Combatting White Privilege: The Most Outrageous Excuse For Common Core Yet

Something that has come up a lot lately in political discussions is the term “white privilege.”

White privilege is a theory that some people subscribe to that refers to the set of societal privileges that white people benefit from beyond those commonly experienced by people of color in the same social, political, or economic spaces (nation, community, workplace, income, etc.) The term denotes both obvious and less obvious unspoken advantages that white persons may not recognize they have, which distinguishes it from overt bias or prejudice. These include cultural affirmations of one’s own worth; presumed greater social status; and freedom to move, buy, work, play, and speak freely. The concept of white privilege also implies the right to assume the universality of one’s own experiences, marking others as different or exceptional while perceiving oneself as normal. It can be compared to and/or combined with the concept of male privilege.

I have to say I was slightly shocked when I first heard it in conjunction with Common Core and standardized assessments.

Some teachers I have observed have said that the assessments are created to keep the minority children down. Test scores down and down in society as well.

Logic tells me that the Common Core is not going to close the achievement gap between minorities and whites or Asians like supporters claim. Minorities (or whites) that come from poverty will be less likely to do well in school because they don’t have the support they need at home. With Common Core being so confusing, it’s just going to widen that gap to about the size of the Grand Canyon.

However, back to the white privilege argument. I would argue that white privilege doesn’t exist. I think it was something made up by a white guy who felt guilty about being white so has created this non-issue to punish white people and turn racism back on us Caucasians as a whole. It also helps those politicians who claim to fight it stay in office as they have generation after generation of people who have been duped into believing they need a hero to save them from the evil white man. And I’m talking about white people, not minorities. I know of more white people who subscribe to this theory than black people.

According to a teacher named David Pook, he helped to write the standards so minorities could learn to read as well as white kids. Say what, David? According to an article written about Pook, his claim to have helped write the standards is in question.

But since Pook is white he can make outrageous claims and verbal nonsense because the structure of our society is such that a white man can do whatever he wants.  And he isn’t the only teacher who subscribes to this way of thinking; the 2014 White Privilege Conference hosted many teachers from all over the country.

Bravo David Pook, you have officially made my top 10 list of “He must have come from Outer-Space” awards for 2014.

And just for some food for thought…does teaching minorities to read as well as white kids mean lowering the ability of white kids to meet in the middle?