Summary Of White Boy Privilege By Royce Mann

In Royce Mann’s poem, “White Boy Privilege” Royce Mann expresses the personal guilt, he feels for the pre-determined higher rank of white males over minority groups. Royce Mann apologizes to multiple minority groups for the unfair advantage white males are given at birth. However, Royce Mann also reveals a love for the white male privilege because white males do not have to be self-conscience in numerous scenarios which repeatedly affect minorities. Royce Mann admits many white males present a fear of losing their privileges to other minority groups. Nonetheless, Royce Mann believes these privileges do not have to be taken away from white males for everyone to receive equal opportunity and treatment. While reflecting on the poem, “White Boy

For instance, white males in the past have given voting rights to minority citizens without having to sacrifice their own voting rights. Furthering this ideology, minorities have often made the American culture stronger after given the basic rights white males already owned. P.L. Tiedt and I.M. Tiedt (2010) compares the diversity of American cultural groups to a tossed salad concluding “the toss salad metaphor implies that everyone can add something special without eradicating any part of their unique identity”. (p.6). Continuing the tossed salad analogy, the basis of a salad is lettuce. With each ingredient added to the lettuce does not change the fact of the meal being anything but a salad. Instead the lettuce often benefits from the other flavors with an overall more satisfying tasting salad. Analogously, the basis of equality is the basic rights and freedoms of an American citizen. As more minority groups were given these basic rights a larger amount of people ably contributed to the development of the American culture. Consequently, minority groups began to create new jobs, services, and goods which benefitted the American population as a whole. Therefore, groups should coexist in America with equal opportunity and rights because the benefits given to minorities do not have to come at the risk of privilege to white