Black male privilege checklist

[OroroMonroe]

I just got this in my e-mail at school, and thought it was interesting enough to merit posting. When I first saw the title of the article, The Black Male Privilege Checklist, my first instinct was to get defensive. Then when I started reading through the list, I kept saying to myself, "Hmm, you know, that makes sense... this guy has a point."

(And yes, a guy did write it - when I saw the name in the link, I thought it was authored by a woman, which made me uncomfortable. Not because I don't think that women can make these points and be credible - hell, it's happened before, even if they haven't all been present in the same place - but because I'm leery about anything that makes it easy for women to be dismissed as "man-haters" and for that to be taken as a synonym to "feminist." Make sense?)

I also think a lot of these items can be applied to men of color in general, as opposed to just black men, which is yet more food for thought.

Anyway, here is the list for your consideration... what do y'all make of it? I think it's provocative, and there are even some of them that I don't agree with, but I am all for uncomfortable points that get people talking about positive action. ^_^

The Black Male Privilege Checklist

Leadership & Politics
1. I don't have to choose my race over my sex in political matters.
2. When I read African American History textbooks, I will learn mainly about black men.
3. When I learn about the Civil Rights Movement & the Black Power Movements, most of the leaders that I will learn about will be black men.
4. I can rely on the fact that in the near 100-year history of national civil rights organizations such as the NAACP and the Urban League, virtually all of the executive directors have been male.
5. I will be taken more seriously as a political leader than black women.
6. Despite the substantial role that black women played in the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement, currently there is no black female that is considered a "race leader".
7. I can live my life without ever having read black feminist authors, or knowing about black women's history, or black women's issues.
8. I can be a part of a black liberation organization like the Black Panther Party where an "out" rapist Eldridge Cleaver can assume leadership position.
9. I will make more money than black women at equal levels of education and occupation.
10. Most of the national "opinion framers" in Black America including talk show hosts and politicians are men.

Beauty
11. I have the ability to define black women's beauty by European standards in terms of skin tone, hair, and body size. In comparison, black women rarely define me by European standards of beauty in terms of skin tone, hair, or body size.
12. I do not have to worry about the daily hassles of having my hair conforming to any standard image of beauty the way black women do.
13. I do not have to worry about the daily hassles of being terrorized by the fear of gaining weight. In fact, in many instances bigger is better for my sex.
14. My looks will not be the central standard by which my worth is valued by members of the opposite sex.

Sex & Sexuality
15. I can purchase pornography that typically shows men defile women by the common practice of the "money shot.?
16. I can believe that causing pain during sex is connected with a woman's pleasure without ever asking her.
17. I have the privilege of not wanting to be a virgin, but preferring that my wife or significant other be a virgin.
18. When it comes to sex if I say "No", chances are that it will not be mistaken for ?Yes".
19. If I am raped, no one will assume that "I should have known better" or suggest that my being raped had something to do with how I was dressed.
20. I can use sexist language like bonin?, laying the pipe, hittin-it, and banging that convey images of sexual acts based on dominance and performance.
21. I can live in a world where polygamy is still an option for men in the United States as well as around the world.
22. In general, I prefer being involved with younger women socially and sexually
23. In general, the more sexual partners that I have the more stature I receive among my peers.
24. I have easy access to pornography that involves virtually any category of sex where men degrade women, often young women.
25. I have the privilege of being a part of a sex where "purity balls" apply to girls but not to boys.
26. When I consume pornography, I can gain pleasure from images and sounds of men causing women pain.

Popular Culture
27. I come from a tradition of humor that is based largely on insulting and disrespecting women; especially mothers.
28. I have the privilege of not having black women, dress up and play funny characters- often overweight- that are supposed to look like me for the entire nation to laugh.
29. When I go to the movies, I know that most of the leads in black films are men. I also know that all of the action heroes in black film are men.
30. I can easily imagine that most of the artists in Hip Hop are members of my sex.
31. I can easily imagine that most of the women that appear in Hip Hop videos are there solely to please men
32. Most of lyrics I listen to in hip-hop perpetuate the ideas of males dominating women, sexually and socially.
33. I have the privilege of consuming and popularizing the word pimp, which is based on the exploitation of women with virtually no opposition from other men.
34. I can hear and use language bitches and hoes that demean women, with virtually no opposition from men.
35. I can wear a shirt that others and I commonly refer to as a "wife beater" and never have the language challenged.
36. Many of my favorite movies include images of strength that do not include members of the opposite sex and often are based on violence.
37. Many of my favorite genres of films, such as martial arts, are based on violence.
38. I have the privilege of popularizing or consuming the idea of a thug, which is based on the violence and victimization of others with virtually no opposition from other men.

Attitudes/Ideology
39. I have the privilege to define black women as having "an attitude" without referencing the range of attitudes that black women have.
40. I have the privilege of defining black women's attitudes without defining my attitudes as a black man.
41. I can believe that the success of the black family is dependent on returning men to their historical place within the family, rather than in promoting policies that strengthen black women's independence, or that provide social benefits to black children.
42. I have the privilege of believing that a woman cannot raise a son to be a man.
43. I have the privilege of believing that a woman must submit to her man.
44. I have the privilege of believing that before slavery gender relationships between black men and women were perfect.
45. I have the privilege of believing that feminism is anti-black.
46. I have the privilege of believing that the failure of the black family is due to the black matriarchy.
47. I have the privilege of believing that household responsibilities are women's roles.
48. I have the privilege of believing that black women are different sexually than other women and judging them negatively based on this belief.

Sports
49. I will make significantly more money as a professional athlete than members of the opposite sex will.
50. In school, girls are cheerleaders for male athletes, but there is no such role for males to cheerlead for women athletes.
51. My financial success or popularity as a professional athlete will not be associated with my looks.
52. I can talk about sports or spend large portions of the day playing video games while women are most likely involved with household or childcare duties.
53. I can spend endless hours watching sports TV and have it considered natural.
54. I can touch, hug, or be emotionally expressive with other men while watching sports without observers perceiving this behavior as sexual.
55. I know that most sports analysts are male.
56. If I am a coach, I can motivate, punish, or embarrass a player by saying that the player plays like a girl.
57. Most sports talk show hosts that are members of my race are men.
58. I can rest assured that most of the coaches -even in predominately-female sports within my race are male.
59. I am able to play sports outside without my shirt on and it not be considered a problem.
60. I am essentially able to do anything inside or outside without my shirt on, whereas women are always required to cover up.

Diaspora/Global
61. I have the privilege of being a part of a sex where the mutilation and disfigurement of a girl?s genitalia is used to deny her sexual sensations or to protect her virginity for males.
62. I have the privilege of not having rape be used as a primary tactic or tool to terrorize my sex during war and times of conflict.
63. I have the privilege of not being able to name one female leader in Africa or Asia, past or present, that I pay homage to the way I do male leaders in Africa and/or Asia.
64. I have the ability to travel around the world and have access to women in developing countries both sexually and socially.
65. I have the privilege of being a part of the sex that starts wars and that wields control of almost all the existing weapons of war and mass destruction.

College
66. In college, I will have the opportunity to date outside of the race at a much higher rate than black women will.
67. I have the privilege of having the phrase "sowing my wild oats" apply to my sex as if it were natural.
68. I know that the further I go in education the more success I will have with women.
69. In college, black male professors will be involved in interracial marriages at much higher rates than members of the opposite sex will.
70. By the time I enter college, and even through college, I have the privilege of not having to worry whether I will be able to marry a black woman.
71. In college, I will experience a level of status and prestige that is not offered to black women even though black women may outnumber me and out perform me academically.
72. If I go to an HBCU, I will have incredible opportunities to exploit black women

Communication/Language
73. What is defined as "News" in Black America is defined by men.
74. I can choose to be emotionally withdrawn and not communicate in a relationships and it be considered unfortunate but normal.
75. I can dismissively refer to another persons grievances as ^*ing.
76. I have the privilege of not knowing what words and concepts like patriarchy, phallocentric, complicity, colluding, and obfuscation mean.

Relationships
77. I have the privilege of marrying outside of the race at a much higher rate than black women marry.
78. My "strength" as a man is never connected with the failure of the black family, whereas the strength of black women is routinely associated with the failure of the black family.
79. If I am considering a divorce, I know that I have substantially more marriage, and cohabitation options than my spouse.
80. Chances are I will be defined as a "good man" by things I do not do as much as what I do. If I don't beat, cheat, or lie, then I am a considered a "good man". In comparison, women are rarely defined as "good women" based on what they do not do.
81. I have the privilege of not having to assume most of the household or child-care responsibilities.
82. I have the privilege of having not been raised with domestic responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, and washing that takes up disproportionately more time as adults.

Church & Religious Traditions
83. In the Black Church, the majority of the pastoral leadership is male.
84. In the Black Church Tradition, most of the theology has a male point of view. For example, most will assume that the man is the head of household.

Physical Safety
85. I do not have to worry about being considered a traitor to my race if I call the police on a member of the opposite sex.
86. I have the privilege of knowing men who are physically or sexually abusive to women and yet I still call them friends.
87. I can video tape women in public- often without their consent - with male complicity.
88. I can be courteous to a person of the opposite sex that I do not know and say "Hello" or "Hi" and not fear that it will be taken as a come-on or fear being stalked because of it.
89. I can use physical violence or the threat of physical violence to get what I want when other tactics fail in a relationship.
90. If I get into a physical altercation with a person of the opposite sex, I will most likely be able to impose my will physically on that person
91. I can go to parades or other public events and not worry about being physically and sexually molested by persons of the opposite sex.
92. I can touch and physically grope women's bodies in public- often without their consent- with male complicity.
93. In general, I have the freedom to travel in the night without fear.
94. I am able to be out in public without fear of being sexually harassed by individuals or groups of the opposite sex.

[Mlle d. Sade]

kifaru said:

Hell Cat said:

kifaru said:

LesYpersound said:

no one should be trying to shove you in a box, the point of these privilege checklists are just saying how some assumptions are to your advantage. getting defensive about it misses the point. i'm still interested to see/contribute to a checklist for black women...

Post that shit up then. I want to see that checklist for black women for black women, then I'll talk about how alot it is bullshit to. I'm on your side blackettes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Evil exploiter of balck women that I am.

THIS IS NOT A PISSING CONTEST ABOUT WHO HAS IT WORST!!!!!!

You've COMPLETELY MISSED the point about this list so badly that it makes a great case for the list. Do you even realize that through your hyper defensism over something that's nothing to get defensive about in the first place? Do you realize how you sound like the white people who come to black community gatherings YET get defensive and then attempt to deny the existence of white priviledge? Do you realize what a great case your response to this list makes for nihilism? If this list was all about how the black MAN has it hard it'd be all gravy. But just because it's not about YOU and your issues as a man then suddenly it's attacking you and trying to shove into some sort of box? Whatever, the world is too big to listen you people like you. Men will never understand womens' issues as a white person will never understand what it means to black. Can you wrap your head around that concept without getting defensive?

White priviledge must not exist and neither does male priviledge of any kind in any race.

Stop comparing me to white people. No soup for you! Calling me hyper defensive for calling bullshit on the some of the items on this list is like is like a male supervisor calling his female co worker a tease because she tells him to stop sexually harrassing her. Stop standing on my sack!

"Whatever, the world is too big to listen you people like you."

Who's trying to marginalize who?

You've already done that to yourself by taking the list as a personal offense.The world is indeed to large to waste time with people who miss the point from sentence one. The fact that you cannot understand that the list is not a specific blame game or who has it worse pissing contest is a great tool for judge of intellectual responsibility; in life it's better to focus on those who honor their own intellectual responsibility to understand a verse responsibiliy, not with reckless juvenile abandon for logic and embracement of subject detering pitiful excuse for discussion. that's the whole problem with this world, few people have the intellectual responsibility to take up things like this and instead deter the point with petty squabbling over something that isn't even the topic to begin with.

[kifaru]

Huh?

[Obsidian]

I think this thread needs a picture in order to prove a point ...

What that point is? Beats me ...

[LesYpersound]

and somehow that dude's shirt being too short is what's bugging me the most.........
and then his gross face/hair, fugly rolled up shorts, and stockings... lullz...


EDIT: Also, pls see this thread... I think it goes well with this thread. It's unfortunate tho that this privilege checklist arises from our/their accepting of a certain kind of black masculinity.

[Mlle d. Sade]

lamesha said:

the point is that the women are trying to explain to black men that they are oppressed as both black and female, and the men are so used to being the "endangered black male" that they are having a hard time accepting the fact that they have any sort of black male privilege. we as black women aren't saying we HATE you, it's just we want you to recognize your privilege. all people have privilege. like i am heterosexual and i can make out with a guy without people trying to kill me in the street. that's a privilege also. does it mean i'm the devil because i like guys and am female? no.

of course the list can be applied to other races because all men regardless of race have some privileges. like mexican men have privileges that mexican women do not have. duh. we aren't saying black men are the ONLY ones who do shit like this. all men do. some of it is on purpose, some of it is the way you are socialized and some of it is just society. you can't really get mad about eldridge cleaver because that is so not your time. but you can just be aware of it.

you guys (men) sound like white people in any ethnic studies class when they realize that they are white and have a race and have privilege. they try to talk themselves out of it or make it seem like it isn't their fault "my family never had slaves, etc etc" when that is so not the point.

i tried to break it down as simply as i can. i was an africana women's studies major in college so hopefully i did ok. oh yeah i created my own major because of course all the black studies classes were about men and all the women's studies classes were about whites. so it's real. it exists. accept that. move on. be aware. the end.

[Dr. Know]

I really like this list. I think it could use some refining but it's good for creating a way to discuss how forms of oppression can work together (as a two way thing). Of course, I take issue with several of the items on the list. There are things that are not privileges at all and things that, depending on how you view them, are actually disempowering to black men, as well as some stretched-truths. Aside from those things, the list is pretty cool.

I will point something out though, the word "privilege" carries with it some connotations of a group having it better/worse than another. Based on that interpretation, it's easy to see how one could get into a suffering ranking game from the title of the list. I would recommend reading it as a statement on social position. From there, we can gauge the accuracy/inaccuracy of the items as coordinates for where black men are located in society with respect to black women. It not so much that either gender has it better or worse, its more of a series of fucked up trade-offs between the two.

[calvinchaos]

Thank you...men need to be reminded about these things because "out of sight, out of mind". It's good to keep some perspective & since nobody talks about it, these problems can be a destructive influence in relationships, because we don't even realize when we be trippin, lol

[Sekou]

2 Questions:

1) Where does the creator of this list note any type of solutions for the ills??

Hmmm......good list....but Im seeing alot of "Black men you can get away with this" and "Black men you are subconsciously desensitized by that".....but I see no real soultions listed for any of these ills. So the purpose of this list is to remind me (as a man of African descent) to think about these things and remember they exist? Hmm...ok

2) Where do we put (category) Black males who are actually about prosperity and progression??

Hmm...I understand where homeboy is coming from, yes we as Black men need alot of work in regards to the relations with our women, but umm...I think there are at least some of us who are actually helping to uplift the community and rid the community of alot of this bullshit penis dominated macho nonsense (alot of which is survival tools in a fucked up North American enviroment).

Some of us are not groping women

Some of us are writing books about the Black womans experience

Some of us are raising beautiful little Black girls alone

Some of us are mentoring young Black girls effected by various condition in their enviroment

Some of us are not going to jail, nor coming back to give our partner a disease

Some of us could care less about feeling powerful/superior

Some of us just want to live....and every element of life is not related to whether or not you have a penis or vagina




Blessed...

[Sekou]

these 2 in particular stuck out to me:

46. I have the privilege of believing that the failure of the black family is due to the black matriarchy.

wtf is this supposed to mean??? Are you serious? Its a common sense as the sky is blue that the Black family system has nothing to do with the Black woman breaking it up. That is beyond stupid....in Trinidad we call that "chuppid"


70. By the time I enter college, and even through college, I have the privilege of not having to worry whether I will be able to marry a black woman.

hmmm...I dont know about all that. This may apply to middle and upper class Black males, but by and large most young Black males (at least the ones I know) worry about being able to provide for a woman, before thinking about marriage (and the traditional child that follows). My concern is not about marrying a Black woman....its about the fact of whether or not I live in a society that will provide resources for me to have a successful marriage, free of the problems that many Black couples go through (I read a statistic years back stating that 70% of failed long term Black relationships are due to economic reasons/shortcomings).

Im not thinking: "Im I gon marry a Black gyal or a white gyal??"...more like "is marriage a reality for me in this society with all the problems it presents for young Black people?"

[Luke Delpre Bishop]

The list is rather extensive, but if these are all PRIVILEGEs that I as a black men am afforded then my question is, and you will forgive me if I play Devils advocate:

Why should I, a black man, care if black women and men are equal? In fact why wouldn't I support this system to begin with if it provides such an advantage?

Get this: ONLY WHITE MEN WILL APOLOGIZE FOR HAVING AN ADVANTAGE/PRIVILEGE!!!

And thats because, for centuries, white men have held themselves up as the pinnacle of a civilized world. They considered themselves morally superior to everyone else and as a result had to maintain, at least the image of, morality justice and fairness. Black men on the other hand have always been demonized and as a result nobody really holds them to the same standards. This is why Feminism works so well on White men, because it attacks their character of JUSTICE and MORALITY that they have strived so hard to maintain. As a result white men strive to prove that they are indeed as moral and just as they would like to believe themselves to be. Black men, by far, do not have such an established character and as a result hold no obligation to maintain that image.

So with that being said a black man will not (or should I say logically should not) apologize for any advantages or privileges afforded him because he knows there are a lot more disadvantages associated with him being black than there are with him being male. Maybe you should list reasons as to why black men should strive for equality instead of listing reasons why they shouldn't.

[LesYpersound]

Re: womens' privilege

A big example that I didn't even question given here is Mothers in the court system given preferential treatment just because they are seen as nurturers. Learned today that before the 20th century in western codified law a woman leaving her husband had no rights to the children unless the father ok's giving up the children. If he does that there's no such thing as child support. And an important factor was that the mother had to be able to financially take care of the child(ren) during a time when women (especially women of a class where they'd take their child custody issues to a court) could not work to earn a living wage for herself let alone support her children by herself... heck women in the workplace still don't earn equal wages as men doing the same exact job.

Also, I highly recommend folk to google "Child custody mediation in cases of domestic violence"... a system with unevaluated bias and has its head stuck up its ass w/ protocol and is too stupid or "busy" enough to not consider an entire situation rather than the case brief = the problem and it victimizes women over and over and over again.

Just because father's rights advocates say that women and men are equal over and over and over again doesn't make it reality.

When it comes to people of color going through separation and custody battles... men sure do have a disadvantage when it comes to popular ideas of black men being deadbeat dads who don't want to involved with their children, but i wouldn't exactly call that a privilege for black women when we're seen as welfare queens who can't keep our legs shut--yeah, privilege...

[Codenamejupiterx]

Interesting!!!!!!!