Analysis and Interpretation of Findings about White Privileges

Analysis and interpretation of findings

Topic (Question): Does white privilege act as a catalysts in the inequality we see today in South Africa?

Introduction: in the following essay the concept of white privilege will be investigated on the bases of whether it is the cause of much of the inequality seen today in South Africa's. As the topic develops potent questions will emerge like, Can black poverty to a certain extent be blamed on white privilege? or, Why people aren't educated about white privilege or to a certain extent challenging it?, but at the same time not falling into the trap of telling a single story from one perspective as Chimamanda Adichie a well-known Nigerian author would put it. As there is a great danger of a single story.

This essay will also explore who has the power to deal with privilege and its effects on society. As most feel it would the government with the aid of other political parties (source J and K, the DA having to take over due to the ANC failing to deal with the issue of white privilege and inequality) while others both black and white debate it's a case where white people need to realize the power they possess and either share it with those who are disadvantaged because of it or rather attempt to minimize the amount of personal gain due to it (source B and G). Which they either need to give up or share. There have been instances where white privilege was given up or shared this essay will explore why this has not become a common practice.

One doesn't have to search for long or hard to see the effects of this privilege. It can be observed on almost every street corner (source A, C and D, the video in which a white male individual assaulted a black on duty police officer, or the white tantrum often thrown in stores to a black service worker, and store security personal or law enforcement officers do not harass white individuals because of their race.) one can easily spot a black' beggar being passed by white commuters who don't even look at them twice but as soon as they come across a rare site of a white beggar they are quick to offer them aid, from the element of preference as white is viewed as better. This creating a sense of preference as to why the white beggar was supported and not the black because at the end of the day they are both poor and in need.

While in the black community it is felt that the use and abuse of privilege by white people has basically shaped the unequal and unethical communities we live in today. In which their children have to try defy all odds just to become successful while in white homes they are born successful. This being the common mistake yes white privilege does grant white people with certain advantages but there is a need to understand that does not mean they have worked any less than the next black individual. The advantages of white privilege just made it a bit easier for them to achieve all they desire (Source I where the white writer says, I was a beneficiary of an excellent education.)Which is the case with almost all white people while majority of black children come from financially struggling homes. Which results in those children being sent to under equipped, under staffed overcrowded government schools.(Source L, where the writer quotes Mmusi Maimane, when a white child grew up on an education of R70 and black kids R2.75 per day?) is this not a system that was set up to advantage white people.

Hence why the racial demographics of the country are not expressed throughout the country's schools and even the country's tertiary intuitions. Where the country's black majority is being excluded from quality education. Hence why the high unemployment rate is backed by the large number of under educated black individual. .

But we need to understand that this privilege is inherited by these current generations not created by them so it makes sense for them to be ignorant or even unaware of this privilege as they have grown up with it. Unlike those of colour racism and sense of being inferior as they are excluded from the benefits of white privilege. Which makes them think it's acceptable to undermine and disrespect most if not all black people they come into contact with whether old or young because of the fact they are inferior to them (source C and how the writer describes the manner in which the white woman was treating the black service worker). A perfect example of this would be Penny Sparrow and her all too familiar comments on Facebook that describe black beachgoers as "monkeys", in an apparent reaction to litter left behind after New Year's celebrations, even more so basically stating they are uneducated and that are a source of discomfort to others(white people). Such leading to the conclusion that white people only love and value their own hence to the example of the beggar stated above. The same way a white tragedy gets so much noise and attention compared to a black tragedy. Leading to the argument being white carries power because of the past practices and beliefs of Eugenics and Apartheid which were practiced. Hence why we seem to value white lives more than black lives. (source E, where the writer discusses how the death of Franziska Blochlinger got so much media attention and was talked about for weeks after occurring while black people who get murdered every single day in the townships are not even spoken about)

Most black people feel white privilege grants white people with the needed tools to become wealthy in this life an example of such a tool is an excellent education. With an excellent education system life becomes much easier to enroll into university then a dream job. While on the other hand their colored counterparts don't have the luxury of such except for the exceptions such as myself and a few others. But the case remains that black children are being systematically excluded from good schools, either because they are too expensive for them to afford as well as too far for them to try and attend to (source G which talks of the policy of exclusion performed with in tertiary institutions). We can observe white communities forming around the best schools examples of such La Salle College in Florida, Crawford in Sandton and The University of Witwatersrand all of these being highly recommended institutions of education as they offer the best system of education but notice how they are situated within white communities while on the other hand standard schools form around black communities like University of Johannesburg Soweto Campus, Mpanza in Diepkloof, Orlando West Secondary School in Orlando, Soweto. All of this institutes have their own black scandals from being overcrowded and having over 60 learners per class, to being under staff, to students being found sleeping in toilets and lecture rooms due them not being able to afford accommodation.

Compared to black people in most cases 9 out of 10 times white people have it easier in life. A simple way of showing this is most white people who attend university live in accommodation on campus or two minutes away. While on the other foot a black people either stay on campus because their bursary pays for them to or live a t home which is kilometers away from the campus. Compared to the white learner a black learner has to go through so much on a daily from stressing about who's going to pay their fees in the case of them not being on a bursary. To having to wake up earlier just to use public transport to make it to school on time. They don't have easy access to private laptops, computers or even the web per say there for limiting them to use the school library in cases of doing research for a project or studying for a test. Compared to a white learner whose being sponsored by their parents. They don't have to worry about getting to class on time, or waking up early, or even where they are going to sleep. This simply shows that white privilege protects white people from certain hardships and makes it easier for them to do well. (source E, which also expresses white people are shielded from much daily abuse, and an external source the people versus the rainbow nation a video on YouTube, which expresses exactly the concept of shielding in the education aspect of white people having it easier at university than black people who are forced to work twice as hard just to keep up.)

This can be easily illustrated by saying if life was a hundred meter sprint/race, between white and black people. White people are predestined to win every time, simply because they run a shorter and easier race. Compared to black people who because of white privilege are put in the backseat, and will always come last no matter how hard they try. Simply put black people are forced to run an extra fifty meters and have hurdles throughout their race. And this concept is not only expressed on the educational level but in every aspect in society.

A drive in the township proves this as you will come into contact with a number of black people. Here where black tax manifests its self and is another reason for a lacking representation of the black elites. At the same time you will come into contact with the black youth .With only a handful few who managed to do extremely well in school, better if not equal to their white counterparts and peers. Who should be in university furthering their studies but don't have the funds to pay for it, or the fact the possibility the schools they went to did not offer them the correct subjects needed for them to study in actual careers. But as they come from a families that weren't afforded the opportunities needed during Apartheid, like whites were. So they are left on the streets to either hustle to survive. Or waste their lives away on narcotics and crime.

While at the exact same time a drive in an all-white suburb such as Sandton. You will come into contact with a number of white people and a handful of black people. Who do not live there but are there as laborers to work. In these communities you will find the youth off doing internships, or even job shadowing either because they were able to get the opportunity for themselves. Or had a parent or relative call in a favor to get them into these positions companies owned by family or friends. Or they are off to university of their choice, because of the fact they went to a solid and well known school. That offered all the right subjects needed, and because they have the funding to.

Just that situation alone shows how white privilege has already widened the gap with in society. And that in a sense black people are predestined to stay where they are with in society. Struggling due to lack of opportunities. Crucial opportunities that could project their lives out of the state of survival that they live in. Into a state of which always them to grow and develop towards eradicating poverty within their communities.

To blame white privilege for social issues like unemployment is valid due to white privilege having a major role in the education system which basically determines with career one will partake in, it is understandable for blacks to feel they are not being employed because of their poor educational background which basically labels them as limitedly skilled. Even the fact that most of them do not go to university or jump into petty jobs such as cleaners or call agents after matric does not work to their advantage. While on the other hand their white counter parts are as badly affected by unemployment due to white privilege allowing their CV to be as desirable as possible. As in the white candidate went to a good solid school, then to university and even has a bit of work experience while the black candidate went to school and that's about it didn't really do that well either in school. It's more than obvious who's going to get the job. But we must not forget we live in a hard time. Where it is hard to find employment weather one is black or white or qualified or not. As there are even cases of qualified black or white individuals not being able to get employed.

The blaming of the use of narcotics even the practicing of crime on white privilege is not viable. As much as it is depressing to be unemployed or living in poverty it does not mean that one should now venture into crime to be able to make money or more so use and abuse drugs to be in a state of artificial happiness and no longer be depressed by the circumstances surrounding them. This a pure case of black complacency and lack of ambition, white privilege to an extent is the cause of poverty , but the alarming rise in crime and drug abuse cannot be blamed on it. This is simply a case of a person surrendering themselves to their circumstances and wanting someone else to get them out of their state of emergency they themselves are not willing to put in the effort to fall into such. As much as one will come into contact with the black youth from mainly Soweto, you will find those who practice crime and use drugs seem to have no desire to be great in life while their peers from the same circumstances are getting a chance to further educate themselves at colleges or are applying for as many job posts as possible in attempt to get a job to be able to pay for their own education at varsity. Others can be seen becoming entrepreneurs starting their own business selling fast foods such as bunny chows or fat cakes even making or altering cloths as they value a brighter future more than sitting around in the sun getting drunk or high plaining the next heist. This is another example of how well shielded white people are from the struggles in life.

Furthermore the belief that white privilege strengths the bond between white people. Hence why they only love and care for their own kind can be questioned as seen in source E, with the white woman throwing a tantrum in a Woolworth's store to a black service worker, soon turned when Lisa the writer of the article another white women tried confronting the tantrum thrower got a tantrum thrown towards her as well. Clearly showing that the concept of white people loving and caring about their own is farfetched, because white privilege has now poisoned the white body to attack anything that questions or tries to reprimand it. As also seen in source L, where DA leader Mmusi Maimane challenged white privilege within his party was then held in a battle with senior white members who felt that their places within the parliament and party were at jeopardy of being given up in an attempt to diversify the party.

Conclusion

In conclusion, white privilege is a catalyst that stimulates the issues we are faced with today in South Africa. The likes of high inequality, high numbers of youths unemployed. Who soon venture of to a life of illegal dealings or petty jobs just to be able to survive and not accomplice and achieve what they should. The fact that the racial demographics of our universities and corporate businesses do not represent the racial demographic of our country should speak volumes if not raise questions. The fact that our education system is so different with in white and black communities. White privilege to an extent is a cause of black poverty, but it is not the only factor that contributes to it, the likes of Black complacency and lack of ambition come into play as well. But it can be said white wealth and success is contributed to by white privilege. Allowing for the inequality status between blacks and whites to further widen with each generation. We can also conclude that it is possible for a white individual to see that they and their white peers (community) are privileged and for them to make a conscious choice to try limit their personal gain from the privilege if not share its power with those who are disadvantaged because of it. This then proves that white privilege to most white people is an ignorant advantage that they do not notice as they have been exposed to it all their life and assume everyone lives like them.

We can also conclude that white tantrum often thrown in store at service works who are often black individuals. Is caused by the corruption of white privilege onto the white body. And that the all to famous tantrum is not only experienced by blacks only but by white people as well therefore showing us that white privilege has a negative affect not only on black people but on white people as well.

Furthermore we can conclude the use and value of narcotics as well as crime as a means to escape issues of poverty caused by white privilege is not justifiable. There are black people out there who have had to tackle the same odds as other black people of being dealt the bad hand and also being deprived of opportunities. But after putting in hard work as well as effort have managed to become successful and escape the clutches of poverty. They have managed to go to university even though they come from poor families. They have managed to get well-paying jobs. So to simply blame white privilege for such is only telling one side of the story.

Cite this page