Why Do I Not Feel Oppressed Like Other Black People?

by Brandon Tatum

I don’t understand why I’m so different. How am I so different from these other African American people who oppose me so greatly? Why do I not see the world the way some of these other people do? I just don’t understand! I grew up in the hood, I grew up in the suburbs, I’ve been to college, I experienced so much diversity in life and I’ve seen a lot of different stuff. I’ve seen the stuff that these people claim they’ve seen. So why do I not feel and see what they see?

People continuously talk about white privilege. Why do I not feel that there is such a thing as white privilege? I don’t feel it. I hear people talk about it; they wanna ramble and put numbers together to prove their point but I don’t feel that in any aspect of my life – even when I went to an all Black school in the hood where the only white people were teachers and police – that white people had privilege I didn’t have.

Even as a grown adult, I go vote like anybody else. I went to college like anybody else. I applied myself and I got grades based on my performance just like anybody else. I applied for the police department just like everybody else. I got the job! I was selected because I busted my tail and did well in the interview. I was at the top of the list.

I’m not afraid of the police. I don’t get harassed by the police. In 12 years I’ve been pulled over maybe 4 times. I’m not in fear for my life when police pull me over because I know I’m not committing any crimes. Why do people feel like there’s some type of fear of police? I don’t feel it. I’ve never experienced it. It just baffles me!

Why is it that Black people feel oppressed in this country? I feel just like everybody else. Individual people may dislike me or want to treat me differently, but as a society there are no laws in place that I feel hinder me from being an American citizen or that cause me to somehow have a disadvantage in life. There’s no laws on my credit score. I don’t get 5 points knocked off because I’m Black.

I bought a house in a pretty much all-white neighborhood. My realtor was white. I probably got the best deal on the block. I don’t understand where this white privilege and Black oppression is coming in at. I grew up in the hood and I never felt oppressed when I was in the hood.

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