...discrimination, disadvantages, worthless, and the list could go on with even more words that relate to racism. Jobs, acceptance, equality, benefits, this list is harder to label is it not? White Privilege is just as real as racism, but not as apparent. According the University of Dayton’s online dictionary, White Privilege is defined as, “a right, advantage, or immunity granted to or enjoyed by white persons beyond the common advantage of all others; an exemption in many particular cases from certain burdens or liabilities,” (“white privilege”). White Privilege is a subject rarely covered by educators due to the difficulty students’ have understanding it; therefore, resulting in a lack of awareness. White Privilege, unlike racism,...
Words: 985 - Pages: 4
...White privilege otherwise known as white skin privilege is a term for societal privileges that benefit white people in western countries beyond what is commonly experienced by the non-white people under the same social, political, or economic circumstances. These privileges are unearned and are distributed based on values of the dominant group, which in the west is white people. According to McIntosh and Lee, whites in a society considered culturally a part of the Western World enjoy advantages that non-whites do not experience. This leads to the controversy over whether or not White people should be able to enjoy these privileges. The term denotes both obvious and less obvious passive advantages that white persons may not recognize they have, which distinguishes it from overt bias or prejudice. These include cultural affirmations of one's own worth; presumed greater social status; and freedom to move, buy, work, play, and speak freely. The effects can be seen in professional, educational, and personal contexts. The concept of white privilege also implies the right to assume the universality of one's own experiences, marking others as different or exceptional while perceiving oneself as normal. Some critics argue that the term uses the concept of "whiteness" as a proxy for class or other social privilege or as a distraction from deeper underlying problems of inequality. Others argue that it is not that whiteness is a proxy but that many other social...
Words: 286 - Pages: 2
...White Privilege Racism has been prevalent since the beginning of time. Whites sometimes deny the existence of racial inequity unconsciously, not realizing that there is such a thing as unearned privilege. White males for example usually only think of themselves as males, whereas a Black man usually will always think of themselves as a Black male. Being the minority and part of societies out-group hinders those even if they are not being oppressed knowingly by their white counterparts, who should be educated and made aware of this unseen discrimination. Unearned Privilege Critical Race Theory Critical race theory examines society closely and partly signifies that racism is engrained in American society. Being White and part of the in-group is something critical race theory takes a look at, and is the other side of the coin of being racist, whether it is consciously or unconsciously. Whites in general are born with opportunities Blacks are not inherently given. It is a choice to be racist, but it is not a choice to choose your race, Michael Jackson excluded. The system of white privilege in North America has been long established, going back to when the Europeans came to this strange continent by accident. When the British and French set up colonies, they fought and oppressed the native americans, establishing dominance that carries on to this day, but not only with Native americans, but any other hyphenated group, ie African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Mexican-Americans...
Words: 1081 - Pages: 5
...White Privilege Karie R. Shepherd Ivy Tech Community College Abstract The study of sociology allows us to understand the relationship between people and other cultures along with racial and ethnic inequality. As we define culture by a set of norms and values, we can also study how these cultures can often change over time and attitudes towards racial and ethnic groups. Several concepts, such as prejudice, racial profiling, and white privilege can often change the way we think or view other cultures. These topics become more relevant as you read Tim Wise’s article “White Swim in Racial Preference” and force us to think about how these ideas are put into practice. How this short piece makes us initially feel or perhaps react to other cultures can say a lot about who we are as a person and our level of understanding and tolerance towards groups other than our own. As we study sociology we seek to explain social behavior and human groups and how social relationships influence peoples behavior. We also seek to understand how those relationships and behaviors can change and develop over time. To study sociology we need to look at theoretical ideas such prejudice, racial profiling and white privilege to gain more understanding of how society functions as a whole. Tim Wise’s article “Whites Swim in Racial Preference” speaks to the ideas that white privilege very much exists in the country and how the University of Michigan’s affirmative action sanctions essentially did nothing...
Words: 918 - Pages: 4
...Topic: McIntosh, Peggy “White Privilege” The author made use of the phenomenon of male privilege to bring out the fact that white privilege is similarly denied and unconsciously protected. By describing how male privilege has rooted in our society, and how men denied this phenomenon by avoiding acknowledgement of the issue, the author explained the development of white privilege. According to the author, whites are taught not to recognize their privileges. They are disciplined in a way that they are unable to recognize racism as something that puts them at an advantage while as a result, put others at a disadvantage. They do not realize the existence of unearned skin privilege and therefore do not feel the need to stop it. By identifying the daily experiences granted by their skin privilege, whites can help themselves to reveal this distorted culture. They have to recognize the problem before they can lessen it and work to end it. The most obvious privileges are that white individuals are assumed to be affluence, civilized and morally neutral. The white community is perceived as a group of people who interact pleasantly and peacefully and that their country enjoys a widely represented state and its people enjoy many of its freedom. These perceived and unearned privileges are not only preserved from other people, they are also used as weapons to oppress others. However, even if white individuals do not approve the way which white dominance has been awarded to them, they...
Words: 508 - Pages: 3
...White privilege is an advantage in society that is unmerited. Though it is practiced in every day life (whether it’s subtle or not), the majority views it as “absurd” and “non-existent”. Whiteness and white privilege are taboos that create feelings of guilt, hostility and anger whenever discussed by people of colour (hooks, 339), but it must be addressed and understood in order to be eradicated. Racism shapes the lives of white people, not only the lives of people of colour (Frankenberg, 1). When white privilege is ignored, white people are able to maintain power and dominance in our “post-racial” society. (Mcintosh, 33). In this essay, I will argue that widespread media representation and housing opportunities are the most important features of white privilege, using ideas from Peggy McIntosh’s White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, bell hooks’ Representing Whiteness in the Black Imagination and Ruth Frankenberg’s Introduction: Points of Origin, Points of Departure. Widespread representation is the most important feature of white privilege because we live in an age where the media not only reflects our real worldviews and attitudes, but also controls them. The second most important feature of white privilege is adequate housing opportunities. It is necessary for white people to acknowledge their part in benefiting from a society that has thrived on racial hierarchy and white supremacy for centuries and these two aspects are key in reaching that. Firstly, white...
Words: 1972 - Pages: 8
...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 similarities between Citizen, An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine and What is White Privilege? by Christine Emba both showcase the concepts of microaggressions and white privilege. Many examples of microaggressions and white privilege are common between the two texts, but the examples in the texts are manifested in different ways. For example, in Citizen, An American Lyric Rankine writes many personal accounts of microaggressions targeted at and experienced by black people. While in What is White Privilege? by Christine Emba the author discusses examples of white privilege while providing evidence and statistics to back it up. Also, in What is White the Privilege, Emba explains that the concept of white privilege has been and will continue to be misinterpreted by people and that it exists in American society even though some Americans don’t believe it exists or is a problem....
Words: 295 - Pages: 2
...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
...White privilege is not something that white people necessarily do, create or enjoy on purpose but it’s a transparent preference for whiteness that saturates our society. It serves several functions. First, it provides white people with “perks” that we do not earn and that people of color do not enjoy. Second, it creates real advantage for them. There is white privilege on Purdue’s campus. Just recently, Mitch Daniels was caught speeding. He was going at approximately 42 miles per hour in a 20mph zone (Paul 2015). About thirteen seconds into the conversation, the officer, in spite of the obvious infraction communicates to Daniel that she’s going to let him go. What we witness here is the disarming power of white and privilege. It’s almost as...
Words: 761 - Pages: 4
...White Privilege and Colorism SOC 262 White Privilege and Colorism White privilege is a term that is used to refer to white people in America’s advantage over groups of people of color. It is said that whites have a bigger advantage, and many more perks over someone that is a non-white. White privilege makes a critical preference for white people and denies opportunities for people of color. Colorism is a form of discrimination that is based on the complexion of darker skinned Individuals, despite being of the same race (Banks, T. L., 1999). Colorism is giving privileges to lighter-skinned people of color in many different areas, such as income, education and marriage (Hunter, M., 2007). During the time of slavery, slave drivers would allow the slaves with a lighter complexion to work inside the home and live a more comfortable life. Those with darker skin complexion would work on the farms. Even today darker skinned individuals feel they are scrutinized because their skin is a darker complexion. My personal experiences of white privilege have been far and few. I sometimes find it easier to bond with individuals that are not of my own skin color. This may be a result of the environment I grew up in., which was a very diverse neighborhood. However, there have been a few situations where I have noticed I may be getting “white privilege.” For example, I have never been harassed or followed by any type of law enforcement based on the color of my skin. I have...
Words: 649 - Pages: 3
...In my childhood, I really didn’t know what white privilege meant now that I’m older and know the meaning I’ve noticed the little remarks my parent made as I got older. My parents always use to say being white life would be easier because they get better jobs, they were labeled rich, and they were seeing as the more educated race. They can do whatever they want as if they are above the law. I have to be caution of my action, tone, faces expression as I got older. If I were to speak my mind I am labeled as angry, bitter, B. -People don’t make assumptions about your intelligence because of your race If you are other race than white you are looked as not smart. White are automatically are seen as smart. Their education is never questioned. My...
Words: 290 - Pages: 2
...“White Privilege” Topic: McIntosh, Peggy “White Privilege” The author made use of the phenomenon of male privilege to bring out the fact that white privilege is similarly denied and unconsciously protected. By describing how male privilege has rooted in our society, and how men denied this phenomenon by avoiding acknowledgement of the issue, the author explained the development of white privilege. According to the author, whites are taught not to recognize their privileges. They are disciplined in a way that they are unable to recognize racism as something that puts them at an advantage while as a result, put others at a disadvantage. They do not realize the existence of unearned skin privilege and therefore do not feel the need to stop it. By identifying the daily experiences granted by their skin privilege, whites can help themselves to reveal this distorted culture. They have to recognize the problem before they can lessen it and work to end it. The most obvious privileges are that white individuals are assumed to be affluence, civilized and morally neutral. The white community is perceived as a group of people who interact pleasantly and peacefully and that their country enjoys a widely represented state and its people enjoy many of its freedom. These perceived and unearned privileges are not only preserved from other people, they are also used as weapons to oppress others. However, even if white individuals do not approve the way which white dominance has been...
Words: 328 - Pages: 2
...Hao Ha 11/18/13 Education 305 White Privilege This week’s reading by Peggy McIntosh’s, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack really resonated with me. It forced me to think about how being white grants a person a set of positive privileges that others don’t have. Because of this, I felt compelled to write a response. I will start with her argument, make a comparison to another reading, provide the context for her article, and lastly issue some of my own opinions on the topic. Argument McIntosh’s argument is based on the idea of how a white person is taught that racism is something that puts others at a disadvantage, but never seeing it in the perspective of how being white puts a person at an advantage. She discusses how it is like having “an invisible package of unearned assets which I can count on cashing in each day “. She compares the situation to how males don’t recognize their male privileges. They are oppressing people in ways that are unconscious to them. To demonstrate her ideas, she creates a list with twenty six items, which showcase white privilege. Comparison In McIntosh’s article, she talks about how white people unconsciously oppress others of different races. They have a set of privileges and conditions that set them apart from others in a beneficial way, which “confers dominance”. This is something that happens subconsciously once they are born, a result of society’s hidden bias towards the white race. This made me think about David...
Words: 587 - Pages: 3
...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
