Informative Essay: White Privilege And Diversity In Our Society

“White privilege”. A controversial topic but no less of a social issue. Eric Liu had achieved the status of “honorary white”. With this “high” ranking come certain rights, privileges that make life in the Western world somewhat “simple.” Liu provided examples of what comes with these privileges. “I have never once been the victim of blatant discrimination, I have been in the inner sanctums of political power.” and “I expect my voice to be heard.” White privilege is being treated with more respect than people of ethnic background, it is the lack of diversity in politics and media and what makes a colorful world black and white. Striving to assimilate in order to sit on the “white” pedestal is what caused Liu and his parents to think of their past as “dirty”.

In order to feel comfortable, included and accepted, many immigrants and people of ethnic upbringings are forced to assimilate. What is referred to as the WASP gentry (White Anglo Saxon Protestant) is the standard of how to be. Assimilation is a complex social issue, in the words of Liu, times have changed and America has gone many
Representation and diversity in media is lacking. As a person of color, whether a second generation or a new immigrant, seeing and hearing only one mold of a person drives one to attempt to fit that mold. As a “honorary white” Liu brings light to this issue briefly, “I do not mind how white television cast are.” Lui didn't “mind” how white media was because he was proving a point that after assimilation, after achieving “whiteness”, it was okay to be surrounded by only it. Media is power, it has the power to push assimilation on its viewers. Liu proves this by sharing that his parents, even before assimilating and moving to the West, the ways of Western life was already embedded in them through films, books and music. (Liu 3). These stereotypes are all around, it drives people to fit a model that society has