A few points.
First, I think you and the academics think you represent and are protective of the vulnerable, which is of course laudable.
But I think you assume certain groups of people are injury-prone victims made of glass and in want of your protection. And I don't.
Second, you seem to see America as uniquely racist. But slavery was universal until fairly recently. Tribes enslaved people from other tribes on every peopled continent.
Should I resent the Romans and the Arabs for enslaving British people? Should Northern Europeans still be angry with the Jews for operating the slave trade along the Silk Road between 500 and 1000 AD? Should we demand reparations?
Nope. It's history. The world moves on and it's up to us to make the best of it. As individuals. And as groups.
Of slavery, I feel proud that people finally said "enough".
Third, I also think the claims that white people are privileged is part of the problem, and not the solution. You are not going to sell that sauce. People buy things they want to have. They will not pin a label to themselves saying they are wicked, however often you say it.
Americans of all colours should feel mostly proud of their success, but of course there are things to regret. That's true of every culture. It doesn't mean people need to flagellate themselves for the sins of their ancestors. We have our own imperfections to consider.
Fourth, it's part of the wiring of all critters to separate friends from strangers and us from them. It's a survival mechanism.
It's great that most people attempt not to be tribal or racist or prejudiced in their behaviour. I include the vast majority of Americans in that attempt. But you aren't going to find a single society without rough edges of this sort. There will always be issues between people that look different from one another. The aim is to minimise them.
This isn't a white thing or an American thing. Ask the Tutsis what they think of the Hutus.
Fifth, you can have people run around saying "I am offended" at every perceived slight. Or you can say, I think most people are strong and willing to laugh at themselves and want to have conversations without academics telling them what they can and cannot say, or can and cannot read.
I prefer a society that assumes people are robust, humorous and capable. Indeed, I think that is part of what makes a society successful.
Sixth, I also expect most people don't want to be labelled as victims in a class of victimhood. I am not the sort of person who would assume people of colour wish to be thought of that way either. They don't need me to speak on their behalf, theorising about things that might or might not be "hurtful and wrong".
Of course, there are always people who say they are offended about things. In my view, those are not necessarily the people most worth listening to.
Seventh, that's not a strong definition of privilege. It's just some guy trying to say anyone who disagrees with the idea that all black people are victims is privileged. Or put another way, it's someone saying you are not entitled to a different opinion than his.
But I am, clo! I am.
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