On Saturday, President Donald Trump took the stage in Alabama to show support for Sen. Luther Strange. He also found time to squeeze in displeased criticism of the NFL players protesting racial injustice, stating:
“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b*tch off the field right now. He is fired. He’s fired!”
The first point Americans must recognize is that Trump’s statement includes one big inaccuracy. NFL players are not disrespecting the flag, they are protesting against police brutality and racial inequality. The second point Americans must recognize is the statement only confirms that neither money, nor fame protect people of color from white supremacy and the arbitrary impact of white privilege.
In 2017, Colin Kaepernick took a knee to bring attention to police brutality and has been shunned from the NFL. Lebron James’ 30 million-dollar home was vandalized with the N-word. And, police told Seahawks’ Michael Bennett they would “blow his f*cking head off” before realizing he was not a criminal, but a famous football player.
It is time for Americans to retire the classic argument that privilege depends on an individual’s economic status or popularity. It is time for society to acknowledge that regardless of income, white skin brings white privilege. It is time for everyone to recognize that this privilege has nothing to do with net worth.
In America, privilege has always been about race. There is no amount of money that can protect people of color from racial violence, mistreatment and discrimination. White privilege is real, and so is the adversity of being a person of color in America.
Trump continues to show more criticism toward peaceful activists than Nazi terrorists, and the reason is blatantly clear. His public racism and bigotry encourage Americans to silence the oppressed, but people of color continue to show resilience and take a stand against white supremacy and inequality.
