Pretty Much Everyone

I saw this video posted on Facebook and was understandably moved. (It's only a minute long, worth the watch) It documents the reaction of Ayanna Cruver, an African-American woman who had just been pulled over because the police officer noticed she was driving too slowly. He told her he wanted to make sure she was alright. She talks about how scared she was, and how unfortunate it is, even when the police officer is trying to help, that she had to be so scared.


One of the comments below the post caught my eye, though. It was written by a white woman, and while I don’t believe she meant any harm, it’s still an example of how white privilege presents itself.
Her comment:
Xxxxxxx:  I know she felt scared because of her color and understandably so BUT pretty much everyone feels scared when pulled over by the police; at least from personal experience I know I did.
There, she just equated HER level of fear in this situation to an African-American woman's level of fear. In her mind, what’s "normal", the baseline, is HER level of fear. Of course, we ALL get nervous, scared, anxious, whatever, when we get pulled over. It's not a fun experience for any of us.


But, it’s not an “equal” experience.


The difference lies in the prospect that one might be unfairly detained and then “end up dead” at some point during the interaction with this law enforcement officer. That's not an outcome I consider when I get pulled over. I've never had a "bad" experience with a cop, nothing I didn't deserve (like, a ticket).


I'm bummed about getting a ticket, not fearing for my life.
But, what if fearing for your life was the first thing that came to your mind? How might that affect the interaction with the police officer, the way you respond? Do you seem nervous? Don't seem nervous! The police officer might think you're up to something. And, if he thinks you're up to something... anything might happen next… you move too fast, move too slow, reach in the wrong direction...  
My mind never goes there. I'm granted that reprieve simply due to the color of my skin.


It's a heavy issue to consider.
Now, consider living it.

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