Privilège du blanc
White privilege is a social relation that can exist as a right, advantage, exemption or immunity granted to or enjoyed by white persons beyond the common advantage of all others. It is a form of racism usually expressed as preferential treatment. As racism is usually understood to be punative towards people of color, white privilege is a benefit to its recipients. It explains such phenomena as Caucasian boxer, Gerry Cooney, receiving an very large amount of money for his 1982 fight with African American Larry Holmes, even though he was an untested contender. Exmaples from popular music include Elvis Presley, credited with popularizing "black music" with white audiences, as well as Eminem's popularity as a rap singer.
Parallels are often drawn between white privilege, male privilege and heterosexual privilege.
References
- WhitePrivilege.com, an anti-racism resource
- McIntosh, Peggy. Unpacking The White Knapsack
- Roediger, David R. The Wages of Whiteness: Race and the Making of the American Working Class (Verso, 1999)