Privilege is absolutely a thing, not just a dog whistle.
If you're not convinced, try changing your frame of reference. Don't think of white males as being privileged. Trying to convince people of that is often a useless endeavour.
Instead, recognize the disadvantage PoC have. Most reasonable people will believe PoC have a harder time than white people. That's what white privilege is. It's not dealing with the additional hardships that PoC deal with. White privilege doesn't mean having the world being handed to you because you're white. It means not having the world taken away just because you're not white.
If you're not convinced, try changing your frame of reference. Don't think of white males as being privileged. Trying to convince people of that is often a useless endeavour.
Instead, recognize the disadvantage PoC have. Most reasonable people will believe PoC have a harder time than white people. That's what white privilege is. It's not dealing with the additional hardships that PoC deal with. White privilege doesn't mean having the world being handed to you because you're white. It means not having the world taken away just because you're not white.