Why I don't like the term "white privilege"

[Number23]

136. You noticed the OP suddenly has nothing to say, huh?

This is what infuriates me about the "it's not race, it's class" crew. In addition to being astoundingly ignorant about the country's past and present, there is so much preoccupation with the Beyonces and Serena Williamses (see upthread). Because 2 or 20 or 100 black people are dazzlingly rich, racial discrimination doesn't exist or it's "not that big of a deal."

But show them some data that shows their "it's not race, it's class" spew to be the utter bunk that it is, then they suddenly lose their ability to read or respond.

More FACTS:

The study, conducted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Urban Institute (a nonpartisan think tank in Washington) used a method called "pair testing." Two people — one person of color and one white person — called and then visited a real estate office to ask about an available property for rent or sale. Both of the pair testers told real estate agents that they had about the same income, assets and employment. Both testers were greeted politely and given appointments to look at properties. But whites were told about and shown more units. They were also more likely to be offered lower rent than their testing partners.

So the white couple with the same finances as the non-white couple not only got shown more units but were offered LOWER RENTS. And here's the kicker --

According to the study, the problem wasn't regional but national. http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/06/17/192730233/for-people-of-color-a-housing-market-partially-hidden-from-view

IF that is not WHITE PRIVILEGE then for God's sake, WHAT IS???

And this happened nationally. Not regional -- NATIONAL. Institutionalized. SYSTEMIC. Happens EVERYWHERE, not just in the South or the mid-West or wherever people have convinced themselves that The Racists live. It happens Everywhere in America.

A little-noticed study released last fall by the Pataki administration concluded that black and Hispanic people sentenced for minor felonies or misdemeanors in New York were treated more harshly than whites in similar circumstances. http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/10/nyregion/a-racial-study-finds-differences-in-jail-sentences.html

Prison sentences of black men were nearly 20% longer than those of white men for similar crimes in recent years, an analysis by the U.S. Sentencing Commission found. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324432004578304463789858002

Tougher sentences for THE SAME CRIMES. The only difference is the race of the perpetrators.

Researchers say they their new study suggests a reason why African Americans are overrepresented in prison. Black defendants are more likely to be sentenced to prison than whites, on average, but the racial gap is even more pronounced among some judges, suggesting that race is influencing the decision, the study found. http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/race_matters_in_sentencing_study_finds/

This is NOT about class!!!! This is about RACE. And until that changes, discussions about white privilege are apt, are relevant and need to be had.