On Saturday, Twitter user @Freeyourmindkid asked people to share "the most outrageous thing" they've gotten away with due to white privilege.
White people - What is the most outrageous thing that you've gotten away with as a white person that you know damn well a black or brown person would have never gotten away with? #MyWhitePrivilege
The answers are eye-opening, but may be triggering for some. Here's what they said:
1.
pulled over for a burned-out taillight. never once did it occur to me to think about where my hands were, or how fast I went for my wallet. by the end of the encounter, the state trooper and I were both standing by the side of my car, cracking jokes. and that is #MyWhitePrivilege
2.
@Freeyourmindkid Called the police in Allston MA when I lost the key to my bike lock. (White) firefighters showed up — didn’t ask for any id, proof that the bike was mine, or proof that I lived at that address — and cut the u-lock off without question. #MyWhitePrivilege
3.
@Freeyourmindkid #MyWhitePrivilege I gave birth in a hospital twice and everyone believed my pain and offered relief.
4.
@Freeyourmindkid Not really outrageous, but I had chronic headaches (later diagnosed w/ a brain tumor) and not once did a doctor think I was faking it. A friend of mine who is a black man was left screaming in agony with kidney stones because they thought he was seeking drugs. #MyWhitePrivilege
5.
@Freeyourmindkid Always been pretty tame, but here's a shitty anecdote: every six months over the last ten years living here in D.C., I get cop cars that pull up to me while I'm walking at night... to remind me it's an unsafe neighborhood (it's not) + to ask if I need a ride. #MyWhitePrivilege
6.
@Freeyourmindkid As a white woman I can walk into any salon and a stylist of any race will be able to cut, color, and style my hair. Everyone learns to empathize with and cater to white people. #MyWhitePrivilege
7.
@Freeyourmindkid Got financing to buy a house as a 30 year old pizza cook. I've never been denied a line of credit actually. #MyWhitePrivilege
8.
@Freeyourmindkid Renewing my Greencard I was seriously taken from the back of a hours-long line & put directly in the interviewers office. I thought I was in trouble for something actually, it scared me. In & out in 15 min. It wasn’t till I was leaving that I realized it was #MyWhitePrivilege
9.
@Freeyourmindkid A LOT of shoplifting when I was younger: even when I was caught all I got was a slap on the wrist. But nobody was watching the white girl in the polo shirt, they were too busy scrutinizing the Hispanic and Latinx kids. #MyWhitePrivilege
10.
@Freeyourmindkid Was pulled over for DUI, 85 in a 55, reckless driving. 16 total tickets, refused breathalyzer, weed and a bowl in my pocket. At the station, no cell, no drunk tank. Once the paperwork was done, bonded myself out with $100 bill. #MyWhitePrivilege
11.
@Freeyourmindkid Police raided my house looking for my black bf, just found me and my weed, tried to get me to put it on him. I got drug court and no record, he’d still be in prison. #MyWhitePrivilege
12.
@Freeyourmindkid Sitting in swanky hotel lobbies using their WiFi all night as a non-paying guest #MyWhitePrivilege
13.
@Freeyourmindkid As a teen I spat in a cop’s face when he broke up a party I was at and all he did was drive me home and tell my mom that I was a “trouble-maker” #MyWhitePrivilege
14.
@Freeyourmindkid My white friend reversed down a hiway off ramp because he took the wrong exit. I was freaking out in the passenger seat. Cop stopped us, reprimanded my friend for his stupidity, and told us to "get a move on". #MyWhitePrivilege