He was talking about incidences of privilege. But for the most part, in my view, things which are labelled ‘privilege’ are usually things which should be basic rights enjoyed by everyone (although that obviously does not include the right to act in ways that hurt others)

To label them as privilege I think is wrong – being able to interact with the police on an everyday level without fear is a right; if that isn’t the case, it’s a violation of rights that everyone should expect as human beings and as citizens who pay the wages of the police force.

A sense of entitlement can be healthy, when everyone should be entitled to these things. Surely the only thing wrong is that it’s not more widely felt.

Is it a privilege to have no idea why anyone in the world would be antagonistic towards the US? Or is it a right to an education and media system which paints the world more accurately?

A lot of things which are labelled privilege seem to me to be either category a) basic rights which are not enjoyed by all equally, or b) basic ignorance; lack of empathy; lack of thought; lack of reading a newspaper.

In terms of reasons for white people to fight racism, perhaps there’s some parrallels to be drawn with why men should be, at the least, pro-feminist…

- self respect (for all the talk about ‘positive discrimination’ being patronising, how about beginning to see how much of your apparently individual ’success’ took place in a world cushioned by a lack of full competition from women, ditto others who do not have access to that cushioning)

- integrity (what kind of a person knowingly engages in a system which oppresses others, rather than taking hold of opportunities, however small, to live differently)

- probably you’re being hurt by the system too (patriachy hurts men, not as much as women, but for example it imposes pressure to be a ‘real man’ and adhere to strict gender roles. It restricts men’s options to be full parents and carers.

How is the patriarchy hurting the women in a man’s life – strangling the opportunities and horizons of your sister, daughter, mother, aunty, cousin, best friend, girlfriend, wife?

Maybe for many white people, if they have little contact with anyone but other white people, that might not apply – but how many opportunities for human connection which might enrich an individual life, let alone the wider culture and society, through artistic endevour, business success, etc, are wasted because of racism?)

- And, finally, do you really need to gain personal advantage to give a s**t about someone else’s life?! Is that that kind of society anyone wants to live in, perhaps bring children into, etc?