By now, most of us know about “manspreading.” Even if you have been fortunate enough to never experience it on public transportation, you have certainly seen the term and the passionate debates that follow pop up on the web, in print, or in conversations with others. But I think there is yet another form of spatial privilege that some people practice without the tiniest regard for their fellow humans. I call it whitespreading.




I currently define it as follows:

whitespreading: n. The occupation of space by white people coupled with a process of ignoring concurrent occupants of the same space on account of their race, a factor that has historically made said occupant socially invisible. This privileged occupation of space can range from small, seemingly inconsequential encounters to large, more socially and/or economically detrimental situations, but ultimately always involves the temporary or permanent displacement of more racially marginalized person or group. The practice is currently widespread (ha!) throughout the Americas.


Examples:

“Not seeing” a person of color when he or she is standing in line.

Gentrification

Westward Expansion/Manifest Destiny

Colonialism

Thinking that touching the hair, skin, or bodies in general of people of color is an acceptable practice. Extra points for doing so without their permission.


Not feeling the need to say “excuse me” when passing in front of or around a person of color, despite coming infinitely close to his or her body.

Holding the door for white women then letting the door slam in the face of a woman of color.


The prison industrial complex

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Now, before some people get their knickers in a twist, I am using this term as a play on an existing concept and do not find that all white people are guilty of this, nor do I feel that all white people all the same. Instead, this term speaks to systems of privilege that simultaneously give whites a sense of spatial freedom, while limiting the space(s) of people of color and rendering said persons invisible. As “whitespreading” can extend to the reaches of personal thoughts and discourse, term may also refer to forms of racism that are more difficult to name, but that are likely to occur to people of color at some point (or multiple times) in their respective lifetimes.


Do you have any of your own examples?