My White Privilege

Whenever racial issues become the news of the day, I am always surprised by the number of educated white people who go online on Facebook, Twitter or blogs to talk about and apologize for their “white privilege.” For those not familiar with the concept, it has been defined like this: “White privilege (or white skin privilege) is a term for societal privileges that benefit white people in western countries beyond what is commonly experienced by the non-white people under the same social, political, or economic circumstances. These privileges are unearned and are distributed based on values of the dominant group, which in the west is white people.”

I fully realize that I will be attacked as ill informed, ignorant, unrealistic or even racist. But I will not fall in line to apologize for being white – worse yet, a white male. It is who I am and I am okay with that. There are many things I should and have apologized for but that is not one of them.

In my opinion our culture has collectively lost its mind. Most of us are victims. We are victims of crime, abuse, being mistreated, having our feelings hurt, not being given a fair shake, failing, lacking an education, being passed over for promotions, not being given what we are entitled to, and the list is endless. Those of us who not victims, we are the perpetrators. Whatever injustice or pain the victims in our society have suffered is our fault. And when looking for the guilty I find, being an old white male, there is a huge target on my back. We are responsible for every wrong anyone is suffering or ever has suffered in the past. Tag, we’re it. So, of course, I am the poster child for white privilege.

And I will certainly own that. I am very much aware of my white privilege. Let me tell you about it.

I was brought up by a father who was the fourth generation of our family in America. Like lots of the Irish, my kin came to America to find relief from the potato famine. My branch of the family (Yes I am from Kentucky and yes my family tree does have branches.) settled in around eastern Kentucky. Like many from Ireland, my family knew how to live off the land so they looked for a rural area and started farming. My father was from a family of eight who grew up scratching a living from the land in Robertson County, Kentucky. The family owned very little land, rented a house, a few farm animals and no slaves. There was no electricity in the house until my father was almost grown. They had no tractors but, instead, did farm work with horses and mules. Tillable land was in short supply; most of it was bottom land near creeks and the Licking River. They had little cash but ate well. My grandmother cooked on a wood stove her entire life. Wood stoves also heated the house.

My father, the youngest of his siblings, was the first and only family member to go to college. He worked on the college farm to pay for his education. After graduating and marrying my mother he worked for a few years and started his family. Like most young men of the time, his life was put on hold so he could serve his country in World War II. After the war, he went back to work and put himself through law school at night. With that degree under his belt, he went to work for an insurance company.

He made a good living so I and my siblings lived a good life. Many consider that my white privilege. But this is what I consider my white privilege. I was raised in an intact family by two loving parents who insisted I toe the line. Their expectations were high and consistent. They cracked the whip. Some of the things they taught me and some of their expectations of me were:

Priorities: God, family, others, job.

Be respectful of my elders and people in authority – teachers, coaches, police, and pastors.

No matter what I attempted (school, sports, friendships, dating) I was expected to put in my best effort.

If you start something, finish it.

Any grade less than a B resulted in being grounded.

Loving my siblings was not an option.

Never raise your hand to a woman.

Do not go in debt for something that does not increase in value.

Follow the Ten Commandments. All of them. Period. End of story.

Never lie. You can’t do business with a liar.

Give generously.

If you can’t like someone, at least be kind and pleasant.

Get enough education to enable you to support yourself and your family.

You don’t have a sense of humor until you can laugh at yourself.

By many standards I have lived a full and successful life. I have a great job I love doing. I have a great wife, awesome kids and many precious grandchildren. I am not rich by any way you want to measure it. But we are comfortable. And I attribute much of my success to my white privilege.

Also, I have been hearing about African American parents having to have a conversation with their children about interacting with the police. I thought all parents had those conversations. My parents certainly did. Theirs went something like this. “Don’t break the law in the first place and you won’t have to fear people in law enforcement. If a policeman attempts to pull you over, stop as soon as possible. If a police officer addresses you, do what they tell you to do and be respectful. Don’t talk back. If you are wrongfully accused, that will be worked out in the court system. Be careful who you hang out with. Make sure they can see your hands. Call me if you need me.”

Again white privilege. It is really difficult to get crossways with the police if one follows my father’s advice. I feel certain his advice would work no matter what your ethnic background. In fact, my father’s advice sounds much like the advice given by Chris Rock in this video. NOTICE – DON’T WATCH THE VIDEO IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY FOUL LANGUAGE. I WARNED YOU.

There you have my white privilege. And I’m not going to apologize for it. Cause it’s not my fault. I am a victim of my childhood. My parents did it to me.

Copyright © 2014, William T. McConnell, All Rights Reserved

Bill McConnell is Senior Minister at Lindenwood Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee and is a Church Transformation consultant and a Christian Leadership Coach. He is a frequent speaker at Church Transformation events. His latest book on church transformation is DEVELOPING A SIGNIFICANT CHURCH and is available at Westbow Press. He can be contacted @ bill45053@gmail.com. Connect with him on Facebook @ William T. McConnell or on Twitter @billmc45053 or visit his Amazon Author Page @ Amazon