Definitional Essay Examples

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.

When asked about white privilege, many whites believe that it is a myth while other deny the existence of white privilege entirely. However, white privilege is not a myth. White privilege is very prevalent in society and uniquely effects many different groups. Peggy McIntosh discusses white privilege in her article “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” McIntosh states, “I have come to see while privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets which I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was, "meant" to remain oblivious” (par. 3).

White privilege is a unique form of racism given its fascinating characteristic of not involving hostility. Therefore, it cannot be directly blamed on someone (Pludo, 2015). The lack of blame does not cause any discomfort on the white persons enjoying the privileges.

“White privilege refers to the fact that in many societies, “white” people have access to greater power, authority, and privileges, than non-white people” (Robbins et al. 2013:81). It goes beyond letting white people get away with more than other races; it also discriminates against them. This is well illustrated by the history of white privilege in America and how it changed over time (Nkomo & Ariss 2013) and how white privilege is used to benefit white people (Blum n.d). Without white privilege, people would be equal and perhaps live in a more peaceful society. Therefore, if white privilege has been around for years and continues to be an issue in America and all around the world, than without educating the population and making them aware of the issue it will continue to happen.

I identify as a white female. I never thought about why I identify as white, partially because I never had to and as Tim Wise says, “Being white means never having to think about it” (Wise 1). My family is not entirely sure of our racial ethnicity, I know my mother is Jewish and my father is Christian, and by looks we are “white.” All born with blonde hair, blue eyes, and I am very pale. No one has ever questioned my looks other than telling me I need a tan. I never had to think about my racial identity or ethnicity because I am accepted as white. The idea of White Privilege is

Read the article Diagnosis Coding and Medical Necessity: Rules and Reimbursement by Janis Cogley located on the AHIMA Body of Knowledge (BOK) at http://www.ahima.org.

White privilege is defined, according to Emba, as the “the social advantage that comes from being seen as the norm in the United States, automatically conferred irrespective of wealth, gender or other factors.” Because it is an inherited membership, most of the people in this group do not understand the

White privileges are the unearned advantages and immunities that white people benefit from on a daily basis. A lot of times people don’t realize that they have these advantages because they still have to work for what they want, and are still faced with challenges everyday. White privilege does not mean that white people have life easy and never have obstacles to face or that they don’t deserve what they do have, it just means that they don’t have to face the same obstacles as minorities do. I think its important that more people are informed of their unearned privileges so that they do not take advantage of them unintentionally. White privilege is something that minorities can easily see because they 're the ones facing the disadvantages. While whites tend to be pretty oblivious of it because its never taught or recognized, we only learn about the disadvantages of others. White privilege and racial inequality is something you see everyday in education, jobs , housing, and so many other situations. If more people become more aware of all the sides of racial inequality and what part everyone plays in it as an individual,

White privilege is benefiting more than the other ethnicity groups because your skin is white . Many feel like an apology is owed from those who are successful because they are only there because of their ethnicity or gender , but this is false

Sometimes white people do not aware of white privilege. White people will interact with people of a different color every day and they do not experience prejudice or discrimination from them. To most whites, white privilege is something they are not aware of. Even when it is acknowledged and been made aware, it is still something that most do not what to talk about. When becoming aware of white privilege it can make the person feel frustrated or anger, sadness, guilt, shame and even helpless. They may also start to question some of their behaviors. White privilege is a benefit to white people, but it also come with a lot of negative cost. “The way that white people respond to racial privilege has cognitive, affective, and interpersonal cost” (Hays p.95). “Cognitive costs is when white people do not see themselves as white, but as an individual and they deny racism”

I have always believed in “white privilege,” even though some people would disagree. I believe that since I am white there are things I can do that someone who is a different race either can not do or would be looked down on for doing. After reading McIntosh’s article on white privilege it really confirmed what I already believed.

Since the beginning of America, there has always been much racial discrimination between the whites and many other races such as the Native Americans to Chinese immigrants to African Americans. In the mid-1900’s, civil rights acts were being passed which prohibited the discrimination and separation of blacks from whites, as well as the other minority groups. Yet, today racial discrimination is still going on through the world in the form of white privilege. White privilege is essentially a term used describe how whites have a better chance to do something or go somewhere than blacks did. Although many people, especially the poorer ones, tend to overthink this a little and think that white privilege is more based on class privilege. Something

American society consists of many equal races, yet people believe that as a white American, I am more privileged than others. However, I have learned that race is not the only factor that determines my status or position in life. In addition, the concept of white privilege is not as prominent in younger generations. Despite the assumptions made by others about the privileges whites are given, there are circumstances where being white negatively impacts me.

Just realize the same people who are perpetrating the “White privilege,” are the same ones who want to hold minorities down. You can’t spend the rest of the twentieth-century nagging about race, when it is you could be making a change to the world. This whole concept is so ridiculous, that even I as a minority have to laugh off at the notion.

With my identification as mainly White, I receive more privileges from this affliction and privilege that other groups do not always inquire. I feel that this identity offers me a lot of opportunities to develop as a person, but also creates ignorance towards other minority groups. I used to strongly hold the belief that people of color should not been seen as their skin color and should be treated only based on their human value. Even though sometimes ignoring skin color can be beneficial, it can create strong oppression towards cultural differences and not allow for diversity to be present in the community. My ignorance towards decreased my understanding on why certain groups were being oppressed and different cultural ways that I could fix those being oppressed. The identity of being White can help me reach opportunities that increase my chances as a human being, but it also increases the chances of other groups being oppressed by my White