What does it mean to be white? If the MTV documentary 'White People' - aired in the US this week and available on Youtube is anything to go by - there is no simple answer. The documentary by award-winning US journalist Jose Antonio Vargas asks white millennials from rural America what it means to be white and have the privileges that come with their race.It has met mixed reviews, with the New York Times saying its "straightforward" approach reveals very little about white consciousness and is too timid to ruffle any feathers. Slate Television critic Aisha Harris said the documentary was "admirable in its goals but disappointing in its execution".She added that the conversation the documentary aimed to start was "remedial" instead of "confrontational and thoughtful".The Independent applauded it for asking some uncomfortable questions.But how would white South Africans respond to questions about their skin colour?Yesterday The Times interviewed several ordinary white people on their race, but as in the documentary, most were reluctant to answer or sugar-coated their answers.Susan Prior, 56, said she "never felt disadvantaged as a white person" - but that she could not be held responsible for being born a specific pigment.Two young black women were far more candid about whites.Lerato Moloi, a 28-year-old researcher said: "White people are not aware of how to own or accept their privilege. The problem in South Africa is that we have swept race under the carpet and it's now unacceptable to speak about race. But we need to talk about it more. It's as if talking about white privilege means I'm racist."These sentiments were echoed by Michelle Beukes, 27, who said that being white afforded you a certain level of "accepted ignorance".She said: "They control everything so they don't need to be aware of anything that doesn't affect them. In America, white people feel some guilt but in South Africa white people just won't own it and refuse to accept that they benefited from apartheid."They just think all black people are lazy."A 29-year-old investment banker refused to discuss the issue saying "it would affect my work; this is unfortunately how this country works".But he added that for him being white meant being responsible for his "family, future, for the country and for the past".King Mtambisis, 20, believed that if he was white he would have better opportunities.He said: "Whiteness is also seen in the small things. As a black man you'll be searched when you walk into a shop for no reason. But we might also just be using white people as an excuse for our laziness. We still bring up apartheid and it was so long ago."..