Oprah called out white privilege and sparked a hateful backlash on Twitter

After Oprah Winfrey called out white privilege in a recent episode of The Oprah Conversation—essentially defining the term in order for her guests and audience to better understand how the phenomenon works in tandem with systemic racism—her comments sparked an unwarranted and racist backlash on Twitter.Winfrey hosted activist and ex-NFL player Emmanuel Acho (himself the host of his own popular web series and soon-to-be book, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man) in an installment of the show that asked non-Black viewers to discuss the topic of race relations at this critical point in history."Not all white people have power," said one. "There's plenty of poor, working-class white people. But I think that when we group all of white people together and we don't recognize the fact that there's a lot of white people that struggle… I think that if we're gonna come together and really attack racism and the inequities that are in this country and are in this world,” they added, “it's important not to group all white people."In case you weren’t counting, the phrase “not all white people” was used not once but twice and like “all lives matter”, can be seen as marker of white fragility and an unwillingness to dig down to the root of difficult issues like systemic racism.

My two-part premiere of #TheOprahConversation with @EmmanuelAcho is available now on @AppleTV+. He’s answering uncomfortable questions about racism in America and the best ways to keep the conversation going with your family and friends. Watch here: https://t.co/7ShvNUgFKw pic.twitter.com/f42LAdqr9z

— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) August 1, 2020

Which is exactly what Oprah was getting at. "There are white people who are not as powerful as the system of white people — the caste system that's been put in place. But they still, no matter where they are on the rung or ladder of success, they still have their whiteness…" she said. "That's what the term 'white privilege' is. It means that whiteness still gives you an advantage, no matter."Oprah’s success as a Black woman, who, Twitter detractors pointed out, is worth around $2.6 billion, isn’t proof that white privilege doesn’t exist and doesn't prevent her from speaking on it. Seeing white privilege for what it is requires a wider lens.White privilege comes into play when you look at two people who might both lack opportunities and socioeconomic mobility in similar ways and see that because of systemic racism the white person will never be held back because of the colour of their skin and is in fact afforded certain built-in and often invisible privileges by virtue of being born white. White privilege shows up as a concept on a macro level, not in an individual, anecdotal way. White people, as a group, are better off regardless of their situation because they don’t have to deal with systemic racism in addition to other disadvantages.And yet Conservatives, trolls and critics alike still took the opportunity to use Oprah’s success against her online.“How did Oprah make 2.6 billion dollars if America is so racist?” tweeted one, entirely missing the point and weaponizing Oprah's earned wealth. Though it's never wise to expect nuance on social media, the Twitter backlash further proves that frank, uncomfortable discussions about  privilege, opportunity and systemic racism are very necessary for society to move towards something resembling equality.[video_embed id='2006412']RELATED: Breonna Taylor to grace the cover of 'O' magazine[/video_embed]