white privilege

[wahyt priv-uh-lij, priv-lij, hwahyt]

noun

1. the unearned and mostly unacknowledged societal advantage that members of the dominant white racial group have and members of nonwhite groups do not, separate from but compounding with wealth, income, class, education, and other demographic factors that form individual identities.

   One aspect of white privilege is never thinking about your race, because most things in society are designed with whiteness as the normal default.

Word History and Origins

Origin of white privilege¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

At another level, it’s a malevolent expression of white privilege.

From Los Angeles Times

Indeed, Fender made headlines this year after he told London’s Sunday Times that “white boys from nowhere towns” are being drawn to “demagogues and psychos like Andrew Tate” because they’re “being shamed all the time” for enjoying the advantages of a white privilege they don’t perceive.

From Los Angeles Times

White privilege was not bestowed on the Irish automatically or all at once; well into the 20th century, British attitudes toward Ireland could legitimately be described as racist, and a faint hangover of bigotry is discernible to this day.

From Salon

Training sessions emphasising concepts like "white privilege" and racial bias have drawn particular scrutiny.

From BBC

Wilson's response was to argue that to "talk about white privilege is envious and sinful."

From Salon