Sunday Night With John: The Shield

The shield, that being a white male has provided over the years, has never been more apparent to me than it is today, watching the aftermath of the 2016 election. It is not I who is facing a backlash of hate from a sector of the population. The complexion of my skin, my gender, and my sexual orientation allows me, not only to blend into the crowd, but to be considered by the population as somehow better. This lie permeates everything throughout our society. The racist notes being left on the doorsteps of Sudanese families will not be left on my door. The racist chants Latino students hear in school hallways will not land on my ears. My love and marriage will not be under attack or disavowed. This heavy burden and cross to bear will be placed squarely on the shoulders of minorities. I will stand with them, I will walk with them, and, most importantly, I will listen to them. But, I will always remember that I’m shielded from almost all of it. 

My built-in advantage in life did not just occur when our nation elected Trump. The unfortunate fact is: the system is tilted toward white males. I mean, we are the ones who created the system.  I could deny it or act like it didn’t exist. I could say that, because I work to include everyone, study in college about how to change the system, and am fully aware that white male privilege exists, I’m somehow excused from the problem. This idea is the exact reason why we find our country’s soul battered, beaten, and bruised by a new wave of outward and overt racism. When Obama was elected, we patted ourselves on the back, saying it had gone away. But, it was hibernating just out of sight. Our hubris-caused ignorance of how far we thought we had come, opened the door for racism to return with a furor.

The question becomes: how to proceed, knowing that I’m shielded from the worst instincts of society. I do not have an answer to this question. Labeling all Trump supporters as racist is lazy and false, just as labeling all Clinton supporters as non-racist is untrue. These conversations move us away from the real issues we face. The solutions are complicated. We find ourselves in a mess. And, I have an inkling that too many are operating out of fear. Difficult conversations lie ahead of us all. In these discussions, I will need to listen more than talk, follow instead of lead, move outside my bubble, and experience being uncomfortable in my own skin. And, just maybe, if for ten seconds I experience the world with a little less of the shield I get to carry, I will understand 1/1,000th of what minorities face on a daily basis.