White privilege in 'Frozen'

By Jason Lim

What does it mean to be white in today’s world?

We know that white does not denote a specific ethnicity since those considered white today weren’t always considered white in the past. White is more of a popular-consensus label to recognize certain select populations for their political and socioeconomic status. And since status is a relative measure, some populations, such as the Italians and Irish, are welcomed to the white club when they were shunned before.

Of course, human beings are visual first and foremost, and I don’t foresee a time in the near future when Nigerians or Chinese would be considered white because they have reached a certain mysterious threshold.

However, it does seem apparent that being white is largely a flexible label used to denote populations that share a certain desired trait or characteristic. In short, being white is generally good because it signifies a certain privilege compared to the non-white population. This myth of the white privilege has been so well entrenched that it’s almost dogma.

But what privilege? What’s the nature of the so-called white privilege that they supposedly enjoy and use to get a leg up on the rest of us?

I am not saying that whites (especially males) don’t overwhelmingly occupy the rungs of power throughout global institutions. It’s pretty obvious that they do. Just look at the Congress as exhibit one. And I recognize that people tend to be more sympathetic and nurturing of those who are most like them, giving them (albeit subconsciously) more opportunities and mentoring. After all, birds of a feather flock together.

But is that white privilege? It’s a systemic distortion, but I don’t know if I would call that a privilege. Does this mean that a random white kid wouldn’t have to work as hard as a random black kid to succeed in life? Or that a white kid would face fewer obstacles than a black kid?

Then what about women’s professional golf? The LPGA is dominated by Korean players because success breeds success; also, successful people nurture other successful people. But is this phenomenon indicative of an intrinsic Korean privilege in women’s golf? Does a Korean girl have more opportunities to be really good at golf compared to a girl of another race in another country?

Success is such a personalized, complex equation that it’s hard to generalize it for any specific group. This is why I always had my doubts over claims of the mythical white privilege. Systemic distortions exist but not some consistent, identical privilege just because you are labeled white.

Or so I thought until I watched “Frozen,” the Disney blockbuster that is sweeping across the world. Korea is no exception. But even as I watched my 2-year-old son sing along to “Let It Go,” gesturing expressively as Elsa throws off her gloves triumphantly, I found myself asking, “Would this movie be so popular if Anna and Elsa were black or Asian?” It’s a hypothetical, but would Koreans flock to see a black Elsa in a Winter Wonderland, or Africans watch an Asian princess? Or even, would Asians themselves prefer watching an Asian Elsa over a white, blonde Elsa?

It’s impossible to test the validity of a counter-factual theory, but I suspect no. We actually prefer to see a white hero because his or her whiteness allows us to project ourselves into that character. If the character is of non-white ethnicity, our ethnic preconceptions prevent us from identifying with that character fully, even if we are of that same ethnicity.

We can accept a white Tarzan in a jungle, but an Indian NFL player seems out of character. Even worse, we can easily imagine ourselves as Tarzan but our ingrained preconception of what an Indian should be block us from projecting ourselves into that role because it goes against our assumptions.

Except for whites. A white person can be anything and it will be credible. Conversely, anyone can project himself into a white character because it’s full of possibilities. In short, white can be anything and anyone can be white.

This is the real white privilege; that being white does not pigeonhole you into a certain preconceived notion of who you are or, even worse, could be. While you may find yourself wary of riding in an elevator with a black man because of your preconceived notion that black males are more likely to be violent, you do not do the same with a white man even though most serial killers have been white males. Being white makes you largely immune from being stereotyped.

However, the irony of this is that such white privilege is not a product of some racial prejudice exercised by white people against people of color. Rather, it is more a product of our collective preconceived notion of what other non-white groups ought to be like. Granted, there are historical reasons why and how such collective prejudice formed. However, that does not excuse all of us here and now from owning up to the fact that we all play a part in sustaining this white privilege.

Jason Lim is a Washington, D.C.-based expert on innovation, leadership and organizational culture. He has been writing for The Korea Times since 2006. He can be reached at jasonlim@msn.com, facebook.com/jasonlimkoreatimes and @jasonlim2012.