The social phenomenon of 'white privilege' is defined in various ways from different scholars. White privilege is defined as having unearned benefits, rights and advantages that one receives because of one's race. Peggy McIntosh understands the privileges that are appointed to her simply because she is white. (White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, McIntosh, 1988) The thesis of McIntosh's article is that white privilege is burdensome to people who have or have not encountered white privilege. / To those who have or have not encountered white privilege, it is burdensome. Mcintosh identifies herself for having white privilege. In the article she analyzed how having white privilege in her daily life affected her. McIntosh encountered situations such as not getting questions when discussing matters of race or being able to go to most places and finding those of her own skin, even being able to find bandages that will more than likely match her skin tone.

Different scholars have distinct meanings for white privilege. The social phenomenon of white privilege is complex. Different scholars have a different say of what white privilege means. Naomi Zack, a professor of …show more content…
When put to experiment, the bus drivers were double as more likely to go along with letting white testers ride free as black testers. When being put to test to see if bus drivers would let the tester ride free for 1.2 miles, white privilege is being applied by granting extra privileges. Another example is when McIntosh establishes the fact of needing to use checks or any form of money that financial wise, her skin color will not be accounted for when dealing with money. Looking for houses or applying for a job, white privilege comes into play in these situations because whites don’t look as threatening as nonwhites or blacks