It’s a good day to be a white dude

Take a second to listen to this song by Lil Dicky:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rnFlQAvk8U

Although Lil Dicky’s song is satirical and supposed to be humorous, the song points out a lot of accurate examples of how inequality still exists in America today.

As a woman, the first lines that stood out to me were:

Happy that I’m white, but relieved I’m not a chick yo

I aint got to eat dick

I an’t bleeding up out my penis

In disagreements, I participate without weeping

I can go on dates and not worry about getting raped

And if I impregnate, I can pack up a bag and be on my way

LD relies on a lot of stereotypes about women, but the fact that the stereotypes even exist is a type of privilege for men. Although some lines are stereotypical like: “in disagreements, I participate without weeping”, others like: “I can go on dates and not worry about getting raped” hit on the very real fears that women in our society are taught from an early age. The fear women have of getting raped is so real that products like anti-rape nail polish, pink tazers, and other gendered “self-defense” products exist to profit off of that fear. Being able to walk alone at night without fear, hesitation, or second thought is a privilege that many men have, but don’t recognize as an inequality that exists between many men and women.

As I listened to the song again another line that stood out to me was:

Where I eat at when I’m high’s where they eat at to survive

As a college student, I don’t think that many of my peers recognize that the Taco Bell/McDonald’s/whatever they eat when high/drunk is a real source of food for many people and families who can’t afford for than a couple of bucks a day for food, or can’t afford to purchase items to cook at home like pots and pans, or simply don’t have time to cook a meal between jobs, or many other reasons. It is a privilege to be able to afford extra food just because you’re drunk or high or bored, but many don’t think about these small examples of privilege exist.

Usually when I hear about white privilege in the news, it is within the context of the idea of “reverse racism”, the idea that affirmative action measures give scholarships, jobs, acceptance at universities to people based on race or financial need rather than merit. Its my opinion that people who truly believe in reverse racism aren’t aware of their privilege– at all. I really appreciated Lil Dicky’s song because of the way it makes you aware of privilege and inequality in a humorous way. Unfortunately, there’s no easy solution to privilege and advantages given in life, even in the most utopian society some bit of inequality will still exist.  While inequality is unavoidable, its important for all people to be aware of their privilege and stop pretending that it doesn’t exist.

What do you think about using humor as a tool to help understand privilege? Did you find any part of LD’s song particularly surprising or relatable? Let’s talk about it in the comments below!