Education

Boston College Prof: White Male Privilege Won 2016 Election

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A Boston College professor published an essay claiming that the 2016 presidential election was “an election to save white heterosexual male privilege.”

The professor, Dr. Janet E. Helms, teaches at Boston College and is also the director of the school’s Institute for the Study & Promotion of Race and Culture.

“Racism is a set of symptoms, but WHMP is the disease,” said Helms, referring to “white heterosexual male privilege,” the subject of her paper. The professor called Trump “the privileged white male personified.”

“Trump voters unleashed extremist WHMP on the country and the world—and many of us scapegoats are afraid,” the paper continued. 

“The power to control society’s resources (which include women) and determine the rules for competing for them is considered to be men’s birthright,” explained Helms.

Media did a poor job by comparing Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the professor stated, suggesting that this was because it is controlled by white men who wish to maintain “WHMP” or are doing so subconsciously.

Two of Helms’s PhD students recently spoke as guests on the University of Miami’s student radio, WVUM 90.5, on which they discussed WHMP.

“We’re still having discussions in 2017 about how there are laws being created for how women should govern their bodies,” said Jonathan Sepulveda, one of the PhD students. “And when I think about myself, I don’t think of any law that tells me how to govern my body, period.”

Sepulveda then tacitly compared having an abortion to getting a tattoo, which he said was the only rule imposed on his body, presumably while growing up.

“To align yourself with power is to give yourself access to that power,” said Christina Douyon, the other PhD student, explaining why white women voted for Trump.

“Statistically, I think it would be odd that no one would be gay,” she also remarked, referring to the fact that the United States has not yet had a gay president in all of its 45 presidents. According to The Williams Institute, gays/lesbians constitute 1.7% of the population. One gay president for every 45 presidents would yield a figure of 2.2%.

Douyon recounted one occasion during which Helms asked her if she would be as much of a social justice activist if she were a white man.

“I’m just so not accustomed to that level of privilege,” said the PhD student. “I think I might find it challenging to give up.”

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