White privilege operates as an unexamined shared bond only visible from outside

Evidence

Although mean White guilt tended to be low, with the mean being just below the midpoint of the scale, the range and variability confirm the existence of feelings of White guilt for some. White people may feel some guilt believing that they are privileged because of other people’s prejudice, but they do not report strong guilt because they may not personally feel guilty. They may believe that racism is a result of a larger social system in which they play only a small part (Allport, 1954/1986). Furthermore, many may believe that others are prejudiced but that they themselves are not prejudiced. For instance, results from a Gallup (1993) poll indicate that a majority of White Americans (64%) believed that Whites underestimate the amount of discrimination there is against Blacks. This suggests that they thought Whites overall were less sensitive than they themselves were to racial discrimination. Low guilt may also be a result of difficulties in detecting White privilege. Much of White privilege is a result of not having to address blatant and subtle prejudice and not having to be prepared for the possibility of encountering discrimination. Being aware of the absence of coping and protective responses may be difficult. This would be particularly true for most White Americans who have little intergroup contact to make them aware of the presence of these responses in minorities. — Janet K. Swim and Deborah L. Miller, White Guilt, 134 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

With regard to identity, people who report more White guilt may wish to disidentify with other Whites (Tatum, 1994). Their guilt may be a result of their association with other Whites and the resultant privilege and not due to their identification with other Whites. However, one might have to identify with being White in order to feel guilty. — Janet K. Swim and Deborah L. Miller, White Guilt, 31 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: White privilege manifests as invisible everyday advantages that sustain racial disparity — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 425; White privilege stays invisible because Whites rarely occupy divergent perspectives — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 435; Whiteness functions as structural privilege rather than mere social identity. (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• White guilt stays low partly because privilege is hard to detect as an absence #corroborates (0.92) — Janet K. Swim and Deborah L. Miller, White Guilt, 134
• Whiteness functions as structural privilege rather than mere social identity. #expands (0.80)
• Guilt about group privilege may both require and discourage White identity #qualifies (0.78) — Janet K. Swim and Deborah L. Miller, White Guilt, 31
• Racial privilege operates through controlling what counts as racism #expands (0.74) — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 1496