So you thought segregation on the basis of race was outlawed in 1964?

Wrong.

Well, you respond, but it IS outlawed. And of course it is. In the most technical sense. But like any other law, there are usually ways around it. And it’s happening as we speak.

If you haven’t bought a piece of property recently, you may be unfamiliar with this little subterfuge. Or, if your purchase was in a non crazy real estate area, you likewise may not have seen this.

Raleigh’s metro area is a good example. Raleigh’s real estate markets are off the charts crazy at the moment, primarily because people want to live there. If you went back to the old days (maybe 1999), Raleigh was a fairly quiet Southern capital city. Not North Carolina’s biggest city (still isn’t – that distinction belongs to Charlotte) and not a particularly desirable area. And certainly not hip.

But since 1990, Raleigh’s population has more than doubled. And we are told by people whose job it is to keep up with this sort of thing, that some 60 people move to Raleigh every day. And while since places in the metro area are less desirable (think Angier or Knightdale) most areas in Raleigh teem with peak trendiness.

Again, in the old days, this was how a real estate purchase went. Seller puts house on the market, for, say, $400,000. Buyer comes in and offers $375,000. The two parties bicker back and forth a couple of times.

That was in the old days.

Now – in hot markets, at least – the process is somewhat different. For those of you not in the know, here’s how it goes.

Seller puts house on the market for $400,000. Now this is just the start. No buyer in these markets, like metro Raleigh is now, imagines that they would offer under that $400,000. If they tried this, well, there’s someone right outside the door, ready to offer more.

Often, a lot more. Usually in such situations, the buyer will end up getting the house for $20 to $30,000 more than the original asking price. And often a lot more.

But here’s where the White Privilege™ comes into play with The Letter. What’s the letter? Well, glad you asked.

When the bidding gets crazy, buyers have learned that they can have a substantial leg up by writing a letter to the seller, outlining why they’re the best ones for this property. A sweet, plaintive letter telling about the buyer’s family. How many kids. How many dogs. How much they love the house. You get the picture.

Is there anything wrong with a letter like this? Not in the slightest. But never imagine that this letter scheme is not white privilege on steroids.

Why? Because the very act of writing the letter presumes a certain cultural familiarity and the ability to resonate with the seller, who, if not white, will likely know and appreciate the dominant culture that underlies this process.

For example, suppose the buyers just immigrated to the area. Y no habla inglés, or at least not well. Even worse for our potential buyer if she’s from a really culturally different milieu. Or if the buyer is not really very at ease with writing. Not that he’s illiterate but maybe someone coming from a family that doesn’t do letters.

None of which are bad. But they favor a certain cultural stereotype. One that we usually label “white.”

Which is why I think that – all things being equal – it’s better to make economic transactions be about a dollars and cents equation. It’s more cut and dried, but it’s not just that. It’s more honest, and requires less trying to finesse cultural issues that really have nothing to do with buying a house.

For most people, buying something like a house is one of the biggest economic transactions of a lifetime. It’s stressful for most people, and we want to lessen stress. Putting the emphasis on an amount paid is not only more honest, it prevents potential buyers from having to wonder why they didn’t win this Miss Congeniality contest. And that’s a good thing.