Re: Mixed Privilege

While I do think that some of us have privileges, I do not think any of them specifically have to do with being mixed. As several of you have already stated: a lot of it has to do with light-skinned and white-passing privilege.

1. Somebody can make a derogatory remark about my people right to my face without realizing that’s what they’re doing.

I don’t understand how it is a privilege to have racism shoved in your face as opposed to having it said when you’re not there to experience it. Sounds more like a privilege for the racist saying it: to be able to be racist without feeling guilty because that person is white-passing. Plus, that person can’t say anything back because you can accuse them of being over-sensitive, or being part of the PC brigade!

2. I am only expected to be a spokesperson for my entire community when I choose to be vocal and assertive about my identity.

Many mixed people growing up in mostly white areas are expected to be the POC guru. If they are only expected to be a spokesperson when they are vocal about their background, that is white-passing privilege; something not all mixed people have.

3. When I represent for my culture, ethnicity and race, I am praised for being “culturally refined” and “true to my roots”, as opposed to demonized and condemned for being “backwards” or “uncivilized”, or held in disdain for being assumed to be “fresh off the boat.”

A monoracial individual who is always jumping to the racist’s defence with, `I’m X and I didn’t find it racist!’ can also be granted this treatment. It’s more a privilege of being the brown-noser of the race in power. Then again, I’ve also personally witnessed plenty of monoracial people getting praised and cooed over for no reason other than a white person wanted to seem more worldly and tolerant of POC… Often of the colour-blind variety. The more racist, the more likely they are to treat EVERYONE of a different race as `backwards’ and so on, no matter if they’re mixed race or not.

4. People will tell me that I am “the best of both worlds”, often implying that I’m better looking than my Indigenous/PoC kin.

This does happen, but only when one parent is white. In other words, when you are white-passing enough that you can conform to white beauty standards with a touch of what they deem `exotic’.

5. I am assumed to be “white” over the phone and have more access to jobs that require speaking roles because I don’t have an accent.

So all monoracial people have an accent that distinguishes them as POC over the phone? Even if they were born and raised in that country and their family has been there for many generations? I know that is not true and this is more a question of nationality, accent and being raised within one country. e.g. Someone born to parents who move a lot might always sound `foreign’, even in the country of their birth, thanks to having a muddled accent.

6. I am offered “diversity” roles for a variety of ethnicities over people who read/identify as coming from those communities.

In the acting world I know that this does happen, but I think this is a privilege of being more light-skinned or white-passing and therefore a more `comfortable’ choice for racists.

7. People assume that I’m more conservative politically because of how they read my racial phenotype.

I don’t know where this one comes from, but this sounds more like white-passing again and I’m not sure it’s a privilege unless being assumed to be conservative somehow benefits you. I was assumed to be conservative once in my life and all I got was a white American tourist ranting about Obama for an hour.

8. I’m less likely to get accosted/arrested/charged or receive longer jail terms than my darker skinned kin.

This is to do with light-skinned privilege and racism against Black people.

9. I’m more likely to be offered modeling/acting roles to represent my PoC/Indigenous side, as opposed to my darker skinned/more “ethnic looking” counterparts.

Light-skinned/white-passing privilege and mixed people whose parents are both POC (e.g. Black/Indian) will not have this, which emphasises how this is a lot more to do with light-skinned and white-passing privileges than with being mixed race.

10. I can usually get away with passing as a local in most places I travel.

No. Passing as local is more than just race and many mixed race people often complain about the opposite: assumed to be a foreigner everywhere. Even in their home countries and the countries of origin of their ancestors. e.g. A Chinese/white German person seen as Chinese and foreign in their home country, Germany, and seen as white and foreign in China.

11. I have access to economic privilege via my white parent/grandparents.

You just said it: it’s economic privilege, not mixed privilege. Again, all mixed people with two POC parents are forgotten. Also, white people in interracial marriages can be working class, therefore lacking economic privilege.

12. If I don’t say anything, I can pass for white at times when it is advantageous to me.

No, again mixed people with two POC parents can’t do this. Also, NO ONE gets to choose when they pass for white. It is the observer who chooses to assume whether we are white or not. I do not have the power to pick and choose when others see me as white, therefore I cannot suddenly decide to pass for white and take advantage of that.

13. I often get compliments on my hair, complexion or eye colour.

Monoracial people get this as well, often tinged with racist stereotyping. Some mixed people can get compliments that have nothing to do with their race, but then it is once more to do with white-passing privilege.

14. My ethnic ambiguity sometimes protects me from racialized verbal or physical attacks.

No, if someone is so inclined to be verbally or physically violent to a POC, the moment they notice someone is `different’ and they believe they know they are a POC, they aren’t going to stop and try to calculate their true race before attacking. I have even heard of racially ambiguous white people getting racist abuse, so if anything, racial ambiguity can make one a target rather than give protection. Racial ambiguity justifies violence in such racists’ minds.

15. I have access to more dating partners because of my ethnic ambiguity.

Not all mixed race people have a perfectly ambiguous appearance. I have known Black/white people who passed as white most of the time and East Asian/white people who never passed as white.

Also, I think being light-skinned or white-passing would allow you to have more white dating partners, but for many that is not necessarily a good thing when you do not want to deal with racism from your partner or their families.

16. Teachers/employers have higher expectations of my intelligence/abilities and thus have more access to economic advantages.

Yes, some people do have this, but is it a privilege when they had such high expectations based on your race, they then rate your achievements as LOWER than your white counterparts despite performing the same?

17. People don’t necessarily assume that I live in regions that are afflicted with a variety of social issues (ghettos, reserves, hoods etc).

Light-skinned/white-passing privilege and anti-Black racism.

18. When I go to the doctor, hospital, sexual health clinic or obstetrician, I might be treated with more respect.

Depends on how light-skinned and white-passing the individual is.

19. I can ignore racism/oppression around me when I don’t “feel like dealing with it”.

No. Once you see racism and how it affects everything around you, it’s impossible to close your eyes to it. People can always choose not to act (often due to fear), but we can never choose not to deal with it. We’re always exposed to it and we’re always hurt by it, just like any monoracial person.

20. My parents/aunties/uncles/ grandparents treat me better than my siblings/cousins because of the way I look.

This is again to do with light-skinned and white-passing privilege, as well as the individual families.

21. My name gives me access to interviews, apartment-showings and opportunities before people make a visual judgement.

Not all mixed people have a white parent, let alone a white father.

22. I have EU citizenship and shorter lines at European airports because of my grandparents’ citizenship.

All EU citizens have this and it is a privilege of nationality, not being mixed.

23. People have told me I’m the link between African students and other students.

It’s not a privilege to be forced to be `translator’ between two racial groups. It’s similar to being forced to be a spokesperson for all those of the same race as you.

24. I can be pretty sure that the vast majority of whites will express obvious or muted surprise and incredulity to my face when I present a blood relative to them whose visual appearance is darker than mine.

Experiencing white people’s ignorant and racist reactions to our family members because of being light-skinned or white-passing is not a privilege.

25. I can more easily insert myself into random, “perceived public white spaces” than my more “ethnic-looking” equals.

Only if you’re white-passing.

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Overall, I think `mixed privilege’ is much like `East Asian privilege’. It doesn’t exist because all of it (including racist behaviour by individuals of each group) is either light-skinned or white-passing privilege and can be linked back to the influence of white supremacy itself. Mixed individuals definitely CAN have light-skinned privilege and/or white-passing privilege. There is no denying that. However, whether you get treated better because you are light-skinned, white-passing or have internalised racism that causes you to justify bad behaviour towards other POC, it all goes back to white supremacy.