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When white people need a dose of reality surrounding the hardships of others.

Merriam-Webster dictionary states the definition of white privilege as follows: the set of social and economic advantages that white people have by virtue of their race in a culture characterized by racial inequality.

My own definition is this: not having to worry about being hurt in any way systemically or societally because of the color of your skin.

As I get older and more awakened, and a disgusting amount of ignorance and blindness continues to be strewn about by the white community of America, I feel inclined to list as many of the times I’ve experienced white privilege in my life as I possibly can.

If you’ve never had these things happen to you, congratulations! You’re white and living in America.

You come to school for the first day of the new year. You’re entering into the third grade, excited to spend time with your old friends and make some new ones, too. The teacher seems nice and welcoming enough, and he or she starts calling out the attendance of the class.

When they get to your name, there are a couple of very wrong pronunciations, followed by an apology, and then the teacher asking you how to say your name properly. Once you do, they still can’t get it right and say that they will learn it as the year goes on.

Embarrassed and disappointed, you have just come to accept that your name, the name given to you by your parents with meaning and love is just never going to be given its due in a classroom. You will always be the kid with the “weird” name. The name that is not “Steve” or “Jessica”. This should make you feel unique, but in America, it makes you feel like an outcast.

Having your name pronounced with ease and respect is white privilege.

Some statistical analysis leads to the belief that over 40 percent of Americans have at least one tattoo currently. The same site says that around the same percentage of people think that those who get tattoos are more rebellious than those who don’t.

This leads to the privilege of being tattooed and white. If you decide to ink up as a white person, you may be viewed as possibly more dangerous, more likely to hurt someone, or more likely to shun responsibility than a non-tattooed white person. But what if that tattooed white person is now compared to a tattooed black person?

Studies show that people find black men who are the exact same size as a white counterpart to be larger and more intimidating. If both men had tattoos, it is easy to assume that the black man would certainly be targeted more for crude stereotypes related to body art and race.

Tattoos are a very personal piece of artwork that can mean different things for different people. If you can get a tattoo without worrying that you are now going to be targeted consistently for being a possibly violent or malcontented individual, that is white privilege.

Sometimes when you are taking a stroll around the neighborhood or in the city, you find the need to cross the street. You see that the closest crosswalk is still a few minutes away, and it is simply much easier to wait for traffic to stop and cross illegally. You’ve made it across, nobody was hurt, no harm done or intended.

If you can jaywalk without judgement and the threat of being pulled over by the authorities, that is white privilege. The NYPD gave out nearly 400 illegal crossing violations during the 2019 calendar year, 89 percent of which went to either black or hispanic citizens of New York City. There is no evidence that non-white people would cross the street illegally any more often than white people, yet the numbers show a disproportionate crackdown on minority groups.

If you are white, the next time you need to take a shortcut to your next destination while walking, remember that it is a privilege to take that quick route. Walking while being black or brown is an unfortunate drawback of just existing as a minority group in the United States of America.

If you can get a good night’s rest without worrying about the traffic or some construction project waking you up in the middle of your sleep, you are probably experiencing white privilege.

A study done by Berkeley in 2017 found that neighborhoods which are more segregated, with high black populations, are much more likely to be exposed to something called noise pollution. Much like air quality pollution, noise pollution is an excess of loud noise recorded by decibel level in a given neighborhood.

A loud environment that disrupts your daily routine and resting time can be extremely detrimental to your success in life. Sleep deprivation leads to lower performances in all aspects of your daily activities, in turn creating a lower quality of work performance and possible loss of employment or loss of life from an accident.

If you have the resources to get proper sleep and function at a high level throughout your day just because of being white, that is indiscernible privilege.

If you graduated high school in the past couple decades or so, I’m sure during your time there you noticed many of the kids wearing their pants in a controversial fashion. Sagging, as it became known, originated from hip-hop culture in the 1980’s, but the full extent of knowledge on the trend is still somewhat unclear.

Whether it came from rappers, or prisoners who had no choice but adopt the look while behind bars because their belts were taken from them, the fashion statement has become linked to black teenagers more often than not.

Whether you agree with exposing your ass on the street or in the school hallways, or whether it makes you angry as a boomer, the racial connotations that fuel sagging never upheld when the conversation turns to white-influenced dress. Remember that it is white privilege to get to wear what you want, how you want, without being worried you will be charged for a crime.

Does sagging look stupid? Sure. Is it racist that it creates such a stir? Hell yes.

If you are white and reading this piece, I hope your eyes were opened to the enjoyments you are allowed daily to express yourself however you want, live peacefully, and have respect given to your name. We can all try to do better to not pass judgement, but minorities get the very short end of the stick on these issues. Without recognizing them, nothing can change. Thanks for reading.