Waterloo Region Record - White Privilege - Dec 8, 2020 - letter to Editor by Randall F. More

 

Waterloo Region Record - White Privilege

Emailed to Record Dec 8, 2020

Letter to Editor:

Let us put an end to the foolish notion of “white privilege” (and “white privilege training” for U.S. teachers). This is not only wrong but it is racist... ultimately working to destroy us.

Most, but not all people on this continent, have either American privilege or Canadian privilege... not “white privilege.” Regardless of our skin colour, each one of us is amongst the most privileged people on earth.

There is a high percentage of black athletes in football, baseball, and basketball, both in proportion to population and in absolute terms. This is because blacks in America have generally demonstrated excellent athletic abilities, most likely due to genetics. Just as with “white privilege,” it would be ridiculous to consider this as “black privilege” or “athletic privilege.”

Asians do very well in academics. Should we vilify them because of their “Asian privilege” or their “academic privilege?”

There are some of us, red and yellow, black or white (as we sing in Sunday school) or brown and olive (as the most common skin colours in the world)... who are more able bodied or more mentally capable than others. It would be ludicrous to consider us as “able-bodied privilege” or “capable-minded privilege.”

Affirmative action, for the most part, has served its purpose but when a black student is admitted to college because of the legal provision, it would be foolish to consider this as “black privilege.”

The list is endless. If we acknowledged the truth, we would recognize that in our western countries most of us are privileged beyond measure, not because of our skin colour but because of the efforts of all those who went before us, of every varied skin colour... in order to build our nations where we can each have similar privileges.

We should each be seeking to edify each other, not tear down. Let us stop this nonsense and move forward instead of groveling in the pettiness of continued racism.

Randall F. More, P. Eng.