I’m a White Male in the UK. Does the Civil Unrest in America Have Anything to Do With Me?

And why I’ve been told it doesn’t

Credit: Vince Fleming on Unsplash

This isn’t a “woke” lecture. This is a confession. You might not agree with everything written, but at least it’s an honest read. With that in mind, let us begin.

There are certain phrases in politics that I believe are counter-productive, but once they stick, they stick.

The phrase “feminism” is one. Feminism isn’t about the promotion of female supremacy, it’s about equality. But a lot of men (and some women) don’t like using this word because of its connotations. It feels like it could be about female supremacy. As a man, it feels oddly uncomfortable to use.

“White privilege” is another. I wonder if it’s less about white people being privileged and in fact referring to black people having an institutional disadvantage in most parts of society.

Again, I’m going to be honest, I don’t like the phrase. I don’t think it helps a cause. That might say something negative about me, but being a white man from a very poor, working class family being labelled “privileged” feels as counter-intuitive as calling myself a feminist.

I don’t feel guilty for being white or male. And I think that’s OK. It might not be OK for…