But mainstream white Americans, by virtue of our power and numbers, shape the very nature of our country. The best defense is a good offense, and mainstream white Americans who lobby for their innocence take this to heart. To those people of color who protest the dominance of whiteness, the charge is made that they are seeking privilege, indeed have obtained it, at the cost of innocent white people. These claims have all the earmarks of male masturbation. They may feel good while doing it, but in the end they're nowhere near the target.
Some white people do feel guilty.
It's a temporary matter of restoring balance. Our schools teach us we are innocent. Our politicians tell us we are entitled. These are lies, and eventually some white people turn to the evidence, the real evidence, and find we've been fooled. Along the way we experience a nagging sense of guilt as our innocence is shed.