1. It’s not a myth. Research proves it really exists.
A study conducted by two economists at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, shows how white privilege, or systemic preferential treatment, occurs on a day-to-day-level. In a field experiment involving more than 1,500 observations the researchers discovered that if a white person got on a public bus in Brisbane and didn’t have enough money for the ride, they were more likely (at a rate of 72%) to let white people ride for free than they were to let black people. There was evidence of some favouritism towards people of the same ethnic background but even black bus drivers gave white testers the benefit of the doubt more often.
2. No, white privilege is not about being wealthy. It’s what happens when you are always given the benefit of the doubt.
It’s wrong to assume that white privilege is simply about money, that white privilege only impacts the richest white people. In fact, white privilege means despite your income level, rich or poor, you will not be feared by society and you won’t be forced to prove your worth. I have a number of black and Turkish friends in Germany (all born in Germany) who tell me that people regularly ask them how they speak German so well. Uh, they were born there? White people will never be asked why they speak their own native tongue so well.