Advantages Of White Privilege Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack

In our world today, White privilege is an existing matter. White privilege can be defined as advantages that assist white individuals in flourishing and gaining success. Privilege is in and of itself a struggle to equality. The advantages in privilege display the inequality that is in our society towards those who are not white. We as a society usually do not see the inequality in the opportunity and quality of life amongst those of different races, and this results from the fact of wealthy white counterparts being in control and in power since the birth of this nation.

Tim Wise uses many different methods to make his case in his hour-long speech about white privilege. The first thing he does is appeals to his audience by pointing out the obvious fact that he is white, and continues to point

Ms. McIntosh made a particularly resonant statement about halfway through her essay; “my skin color was an asset for any move I was educated to want to make.” I have always been free to move around the country, to make my own choices, own my independence and enjoy the freedom of my liberation. Considerations she includes on her list of privileges never actively entered into my decision making process. I was always able to find suitable housing and employment and educational opportunities to advance myself in anyway I decided. This made me wonder if in fact I had earned through merit and achievement all I believe I have to date.

Dowsett begins his essay with the topic of white privilege and the difficulty in discussing the topic amongst others, consequently translating poorly. To clarify the definition of white privilege, he writes that white privilege is not about placing blame or racism on white people. White privilege is the systematic imbalance in society geared to be in favor of white people. Using his bicyclist analogy, he hopes that it serves as an “a-ha” moment for those who struggle to accept that

In Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” she expresses her own privileges as a white woman. She says things such as, “I do not have to educate my children to be aware of

The author of the "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," Peggy McIntosh, Ph.D., is an American feminist and anti-racist activist, the associate director of the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, and a speaker, founder, and co-director of the National S.E.E.D. Project on Inclusive Curriculum (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity). The text appeared in 1988, as a part of Peggy McIntosh’s essay "White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences through Work in Women's Studies", and was written for High school students, college students, and beyond. She thinks that whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privileges, and as one who writes about having white privilege, she must ask: “what will I do to lessen or end it?” McIntosh wants to encourage white people to start recognizing situations in which they are privileged because of their skin color. That way would be more people to help lessen this problem, and make changes in our social system.

Peggy McIntosh says that white privilegeis an unearned power that whites unknowingly possess, giving them an advantage in society. Whites in society ignore white privilege because we live in a nation of white dominance. Whites most often ignore the fact that blacks and other minorities do not enjoy these advantages. McIntosh defines white privilege as the many advantages white people enjoy, often seen as normal, and are largely unnoticed by society. Peggy McIntosh describes

This article deals with the seen and also the unseen aspects of white privilege. The article discusses how male privilege and white privilege are connected to one another. Additionally, this article give 46 examples of how an individual white woman is able to navigate her day with the unseen privileges of her being the part of the dominant group. The dominant group is taught not to see their privilege and most of the time do not even realize they benefit from such a phenomenon.

What I gained from the reading “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by McIntosh is that racism is not merely putting one group at a disadvantage, but simultaneously putting another group at an advantage. I learned that when you are a part of a privileged group, the privileges you receive are often unnoticeable. You do not view these things as privileges, and you do not realize how much easier they have made your life. Whether discussing racism, sexism, or any other -ism, removing the disadvantages from one group is not all that needs to be done. The unearned advantages given to other groups need to be taken away.

White privilege refers to the benefits that white people gain from society that minority members are not privy to. White privilege is walking around the land of the free and being free. Free of judgement, free of stereotypes and free of danger. When you come across the term “privilege” you instantly think of something being earned. But, if one looks a little further they will see that, this is not the case. In today’s society it is not earned, but given, given to “the man”. An act that happens in everyday life has become a norm to society, in which minorities are suppressed of what we all should have access to. But because of white privilege, the education that the Hispanic boy wants, the director position the female qualifies for or the house

In “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”, Peggy McIntosh discusses how she, as a white person, had been taught that racism is “something that puts others at a disadvantage”, rather than something that gives her an advantage. She then lists some consequences of her white privilege, which she calls “unpacking [an] invisible knapsack of white privilege”. Among the items on this list are “I can turn on the television or open the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented” and “I can be pretty sure that if I asked to talk to ‘the person in charge’, I will be facing a person of my race”. These are advantages that white people take for granted and rarely – if ever – think about. Almost everyone has their own so-called invisible knapsack of privilege, though the effects of one’s privilege might not relate to their race, but instead to class, gender, religion, sexuality, geographical location, education or other aspects of social location. In this paper, I will begin to unpack my own invisible knapsack of privilege, focusing on race, class, religion and geographical location.

Dr. Peggy McIntosh makes a clear distinction between racism and white privilege. Personally, I have seen and been affected by white privilege more than by racism. I have always been more affected by the advantages given to whites than the disadvantages given to others. In school I was always identified as an equal with my white friends, but there were scenarios where I had to work harder to succeed. It was always difficult communicating my ideas to a predominantly white society. As a Hindu, I always found it appalling when events at my school were cancelled due to pushback from white Christian parents. As soon as a white parent would argue for something, administration would immediately accommodate in any way necessary. When minorities, such

Peggy McIntosh defines racism as “something that puts others at a disadvantage” (1). White privilege is something that puts whites at an advantage and is therefore

“The belief that European American norms and more are universal and supreme to other cultural prescriptions and interpretation” (Day, Phyllis. J. A New History of Social Welfare). White privilege or "white skin benefit" is known for societal benefits that advantage individuals recognized as white in Western nations, past what is normally experienced by non-white individuals under the same social, political or monetary circumstances. White privilege is a quality so pervasive thus slippery in our way of life that we are still blind about oblivious in regards to its presence. Alongside patriarchy's abuse of classism, sexism, and prejudice it is a key component in the advancement and backing of numerous different qualities.

Life’s Privileges “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade” is a famous quote, originally coined by Elbert Hubbard, used to encourage optimism in a time of unjust hardship. In the case of Ishmael Reed’s essay, “My Neighborhood”, this quote ties directly in with Reed’s go-getter attitude and brazen demeanor pertaining to the racism and criticism he receives on a daily basis. On the clear other end of the spectrum, in her essay, “White Privilege and Male Privilege”, Peggy McIntosh calls attention to the elephant in the room, privileges obtained by virtue of one’s skin color. These two essay’s work in unison, strengthening and supporting a central claim present throughout both that, certain prerogatives as well as limitations exist in society, solely based on race.