“White privilege” according to the Cambridge English Dictionary, is the notion that somebody born with white skin has advantages over people of color (dictionary.cambridge.org).

   Many times, when mainstream media publicize an event, such as an individual — that happens to be a person of color — getting shot by the police, race baiters like to claim racism. However, when it comes down to arguments against these claims, ironically, race baiters tend to operate on the idea that white people’s opinions don’t matter, because they cannot fathom what it’s like to be marginalized. People fixated on race like to say that everything that white people go through is easier, because of the pigment of their skin. However, the notion that “White privilege” exists in this day and age in totally untrue

   Setting aside the fact that the US had a Black president for most of the past decade, and that Oprah is one of the most powerful media figures, the examples of “White privilege” are ludicrous. One example of “White privilege” that people claim exists is that it is harder for people of color to receive loans, because of racism (loan discrimination). This is absurd because it’s bad business. If a bank denied a loan solely based off of skin color, another bank would take their market, and become more successful. Moreover, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act has made loan discrimination illegal since 1974 (consumer.ftc.gov). To add on, it is common for banks to deny people attempting to receive loans if the bank doubts they will get paid back; bad credit is bad credit no matter one’s skin tone.

   Another example of “White privilege” race baiters use is that White people have an easier time with the police. This is wrong. According to the Washington Post, in 2017 approximately 46 percent of people fatally shot by the police were White, 23 percent were Black, 18 percent were Hispanic, and 13 percent were of unknown or another race (washingtonpost.com). Since Whites make up 77 percent of the population while Blacks only make up 13 percent (census.gov), some may interpret this as meaning that Blacks are shot more due to the discrepancy of population size; thus, Whites have it easier with law enforcement. However, violent-crime data from the FBI shows that Blacks are underrepresented — more so than Whites — in fatal shootings involving violent crime. Whites committed 58 percent of violent crime, and Blacks committed 39 percent of violent crime (ucr.fbi.gov).

   Furthermore, some people say the disproportionate amount of Blacks in jails — compared to Whites — is evidence of “White privilege.” According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, 38 percent of inmates are Black, and 58 percent are White (bop.gov). However, not including repeat offenders, Blacks commit more crime per capita than Whites, but the caveat to this is that a lot of this crime is felony drug possession that has a minimum of a five-year sentence (fbi.gov). With that being said, the disproportionate amount of Blacks in prison is the fault of big government, not the fault of so-called “White privilege.”

   Another talking point those who argue “White privilege” is the large disparity of incomes between Whites and minority groups. White families have an average income of 24,000 dollars higher than the average Black family (businessinsider.com). This is not a sign of “White privilege;” it’s a sign of difference in culture. According to Politifact, over 72 percent of African-Americans are born out of wedlock, a much higher percentage than of Whites born out of wedlock (politifact.com). According to the US Census, 51 percent of families in poverty are single-mother families (census.gov). This explains the difference in income between races, and since the issue of single motherhood is not exclusive to a certain race, “White privilege” is not to blame.

   To add on, there is one group of people who consistently outperform every other group — Asians. They put the nail in the coffin for the myth of “White privilege.” Asians have the highest median income (businessinsider.gov), they hold more college degrees, they have lower single-parent family rates (census.gov), and they are less likely to be in a gang (nationalgangcenter.gov). If “White privilege” exists to keep minorities down, why are Asians so successful that they exceed Whites? The answer is that “White privilege” does not exist.

   “White privilege” is just a term pushed by race baiters to promote identity politics. The very thought that people are born with certain advantages is toxic. It teaches people that they can’t succeed if they’re not white. On race and success, Morgan Freeman said, “Bullsh*t, anybody can. Courage is the key to life itself” (cnn.com).