Today’s Guest Column
The United States has skeletons in its closet. Not skeletons in the sense of minor transgressions, but in the sense of subjugating an entire race for the purposes of an efficient and inexpensive labor source.
Slavery in America affects our society to this day. About 60 years ago, the “separate but equal” doctrine was accepted in many of our states. To say that the idea of white privilege is un-American is to ignore the oppression and suffering that this country brought upon black people and all people of color.
If melanin levels are of no importance, then the colors of the ghettos of today are merely a coincidence. The view that skin color has no bearing on one’s ability to pursue his or her goals is one that ignores basic societal realities and presents a dangerous way of thinking.
In response to the guest column published yesterday titled “A parent’s view on privilege,” Mr. Hirsch’s argument skirts the surface of hatefulness and dips its feet in the waters of social Darwinism. His assertion that the teaching of white privilege is in fact political indoctrination seems hollow when held up to his belief that our students should be learning about the supposed “moral greatness of capitalism.” Survival of the fittest, while encouraging competition, is not a theory steeped in morality.
Simply put, being black in America is harder than being white. I, being born white, have myriad privileges that those of color do not enjoy. I am not struck with fear when I am stopped by a police officer for a speeding violation.
A Department of Justice report found that black people are “nearly four times more likely to experience the threat or use of force during dealings with the police.” Is it not a privilege that I do not worry about being choke-slammed to the ground after running a red light? The recent stories of Michael Brown and Eric Garner highlight the pervasive nature of police brutality against people of color. Black disadvantage spans from law enforcement to almost every facet of society. According to a 2012 study supported by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, black men make up merely 5.5 percent of all college students.
I also take exception with Mr. Hirsch’s constant invocation of religion. The assertion that the “trinity of liberty” has been replaced with the “destructive ideology of race” is a flowery way to say that our children should be taught about the Christian dogma that pervades our country instead of the ever-present oppression of those who are not white.
If we as Americans believe that we are the “greatest country that has existed in human history,” as Mr. Hirsch wrote, we must realize that being born black is an instant disadvantage.
Our nation’s violent and oppressive history has created a present society in which a caste system is emerging that resembles medieval Europe. Let us not ignore the fact that white privilege exists in the United States. We must realize this problem that plagues our cities and towns and act to deserve the mentality that America is indeed a “city upon a hill.”
Samuel Stern is a junior government and politics and journalism major. He can be reached at sstern@terpmail.umd.edu.
