White Passing

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There is confusion as to who has white privilege. Whether this is a willful confusion or just simply an unawareness is debatable, but let’s look at the main factor that determines it. White privilege isn’t just a person who falls into a particular category of white (i.e. British, German, Norwegian ancestry). It, like being black has to do with skin. Melanin…or lack thereof. It’s about being able to seamlessly meld into a sea of white and not have anyone the wiser. If you can do that, you are considered white or “white passing” and, therefore, can receive white privilege. So it doesn’t matter if you are Italian, French, Canadian, Australian as long as you appear to be white, you will be treated as white.

I recently got into a discussion about this with someone and they were not happy that I told them they “looked white”. They had white skin and blonde hair mind you, but still didn’t want to accept what I was saying. This is another problem and typical of people who experience white privilege who are also “white passing”; they will claim they are not one of them. Like white people, they claim they are not a part of it. They deny their privilege and the benefits afforded to them through said privilege. What they don’t get, because they fall into the “white passing” category and have the same attitude as white people, is that it’s not only about how you identify, but how people identify you.