On Wednesday’s edition of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart managed to have a civil conversation with Bill O’Reilly about white privilege and even got him to budge a little bit on the subject.
Stewart started off with one request for O’Reilly: “I want you to admit that there is such thing as white privilege.” O’Reilly, who was there to promote his book, Killing Patton, wouldn’t relent on the issue, arguing that privilege exists across all races, completely missing the point. “If there’s white privilege, then there has to be Asian privilege because Asians make more money than Whites,” said Bill.
Jon Stewart: “What?”
Talking to a wall, Stewart calmly pointed out the “systematized subjugation of black people” and told O’Reilly, “Either way, white people, males, set the system. So that’s what privilege is.” Why this is so hard to understand, I don’t know.
O’Reilly, who thinks that’s all in the past, used the ole “We have a Black president” example. “If you work hard, if you get educated, if you’re an honest person, you can make it in America!” he screamed. “It’s all relative. Yes, it’s harder if you’re a ghetto kid. But can you do it? Yes!” Congrats, you. inadvertently. just. defined. white. privilege.
By the end of it, there’s a slight agreement. Stewart’s most important line of the night: “I’m not saying it’s an excuse. I’m saying it exists.”
Image via Getty
GET JEZEBEL RIGHT IN YOUR INBOX
Still here. Still without airbrushing. Still with teeth.
