There are levels to this privilege thing. Layered, evolved, often toxic levels.
These levels often intersect and blur, as they have in the curious case of Ryan Lochte and his ever changing tales of woe in South America.
Ryan Lochte, through unearned privilege, the privilege that comes with being born in the United States, socioeconomically advantaged and both White and male, behaved as if consequences were beneath him. He behaved in line with an emotional aesthetic that we, as a nation, have sewn into our children’s emotional tapestry.
Lochte suggested that he and his fellow swimmers (3 other Americans) had been robbed at gunpoint. The reporting of this incident on American shores was accepted as fact initially, it seems, as Rio has been discussed most recently as inept around the Olympics, negligent with regard to police/security services, and largely an unsafe metropolis, bordering on anarchy.
He knew, even without fully processing it, that his layers of privilege would insulate him, granting him a certain freedom from responsibility.
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Ryan understood this sense that we have of Rio. When spinning his tale, he was fully aware that we, with the above understanding, would want to believe him. He understood that Rio, a city without a credible voice to dispute him, would be unable to defend itself. He knew, even without fully processing it, that his layers of privilege would insulate him, granting him a certain freedom from responsibility. He learned this at home and carried this psychology with him abroad, a kind of armor, this privilege had become.
Lochte reported that the police and security services, who had already proven unable to protect other Olympians, tourists and citizens, had been responsible for armed robbery. He reported that a gun had been placed to his head, and he had refused to comply, had tried to protect his teammates. We had a narrative prepared. A victim hero. A crumbling host nation. We chose, initially, to believe him. It felt as if we needed to believe him, without reservation.
It wasn’t until shortly after that the privilege shield was erected in front of Lochte.
No answering for what effectively boils down to slander of an already embattled police force.
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In the midst of wanting, needing, to believe his story, we ignored some very obvious inconsistencies. The swimmers had returned with their watches, pricey articles of clothing, and with Lochte alive, in a nation where gunplay, even in robberies, often leads to the loss of life. His story shouldn’t have survived any degree of scrutiny, and yet it did. Even after his story had started to change and unravel, there would be no repercussions. A Brazilian magistrate had ordered for him to appear to answer questions about the inconsistencies in his story, and the emerging story that he and his fellow swimmers had actually been involved in a fracas. His passport was to be revoked.
Ryan, however, had already been allowed to return to the U.S. There would be no appearance, no direct answering for his accusations to Brazilian authorities. No answering for what effectively boils down to slander of an already embattled police force. It would appear that he would be allowed to dismiss the order to appear of another republic.
He was taught and offered all of this protection, by privileges that we had rendered him.
We had taught him, and have supported through our narrative and general inactivity, that his lies were harmless ones, and he would be free of consequences. He created his story, it would seem, to escape consequences. He is back home, preparing for press interviews. He has still not explained himself to the IOC or Brazilian authorities.
And we, troublingly, have not demanded that he do so.
We have allowed for the term “Ugly American” to rear its head abroad, ad we have not addressed it at home.
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He has grown up in a time, and in a place, where he is allowed to skirt these responsibilities. These latitudes are afforded to him. His crimes are allowed to be conceived of as harmless. However, were it to have been a Brazilian citizen who had accused an American city police force of the same heinous crimes, there would likely be calls for State Department Involvement. We as a nation would demand accountability, we would dig into the personal and criminal history of the guilty party.
In this instant, there has been no such feigned outrage or call to action. Instead we have protected Ryan Lochte, young, White, American and male, one of us, through our inactivity and skewed narrative around his thinking and behavior.
We have demonstrated to ourselves, and our young, yet again, that certain citizens among us are protected while others are to be left vulnerable. That our American sensibilities supersede all other considerations on the world stage. We have allowed for the term “Ugly American” to rear its head abroad, ad we have not addressed it at home.
There is an opportunity here, without life or death stakes, to teach about and reign in unearned privilege. Yet, I fear, we are not motivated to broadcast that lesson to ourselves, and to our young.
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Source: 30dB.com – Ryan Lochte
“For what it’s worth Lochte is serving out a sentence in Social where he is coming in at 88% negative over the last few days. Which is more important to him – losing his sponsors or losing his fans?” – Howard K. 30dB
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Photo: Getty Images
First- Ryan has been a jerk for years. This is no mystery. However, how much of that stems from race and gender? Hope Solo, Cam Newton, Jameis Winston and many others faced far less in penalty than Ryan. Why do you think that is? What privilege do they have that shields them? Why no outrage about them? Of course multi-millionaire celebrities like Cam, Jameis and Hope who face no repercussions for their actions are “oppressed” while vilified Ryan Lochte is an oppressor. Do you guys even think about the stuff you write or do you try to fit everything to… Read more »
I hope his loss of all his major sponsors provides recompense for his lack of judgement in his drunken stupor. It’s pretty clear that the market and society…from his social ranking today are NOT providing him with the white priveledge that protects all white men all the time. The interesting question here is why the journalists protected him originally (who else protected him other than the news organizations that were reporting it?), and now apparently are blaming society for protecting him? Where is the article about how the macro economic market in the last few decades almost always provides colorblind… Read more »
So Lochte losing all his endorsements and people all over the world calling for him to be punished in some way is privilege?
If that’s the case then what do you call Hope Solo who even while being charged with domestic violence against her own family represented America in the World Cup and the Olympics because she is a “great role model for women and girls” and almost no one pointing it out?
Uh huh. Can you say OJ? . This is not a huge revelation dude. That Darren Sharper got twice the recommended sentence for multiple rape is news. But then again he’s black so you’ll have alot of angst for that. Not me man
How is Lochte “escaping responsibility” for what he did? The leader of the American Olympic Comittee publicly denounced him and is pretty much guaranteed to punish him for embarrassing the US swim team, columnists (like you) have been ripping him to shreds (and rightfully so) ever since the tapes were released, and his name with “liar” at the end was briefly the top Twitter hashtag a few days ago. He’s not getting away with anything. As for people believing his story despite some inconsistencies, I’m pretty sure that had as much to do with the numerous confirmed incidents of violence… Read more »
you know being Asian i have to say i don’t have that much respect for white men but my god u have to stop with the self hate.Because self hate or self pity is just the worst.Why don’t you leave straight white men alone for sometime. They are not the worst people to walk on earth ,200 years ago
might have been true
The fact you’re Asian has little to no bearing on my opinion about you or respect but given that Genghis Khan’s armies killed approximately 10% of the world’s population you may not want to talk about who were the “worst people to walk the earth” Of course I think identity politics are insanely stupid so in my opinion you have no responsibility for his actions. This idea of racial “original sin” is beyond dumb. A useful concept like privilege (basically having a realistic perspective) has become utterly useless- a way to reject someone’s opinion because of superficial characteristics. Colin Kaepernick… Read more »
Indian so Genghis khan means not that much to me.and I was arguing your side
Sorry man- misread your statement.