration when a project wasn’t done well. I have heard, “the last guy I got didn’t do it well,” and that’s a perfectly appropriate way to reference the disappointing work of someone. Why then do we blame “those Mexicans” when it happens to be a Mexican person or crew that does a shitty job?

But here’s what I think is even worse: if you live in LA, you know many of the Latino people doing work for you aren’t even Mexican. We have Guatemalan, El Salvadorian, Panamanian, Venezuelan, Puerto Rican, and many other Latino peoples. Slurring them all as “Mexicans” points out ignorance, a general disregard for the ethnicity of other people, and an underlying disgust for Mexican people.

5. When you flip through a publisher’s catalogue, all or most of the highlighted authors are of your own race

Many prominent publishers still favor white authors. See Zondervan as an example. Some publishers even index them differently: “White Christian Authors” vs. “Urban Christian Authors.” Why say “Urban” instead of “Black”? InterVarsity Press is an example of a publisher doing a great job of integrating authors of various ethnicities.

Again, this points to the narrative that continues going forth. First of all, there are many black authors, yet only a few recognized. Secondly, there are many want-to-be black authors that are trying to get published but finding it difficult to find a publisher who is willing to publish them.

I recently attended a writer’s conference where I chatted briefly with two people (a white author and a black author) about this very issue. It doesn’t take near as much for a white author to get published as it does for a black author to get published.

Do whites have advantage? You tell me.

Common Pushbacks

Now, I can just hear some of you rebutting, “How can you call this ‘advantage’? Everyone faces difficult circumstances in life. There are wealthier black people than me—who’s to say they don’t have advantage over me? And what about all the hardships I, as a white person, experience?”

You are right: everyone faces difficult circumstances. But as I’ve tried to point out in this post, these aren’t mere “difficult circumstances.” They are manifestations of a greater narrative that holds a bias in favor of white people. Furthermore, the narrative could be changed. We as whites could start giving people of color the trust and respect we enjoy and appreciate, and all of the scenarios above would no longer exist.

Others of you might be saying, “The data actually shows fewer blacks are being killed by cops than before, while the number of whites being killed by cops remains the same. That doesn’t sound like advantage. All talk of advantage or privilege is just the left trying to manipulate blacks to voting for them.”

You’re right, as long as we’re using white cops killing black people as the example of advantage (or disadvantage). But that is the typical narrative of the left, and—as I tried pointing out already—it’s not the narrative I actually hear from everyday black people.

While overt, systemic racism may no longer exist to the degree it did in MLK’s day, in general, it seems people’s default posture is trust for people of their own skin color, while suspicion for people of another skin color. And since whites currently inhabit most of the positions of power, there naturally is a kind of advantage we enjoy that others may not.

Again, let me emphasize though: I don’t say this to place collective guilt on us. I say it to acknowledge and identify so we can begin listening more carefully to our brothers and sisters of color.

If we are going to continue the work of racial integration in USA, today, then we must care about justice for all people. We must be willing to hand over power, at times, to those of another race. And we must learn how to leverage the advantage we have for the benefit of everyone involved.

Are you still suspicious when people talk about white privilege? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments here, but please do be civil.

And if you still aren’t convinced white privilege is a thing, please check out this video for another first-hand experience…from a white person.

But if you “get” what I’m saying but don’t like the victim mentality of society today, you’ll like this read.