PRIVILEGE
How White Privilege Disproves The Lie About a Merit-Based Society
In a merit-based society, white privilege wouldn't exist
Black Americans know all too well that this country has never been a merit-based society and that working hard is not enough to guarantee you access to the same opportunities extended to White people. This is a discussion many Black parents have with their children, not to discourage them from shooting for the stars but to prepare them for the challenges that await them. Letting a Black child know that some people, simply because of the color of their skin, will attempt to stop their shine isn't easy, but it's a meaningful conversation, given the circumstances. Black students and workers are often expected to be "twice as good" to receive equal treatment. It's not fair, but this is our reality.
"Work hard," Black Americans are told, and you will rise above it all, even when we know that's not how our society functions. For instance, the G.I. Bill, formally called the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, promised certain benefits to veterans, such as access to a "college education, unemployment insurance, and housing." Yet millions of Black veterans were denied access to these benefits despite serving their country just as White veterans had. While some were denied loans to purchase homes in Black neighborhoods, racial covenants, and prejudice stopped others from buying homes in White neighborhoods. And many colleges, before Brown v. Board of Education, refused to admit Black students. In a merit-based society, Black men and women risking their lives at war would have been enough to earn these benefits, but as history would have it, they were deprived. White Americans' "fear of Black advancement" deprived Black veterans of equal access to opportunities. In a merit-based society, Black veterans would have received their G.I. benefits, but the discrimination they experienced shows America is, at least in part, a race-based society.
Why are some White people convinced that Black people are incapable of being qualified for the same positions they acquire? Because racial stereotypes muddy the waters about merit. It's unfortunate, but many people still feed into myths about biological racial differences, believing the reason White people continue to hold most positions of power in American society is because they are superior and, therefore, deserving of a disproportionate share of opportunities. For instance, a study published in the Sociology of Sport Journal suggested stereotypes about Black athletes persist, with some endorsing this idea that they "are not academically prepared to attend college, are not as intelligent" compared with White athletes (Sailes, 1993).
Racial stereotypes are not harmless misunderstandings. These beliefs influence decision-making and, therefore, act as gatekeepers for opportunity. As Justice Mory wrote in The Observer, minority athletes are more "likely to be discussed in terms of physical characteristics, to be judged erratic and unpredictable." That is why Black applicants experience discrimination even when their credentials are the same as those of White applicants. Often, receiving opportunities is not a matter of being qualified but of having one's qualifications seen as valid. Someone who believes Black athletes are intellectually inferior, for instance, may doubt their capabilities and, as a result, won't see them as "leadership material." Racial discrimination and racial privilege are two sides of the same coin, as you cannot have one without the other. Therefore, the belief that Black athletes are inferior is related to the belief that White athletes are superior intellectually.
Clearing up muddy waters
Racial stereotypes muddy the discussion about merit because they're designed to justify the opportunities deprived to Black people. Discussions about diversity, equity, and inclusion programs certainly echo that sentiment. In a recent podcast, Charlie Kirk, a far-right activist, said, "I'm sorry. If I see a Black pilot, I'm going to be like, 'Boy, I hope he's qualified.' This sentiment was also shared by Elon Musk, who noted earlier this month in a post that "It will take an airplane crashing and killing hundreds of people for them to change this crazy policy," referring to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs endorsed by some airlines. Here, we have two White men bent out of shape about Black people becoming pilots even though they're routinely deprived of equitable opportunities as it is. Not only is it the case that 90% of pilots are White on commercial airlines but they're also trying to keep it that way. DEI is not the problem. Believing that Black people are never qualified enough to receive equitable opportunities is.
There's a hesitance on the part of many White Americans to acknowledge they are indeed privileged compared to Black Americans and other racial minorities. To understand this point better, let us separate the idea of racism and privilege. While every White person doesn't harbor racist attitudes, each is born privileged in American society. For instance, Black newborn babies are three times more likely to die in the care of White physicians, a stat that is not reversible. Racism negatively impacts the health and well-being of Black mothers and their infants and, on the flip side, protects their White counterparts. However, this is true of Black people at any stage of life. The point is that, even if a White person never says anything explicitly racist, they're benefiting from this hierarchy — they're racially privileged. No one would willingly switch places and have their infants be more likely to die, and yet there is this hesitance by many to acknowledge they indeed are privileged. The same can be said in terms of police brutality. Black people are still nearly three times as likely as White people to be killed by police officers, and yet, while no group would willingly change places, there is a hesitance to acknowledge they're privileged.
And as long as White people are the most likely to access opportunities, it's unlikely the nation will ever become merit-based. In the end, this theory of a merit-based society may sound ideal. Still, it's flawed, and there are dire consequences when this is endorsed as a true reflection of American society. There are so many examples that show that Black people are treated significantly worse than White people. Ignoring every instance of racism and claiming that our society is merit-based is cruel, a way of silencing those trying to mitigate racism by claiming it doesn't exist.
References
Hoffman, K. M., Trawalter, S., Axt, J. R., & Oliver, M. N. (2016). Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(16), 4296–4301. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1516047113
King, E. B., Madera, J. M., Hebl, M. R., Knight, J. L., & Mendoza, S. A. (2006). What's in a Name? A Multiracial Investigation of the Role of Occupational Stereotypes in Selection Decisions. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36(5), 1145–1159. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0021-9029.2006.00035.x
Sailes, G. A. (1993). An Investigation of Campus Stereotypes: The Myth of Black Athletic Superiority and the Dumb Jock Stereotype. Sociology of Sport Journal, 10(1), 88–97. https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.10.1.88
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