...Privilege is the Greatest Enemy of Equality Educators most often consider multicultural education as teaching their pupils about Blacks, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, and other descendants of color. However, multicultural education is not complete if it doesn’t challenge the root of structural racism and racial oppression: the matter of white privilege. It’s vital to understand white privilege and the role it plays in affecting society. In essence, white privilege is an unwilling and non-owned racism that has been ingrained into our mindset throughout history, and it affects how we interact with each other and how those who don’t share such advantages are affected. It’s a permeating factor responsible for many inequalities faced among races, widening the social gap between white and nonwhite Americans. Accessibility to education, jobs, and housing are all directly affected by societal inconsistencies of privilege and power. Ultimately, racism isn’t caused by white privilege; white privilege is caused by racism. Yet racism isn't a problem that resides in the minds of individuals; it lies rooted deep in our social institutions. It is necessary we reconstruct the societal ideologies of race and class to expel this self-perpetuating cycle. In this essay I will address these racial struggles for power and privilege, the role it plays in education, and my personal experience towards racism and how it has affected me as a person. Privilege, as defined by Websters Dictionary...
Words: 2132 - Pages: 9
...SWK207 “White Privilege: American Reality“ America is the land of the free and the land of opportunity. All men are created equal and can achieve the “American Dream”. These are the kinds of phrases one hears throughout life. Unfortunately, these words are misleading because not everyone has the same opportunity. Court documents from the Dred Scott decision state: “… people of African-American descent are a subordinate and inferior class that, whether slave or free, remains subject to the authority of the dominant and superior white race.” (Day & Schiele, 2013) The concept that we live in a land where all people are equal and success is achieved through hard work alone is nothing more than a myth. White Privilege provides a distinct advantage to white Americans over all non-whites simply by virtue of birth. White Privilege is like gravity, everyone feels the effects but you don’t see it. According to Eduardo Bonilla-Silva most whites believe that racism is less relevant in today’s society. Focus is placed on cultural differences as the reason why some people achieve more success than others. A closer look reveals that this idea still supports the status quo of White Privilege (Bonilla-Silva, 2001). White Privilege is so ingrained in American society that it is virtually invisible (O'Malley Halley, Eshleman, & Vjaya, 2011). The dominant American social values (Day & Schiele, 2013) while separate are still to some extent an extension of White Privilege. White privilege...
Words: 1698 - Pages: 7
...the world, has a system of social stratification in place, which is the division of society into groups arranged in a social hierarchy. The most formal form of stratification is that based on wealth. Because of this and other devices of stratification, there is an unequal distribution of wealth and power among the members of society, known as social inequality (Ferris & Stein, 211). Though this social inequality is very real and Americans have to face it every day, this bitter reality seems less unpleasant as the idea of the American Dream is brought up. The idea of the American Dream is something which the majority of Americans clings to and is able to seek hope within. It is an idea that says as long as one works hard enough and has enough passion, work ethic, and gusto that they, too, can achieve a higher status in society than the current one in which they reside. Americans often bring up a spectacular example of this so-called dream, Oprah Winfrey, highlighting the fact that she went from immense poverty to wealth, and if she can do it, then so can anybody else. However, what these hopeful, blindsided American fail to realize is that Oprah Winfrey is the exception, not the rule. To assume that the American Dream is within the grasp of each American pursuing it would mean that America runs as a meritocracy. A meritocracy is a system in which rewards are distributed based on merit (Ferris & Stein, 237). Although America has an open-class system, meaning that an individual...
Words: 1175 - Pages: 5
...White is Invisible To comprehend the historical backdrop of the belief system of "race," and battling prejudice today, includes understanding "whiteness" as the establishment of racial categories and why being white is superior. Whiteness is invisible on the grounds that whites are expected "not to have race". Being white would be regular and discussing "race" would mean discussing every one of the general population who are not white. The invisibility of whiteness is seen as a racial position of dominance. Western representation expresses that whites are overwhelmly and excessively transcendent, have the centra expounded parts, and above all are seen as the standard. Since they are the standard, they appear not to be spoken to themselves...
Words: 990 - Pages: 4
...Exam: Short Answer Questions 1. Class Stratification Describe the social class system in the U.S. In United States have six social classes, from the top to low, there are upper classes which is top-level executives, celebrities, heirs, income over fifty thousands and have highly education, second is new money class which is people inherit a huge money from their family. Thirdly is middle class which is people having highly educational and also have their professionals like lawyer and doctor. Fourthly is working class which is people have low educated or technical training, they always is blue-collar worker and worker. Also they have a union. Fifth is working poor class which is people have lower educational, usually work in the lowest-paying jobs. The last one is poverty level which is people can’t meet their basic needs. Discuss how class shapes life chances using segments from the film, People Like US: Social Class in America below: The working class vs. the middle class In the work, the working-class people more easy to injury at work than the middle class t. And, the working class people are least possibly have the extra money to buy essential, moreover luxurious things and holiday. The social class in US, the middle class family has the better survival qualifications, therefore they have the social activity, and their child can have a better education compared to the working class people. “Bourgeoisie Blues” – the black middle class The video explained that since...
Words: 4264 - Pages: 18
...societal rules can become a “restrictive structure of forces and barriers that immobilize and reduce a group or category of people” (Heldke & O’Connor 2004:530). “Class refers to endure and systematic differences in access to and control over production of goods and services, as well as the resources for provisioning and survival” (Acker 2006: 442). “Gender, refers to the socially constructed differences between male and female and the beliefs and identities that support difference and inequality, is also present in all organizations” (Acker 2006:444). “Race, refers to socially defined differences based on physical characteristics, culture, and historical domination and oppression, justified by entrenched beliefs” (Weber 2001 :10).This paper will analyze and discuss the issue of oppressions in relation to class, gender, and race using W.E.B. Du Bois’ thoughts on race, gender, and class. Also, the intersectional theory according to Patricia Hill Collins will be used for analyzing and discussion in regards race, gender and class. The work of W. E. B. Du Bois (1868-1963) has recently become recognized for its significant contributions to sociological theory (Zuckerman 2004:3). Although Du Bois himself was overwhelmingly concerned with the scientific perspective of "value free" sociological research, later social theorists have found his views on race to offer one of...
Words: 2635 - Pages: 11
...Hey, Jeremy! White privilege is a level of advantage that all white people, regardless of their class, gender, or other factors, possess in the United States. Just because someone benefits from white privilege doesn’t necessarily mean that they are privileged (that they are wealthy, live a life of luxury, etc.- that’s class privilege). There are a lot of ways that people can be privileged beyond race and class: by citizenship (being born in the U.S. affords you privileges that non-citizens will never have); by sexual orientation (straight people in every state have rights that non-straight people have to fight for); ability (by being born able-bodied, someone doesn’t have to structure their life around handicap accessibility and resources), etc....
Words: 463 - Pages: 2
...Race, White Privilege, and the Gospel Pre-Presbytery Workshop Presbytery of Chicago October 12, 2010 David Esterline, McCormick Theological Seminary Jennifer Ikoma-Motzko, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship 1 Why work against racism? Theological foundations God created all people good. To deny some people (because of skin color or language) the privileges other have, is to deny God’s good creation. To allow this system—in which some receive advantages simply because of skin color—to go unchecked is to deny that God made all people in God’s own good image. 2 Race Race is a social and political reality, not a biological or genetic reality. There is widespread agreement among scholars that race, as understood in the United States, is a social construct – rather than an objective, scientifically or biologically consistent characteristic of a person or group of persons. 3 Race How is it that there is such certainty about a concept that is so poorly defined? There is no agreement among scholars about a biological or physiological definition that can be sustained. 4 Race “Present-day inequalities between so-called ‘racial’ groups are not consequences of their biological inheritance but products of historical and contemporary social, economic, educational, and political circumstances.” American Anthropological Association 2006 5 Race Rewards—indicators of well-being—in the U.S. are based on racial group more than on any other characteristic or association...
Words: 820 - Pages: 4
...Nathan Salupo Professor Vann WMST 231-001 Privilege For my mini paper topic I focused on privilege. Before enrolling in this class I had no idea of what privileges were, who had which privileges, how we get our privileges, and the role that privileges play in our everyday lives. The topic of privileges shows up in Shaw and Lee chapter two which is the main focus. Privilege as defined by Shaw and Lee is defined as “Advantages that people have by virtue of their status or position in society.” For example males have advantages that are inherent just because they are males that females do not have. In the case of my topic I focused mainly on the privilege that white people have over black people. In early August in Ferguson, Missouri, 18 year old Michael Brown, an unarmed African American male was shot multiple times and killed after a confrontation with a cop. The officer, Darren Wilson, drove by the boys walking in the road and told them to move onto the sidewalk. Wilson then reversed his car back to the two boys where there was an apparent confrontation as Wilson recognized Brown as a suspect for a convenience store robbery days prior and the boys split off running in separate directions. It later became known that the robbery was not the reasons for the encounter that led to Brown’s death. (Washington Post) When Brown was killed there was a public outcry for him because he had been unarmed and was shot by a white police officer, Darren Wilson after what witnesses...
Words: 1246 - Pages: 5
...Diane Baquedano Comm 315 Professor Puente 02/09/15 White Privilege Assignment My ethnicity is Central American. I am Costa Rican on my maternal side and Honduran on my paternal side. I am a first generation American on my maternal side because my mother was born in Costa Rica and moved to Los Angeles, California when she was ten years old. I am also a first generation on my paternal side as well because my father was born in Honduras and moved to this country later on in life. After reading the article by Michael Omi and Howard Winant, I learned how race was determined in the New World and how with time, the meaning of race changed by many factors such as science, social factors, and “common sense” qualities that people have when meeting people of a different race other than their own. In the New World, Europeans did not know what to call people that looked different than them and decided to outcast these people as “natives”, whom they believed may have not been human beings at all. This idea eventually led to slavery of non-whites. I agree with the authors about the idea of “racial etiquette” because race has become a part of who we are and what we go through every day. I know that being Hispanic has many stereotypes such as knowing how to cook well, speaking fluent Spanish, and most likely having Mexican ethnicity. In reality, none of these things define me but I already expect people to believe these ideas and perceptions about me. I also agree that these stereotypes...
Words: 898 - Pages: 4
...Olds’ “On the Subway” accurately depicts the progression of a rich white woman’s understanding of white privilege and the institutional racism that is built into the very inner workings of society. The clash of a woman of high social class and white skin with another man of colored descent and relative poverty brings about a drastic change in this woman’s acceptance of the degradation and condescension with which blacks were treated—the encounter enables this woman to question the dominant discourse of society regarding African Americans. Written during the Civil Rights Movement, this poem’s use of imagery and the contrasts of power not only serve to underscore the great differences in the backgrounds of these two passengers, but also to depict...
Words: 1083 - Pages: 5
...the USF check your privilege campaign posters, I couldn't help but to analyze myself, and the privileges that my race, religion, or gender denies and grants me. From a strangers perspective, if it were their first time seeing me, and was later asked to identify me, the basics would be that I was a young African American woman, tall, kinky hair, and thin. If this person happened to be reading off my description to the lead editor of a new magazine company, I'm sure their vision of me might not be the "look" that they were searching for, however upon meeting me, I happen to rise above the quality of skill they're seeking to hire. By looking through the campaign posters, I learned that in-fact my identity as an African American woman defiantly grants and denies me of power and privilege. from when I was a child until now....
Words: 504 - Pages: 3
...article “What is white privilege?” is written by Christine Emba, who explains what “white privilege” means, how it originated and how it manifests itself in America. It’s the level of societal advantage that comes with being seen as the norm in America, automatically conferred irrespective of wealth, gender, or other factors. According to Christine Emba, white privilege is: “life easing level of advantage, no matter what your wealth, gender, or any other status is and just being white in America, you are respected and assumed the best. It is a set of unearned assets that a white person in America can count on clashing in each day but to which they remain largely oblivious. The article “Making My Head Spin” talks about unearned privilege...
Words: 653 - Pages: 3
...Another theorist that supports our argument is Patricia Hill Collins. Hill Collins believes that gender cannot be marked as separate to race. Hill Collins theory of race, gender, and class asks us to think about race, class, and gender as interlocking systems of oppression. Multiple levels of domination are experienced through people being oppressed and discriminated. Hill Collins introduces this dominant theory of multiple levels of domination that involves gender as a site of identity and politics that sometimes involves African people. Collins believes that Afrocentric feminism is ultimately anchored in the unique experiences and struggles of ordinary African American women. Gender is always gender when spoken about in any race or nationality....
Words: 1511 - Pages: 7
...Male privilege…In black and white Dorrell Anthony Alexander Western Washington University What is “Privilege”? When we speak of privilege, what exactly are we speaking of? Many find it easy to get the basic fundamentals of a “right” and a “privilege” confused, so for foundational purposes, I would like to lay out how they differ. First, let’s talk about two of the different kinds of rights; “natural” and “legal”. According to Merriam-Webster (2013) Natural rights are “rights which are "natural" in the sense of "not artificial, not man-made”; “as in rights deriving from logic, from human nature, or from the edicts of a god”. They are ”universal”, (they apply to all people, and do not derive from the laws of any specific society),”They exist necessarily, inhere in every individual, and can't be taken away” ( Merriam-Webster, 2013). For example, it has been argued that humans have a natural right to life. They're sometimes called inalienable rights. Legal rights, in contrast, are “rights based on a society's customs, laws, statutes or actions by legislatures” (Merriam-Webster, 2013). An example of a legal right is the right to vote of citizens. “Citizenship, itself, is often considered as the basis for having legal rights, and has been defined as the "right to have rights"(Broidy and Agnew, 1997), Legal rights are sometimes called civil rights or statutory rights which Broidy and Agnew (1997) believe are “culturally and politically relative”, since they depend on a specific...
Words: 2957 - Pages: 12
