A TikTok user has created a viral challenge to help people understand white privilege.
Global anti-racist protests, triggered by the death of George Floyd, are shining a harsh light on institutionalised racism and forcing white people to grasp the extent of their racial privilege.
A challenge by TikTok user “Big Mamma” calls on people to “put a finger down” if they have experienced any of a long list of everyday discriminations, which she lists off in a matter-of-fact tone.
These include being denied service on account of your race, feeling “fear in your heart" when being stopped by police, and having someone cross the street to avoid passing you.
“Any fingers left? That’s privilege,” concludes the video.
The video’s caption calls on “all races” to participate in the challenge, which seeks to convey “privilege isn’t all about money”.
As the Black Lives Matter campaign takes hold in cities around the world, thousands of TikTokers have taken to checking their privilege on “Big Mamma’s” metric.
The collective results testify to the everyday micro-aggressions facing black people, and - tagged with the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag - their aggregate significance in societies where being black makes you statistically more likely to be subjected to police brutality and face incarceration.
A minority of white users have experienced many of the instances themselves, according to their challenges, but most end up with all or most fingers remaining.
Social media has been a key vehicle behind the movement's growing momentum, both for coordinating protest action and for airing and articulating the grievances behind it. Rallying voices are coming to dominate every platform, from Twitter:
...to LinkedIn:
Many - like "Big Mamma" - are sharing content aimed at helping people to understand the problem, to identify problematic behaviour and know how they can help.
