Male Privilege, helpfully explained by a white dude

[cinnabonbon]

302. I don't know what you mean when you say "New Left". Elaborate, please.

Yes, a male rape victim still has male privilege. At its core, male privilege is about living in a culture that is catered to men, not about lack of rape. No one are guaranteed to avoid rape. (This is partly because we make light of "women-centric" crimes like rape, and the rapists benefit from this.)

This culture is centered on maleness being the "norm", especially in places of authority. We only notice it when it's lacking. Men are used to being the ones listened to. Think about it. Why does it bother so many liberal men when women post on a progressive website about issues they face? It is because it is disturbing the norm, and they are quick to ask "but what about the men?" to readjust the focus back on them. It's a widespread phenomenon, and even poor men and men of color benefit from it, although the white cis male benefits most of all. The only people that are likely to lose male privilege are trans*women, who transition from being a man to a woman.

'White privilege' was a term made by POC, so I doubt they were denigrating themselves. What they are saying is that they live in a culture that convinces the masses that white folks are good and worthy, POC not so much. They needed a word to explain why white people were treated better in the workplace, and none existed. You say that white people have all the money and it's the money that means they're privileged. Well, in a way. They've used their privilege to prop up a whole system that continues to benefit them at the expense of everyone else. They advanced other white people's careers (and to be honest, this system is still mostly men), because they knew they could trust other white people to support that system.

That is what POC are talking about when they talk about white privilege. They're describing a subtle system that whites have created to 1. benefit them and 2. remind POC that, according to this system, they are inferior, whether it's in intelligence, class, "moral", ambition, strength, because they can never benefit from it the same way a white man can.

When people are talking about male privilege, they are talking about a similar social construct. It is easier to navigate this system if you are male, because it was made for men.

But in all seriousness, make a post about white privilege and the larger impact that white dominance has on Africa, especially as far as poverty and starvation would be concerned. It would be interesting to read.