Eleven-Point White Privilege Checklist at University of Minnesota

Most people, when confronted with the term “white privilege,” have no real idea what it means. That’s what students go to college to learn:

A display in a University of Minnesota residence hall provides an 11-point “checklist” to help students identify their “white privilege.”

The “White Privilege Checklist,” found hanging in Mark G. Yudof Hall and photographed by a current student, features 11 statements that ostensibly apply exclusively to white people.

Here’s a good one:

“I can arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time,” the list begins, following up with references to being able to see “people of my color” or “people of my race” in popular culture and discussions of national heritage.

Back in reality, groups and activities that exclude whites are easy to find, especially on college campuses. A white group that excluded nonwhites would incur the wrath of the federal government.

Other items on the checklist are comparably absurd:

“I can go into a music shop and count on finding the music of my race represented,” statement 6 begins, adding that privilege also means finding “the food I grew up with” at the supermarket and encountering “someone who can deal with my hair” at a salon.

You can’t disprove the one about the supermarket, because if you associate even the tastiest food with blacks you will be burnt at the stake for racism (e.g., fried chicken, watermelon).

One item is actually legit:

Statement 10 addresses a common problem with affirmative action policies, noting that white privilege entails the ability to take a job or enroll in an affirmative action institution “without having my co-workers or peers assume I got it because of my race.”

This is a problem, all right. The more highly skilled a job, the more you assume blacks in that position were put there for reasons of political correctness, even though that may not be the case. This is insulting to those who acquired their position through hard work and skill. The solution: end Affirmative Action in every form, and base everything on merit. But that would be racist.

On tips from J and Cecil Henry.