White people and men have been advantaged by our system. Mathematically, at least, that means women and Black people are disadvantaged.
When President Joe Biden vowed recently to nominate a Black woman to the United States Supreme Court, Sen. Ted Cruz called the decision “offensive” because it made the other 94% of the population ineligible.
Since the Supreme Court was created there have been 115 justices, and 94% (an interesting coincidence that those percentages match) of them were white men. There have been two Black men and four women, but never a Black woman.
Do you really believe that the overwhelming predominance of white males is based on merit? How on earth could we call it unfair to decide to nominate a Black woman?
In my mind, saying that calling for the selection of a Black female justice is somehow inequitable is like two children on the playground. The boy has gotten 100 turns in a row at hitting the ball. When the girl gets three turns in a row, he screams out, “That’s not fair!”
White male privilege deprives women and Black Americans of opportunity
White male privilege has kept women and African Americans from rising to their full potential. At first it was the educational system that advantaged white males, then prejudice was at work. I won’t go into the history of women and Black people having to fight for legal education, legal jobs and equal status in law firms.
But here’s how it works: white people and men have been advantaged by our system. Mathematically, at least, that means women and Black people are disadvantaged.
If you are white or are male, that can be a tough pill to swallow. We all want to believe that we have worked hard, that we have fought for our position, that we didn’t get any “advantage.”
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I’ve seen it in the practice of law when women first began to run for judgeships in Tennessee. The (white, male) lawyers in my firm could accept that other people were disadvantaged, but not that they were advantaged. I had to gently point out the mediocre white men on the bench to make the point. https://www.usatodaynetworkservice.com/tangstatic/html/pnas/sf-q1a2z323ad14e2.min.html
Privilege is a prison for white people and, I suspect, for men
I am white but not a man, so please forgive me for pointing out what I think I may have observed, but not experienced.
As white people we are insulated by resources, benefits and the assumption of dignity. We are rarely challenged in our personal views about race.
Some of the most difficult experiences in my life have revolved around recognizing my own racism. I can tell you the air I was breathing the last time I told a racist joke.
I suspect that men are surrounded by expectations of what it means to be a man and to be successful. I would not want to be burdened by having to be John Wayne or Jeff Bezos. I was allowed to scream in horror movies. I was not expecting to make my first million by the age of 30.
White men are not victims
Finally, I am really troubled by what I see as white men claiming victimhood. Men are falling behind in terms of college education, currently two men for every three women. There are many cultural forces behind this trend, but we should all be concerned for our sons and grandsons if it continues. No one in our society, including white men, should be left feeling hopeless and angry.
Barbara Moss is founder of Elder Law of Nashville PLC.