Have you seen the 'white privilege dance' video? It's probably not what you think

Imagine this: Cops engage in a high-speed chase down the streets of downtown Los Angeles. The suspect, a white woman believed to be under the influence, gets out of the stolen car she’s been barreling down the street in and begins dancing to rapper Future’s song “Where ya at”.

Well, no need to imagine it, y’all. According to ABC, it really happened last Thursday just like that. And the black media outlet “Madame Noir” has dubbed it the “white privilege” dance.

Of course no one can ever be sure of how this all would have gone down if the race of the suspect was different. Perhaps if the person dancing, turning around, and reaching into his pockets was a black man, things might have turned out exactly the same way. Policing might have worked the way it should have.

But we do have some unfortunately handy examples of the contrary from this summer where black drivers—not involved in an offense remotely close to a high-speed chase—ended up dead.

The LAPD has not yet released the name of the woman, whether or not she is still in jail, and what, if anything she has been charged with.

Like Veronica Wells at Madame Noire suggested it’d be nice to watch this video and smile knowing the suspect didn’t end up hurt. But driving while black, you can never be too sure.

Collier Meyerson is a reporter at Fusion with a focus on race and politics. She lives in Brooklyn.