@Lee_Fordham said:

Acknowledging that you've benefited from white privilege is not the same thing as you being racist.

We should strive to be more race conscious and not "color blind." Of course that means still judging people by the content of their character, but also taking into account someone's race as it may pertain to how they are perceived in a certain setting. The most common example I think I've read on this topic at shows is that people of color are often asked by other phans where the bathrooms are - as if it's just assumed the POC is working at the venue and not a phan. The person asking the question could be the sweetest person in the world without any racist intensions at all, but you can see how the incorrect assumptions in that case would be hurtful to the POC, especially if it happened over and over again.

This is a rational response in a sea of irrational responses. I read DiAngelo’s book a few years ago and didn’t understand what all the hype against her was about. We have teachers in staff who were saying that it shouldn’t be in the library. That type of reaction simply doubles down on DiAngelo’s thesis about knee-jerk defensiveness as a simple practice of avoidance, not wanting to confront basic truths about our lives.

Many of us in this scene have experience with white privilege. In particular, I’m thinking about scrubbing off the wook exterior, including a haircut, and continuing to travel with copious amounts of drugs hassle-free.