Just like straight people don’t understand straight privilege, many, if not most white people don’t understand white privilege. They have always occupied what is considered social ‘norm’; the benefits of being ‘normal’ are often invisible to those who benefit from it. A thread. 1

It is precisely for this reason that they don’t understand it. It is also quite difficult to explain exactly what their privilege is and entails. Unless this explanation is provided by someone in exactly the same position who benefits from this privilege, yet is critical of it, 2

they will often dismiss an explanation provided by someone who isn’t straight or white. 3

When walking the streets of your town/city, have you ever wondered how accessible the pavements are for people in wheelchairs and others who are not able-bodied like you? How they navigate these ‘structures’? This is a perfect metaphor for illustrating & visualising privilege. 4

Urban civic infrastructures such as pavements and buildings are constructed for able-bodied people. Despite some positive changes, able-bodied people are still considered the ‘norm’. 5

It means that when a person who is in a wheelchair or is otherwise physically challenged or disabled goes out, they cannot access certain areas or public services or their access is limited. It is the system that limits their access 'cos it doesn't take them into consideration 6

Whiteness (and heterosexuality) operate in very similar ways. Societies treat white and straight people as the ‘norm’, putting systemic obstacles into the way of those who aren’t white or straight, effectively discounting and disadvantaging them. 7

Some examples from everyday life: White people don’t get followed around in shops by security guards. When travelling, white men who have a beard don’t have to worry about being perceived and treated as a terrorist or 'threat to the public'. 8

Straight people don’t have to avoid discussing with their colleagues what they did at the weekend for fear of outing themselves; or worry about holding hands in public. White, straight people are featured as a 'norm' in entertainment (films & adverts) 98 percent of the time. 9

The list goes on. At an institutional level (e.g. in education, at work, in the criminal justice system etc.) the workings of white & straight privilege get more complex since historically, whiteness and heterosexuality as ‘norms’ have been deeply engrained, institutionalised.END

This diagram of #WhitePrivilege by @Cole_Therapy_Ed is very helpful

Projects like this help whites understand #WhitePrivilege:
The racial dynamics between American women are flipped in a disorienting photo series
https://qz.com/1009338/in-a-photo-series-for-o-magazine-racial-dynamics-between-white-women-and-women-of-color-are-flipped/