Privilege Is Only The First Step Essay

When I think about white privilege, I see it as something I must understand to truly feel a relation to my own privileges with race. “As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something which puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage.” (McIntosh 1988) When comparing other privileges McIntosh sees that her life is more influenced by her skin color than class, religion, ethnic status, or geographical location. Tim Wise explains “even though there is more than one type of privilege, they can never fully eradicate white privilege.” “Understanding the persistence of privilege requires recognizing the sleight of mind that occurs on the subject of individuals as members of groups” (Wildman 2005). Early work done by African American sociologist W.E.B. DuBois (1868-1963) showed that studies with white workers over time came to see themselves as white unlike the developing working class with recently freed black slaves. DuBois was one of the first people to initiate the concept of white privilege.

Peddy McIntosh highlighted various unearned white privileges in her autobiographical article “White Privilege, Color and Crime: A Personal Account.” She illustrated the white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that one white person could count on cashing in each day. White people have these privileges given to them by the society in which they live in. The same society taught them to be ignorant and unawareness of these privileges. This system of unearned privileges established by white individuals made people of color feel oppressed. In this system being white is a norm and dominant power. Caucasians, who benefit most from the white privilege system in the United States, are more likely to

In the beginning of the year I entered this class with a very sheltered and ignorant view of current and past events. Through time and sociological evolution I have begun to see things in a different light. The development of my ability, to look at something or some kind of situation, lets me use the sociological terms in such a manner to relate them to micro and macro problems in society. This started with the assigned readings of the class; the aim was to decipher the messages the authors were presenting. The goal was then to dig deeper and use my experiences to help myself understand the concepts throughout the course. "The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited." Plutarch (46-120 CE--common era) I was no longer

Minorities are still fighting to be seen as equals and treated as human but people still think we have achieved equality today. It really is up to educators to teach children about white privilege and how it affects people. White privilege is something that white people benefit from just because of what they look like, but they have no control over it. This can range from having more opportunities for jobs to being more likely to have enough money to go to private school. I am focusing more on the idea that white people have these benefits and have the privilege to deny that such a divide exists. Being able to dismiss the idea of white privilege shows ignorance and can minimize the experiences of those who have suffered at the hands of white privilege.

“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.

Police officers, who were once referred to as peace keepers, are now more law enforcement officers. Police agencies around the United States seem to be stuck more on quotas and creating revenue for their county or city. Making many officers strive for many unnecessary arrests. Which as a following result has brought up a lot of tension between the police and their citizens. With increasing violence in cities and states; police officers methods have slowly become more aggressive, bringing a rise in unnecessary police brutality related incidents within the last 10 years. This relationship is substantially disproportionate considering that there are five times as many whites as there are blacks in America. I find this incredibly concerning and it has definitely impacted my view of American law enforcement. Recently, I have tried to become more knowledgeable about racism and prejudice in the United States as issues such as police brutality are becoming more and more prevalent. Although there is still much more for me to learn about the complicated system of racism and white privilege, I do feel that I know enough to recognize unjust and unlawful behavior of police officers. Police brutality has a longstanding history in our country and will be very difficult to overcome. However, I think it is possible if we, as a nation, are willing to recognize the cause and attack the issue at its source. I believe that police brutality can be attributed to an immoral police force, a corrupt

According to Newman, affirmative action is a “program designed to seek out members of minority groups for positions from which they had previously been excluded, thereby seeking to overcome some institutional racism” (Newman, 536). Affirmative action made its debut with a piece of legislature passed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964 and continues to this day. However, the concept of affirmative action is a controversial issue that continues to be hotly debated.

The purpose of affirmative action is to ensure equal opportunity for minorities. But it has strayed from its original intent and has become largely a program to achieve not equal opportunity but equal results. It is a system of quotas forced upon American businesses and working class by the federal government. A law which forces people to look at race before looking at the individual cannot promote equal opportunity. Affirmative action continues the judgement of minorities by race; it causes reverse discrimination, and contradicts its purpose.

What is privilege? What does it mean? Is privilege inherited or is it earned? As an American resident of color I’ve learned that privilege in this country is something that is innate and inherited. The privilege that I speak of is that of White privilege.

“Privilege.” What really is a privilege? Do you even consider yourself privileged? Well, the word “privilege” means “a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people” and whether or not you consider yourself privileged really depends on how you define the word and whether you take it for granted or not.

Right on the first page in chapter six it discusses the privilege groups discomfort about discussing privilege. Yes, it is true for so many and for those who don’t feel discomfort, I call you brave and open minded. But, it is a hard thing to discuss especially with a non-privileged group of individuals. I, for one also feel discomfort and defensive sometimes in those situations, and that could be from a number of different reasons. Whether it is because I feel guilty, ashamed, judged, etc. For this I will talk about race, for those who are white, we are born this way, we didn’t choose to be white and there’s nothing you can do about it. You were born into the privileged group here in America. But, it is something that we need to accept and admit to, we are the privileged group but, we don’t because of this nasty stigma about race. Race has turned into this sharp word that scares people when it is mentioned. We, as educators need to change the stigma of that word. We need to make it so people of privilege and non privilege can discuss privilege and race with out discomfort or being offended. In this class, our race discussion had brought up white privilege and at first it was not comfortable but, as you admit to it, the easier it is to discuss.

Certainly, Plato (380 BCE) challenges virtuous ideals in his account of the Gyges Tale. In the fable, the shepherd, Gyges, discovers a cave situated on the mountain where he was feeding his flock. Here, he encounters the statue of a “hollow bronze horse”, where - inside the “openings”- he finds a magical ring (the Gyges Ring) that grants the wearer invisibility. Using this power, Gyges seduces the Queen of Lydia (Nyssia) and, with her assistance, murders the King of Lydia (Candaules) so that he may “take hold of leadership.” Thus, Plato suggests that morality may only be a social construction, a façade that is maintained only with the desire to promulgate one’s outward reputation of ethics. Clearly, therefore, if that construction was removed (as in the case of a tyranny) that

What do you think? Is it or is it not incredible that society hires congressmen to work for us, yet, these employees of the people believe themselves entitled to exempt themselves from laws they pass for their constituents? Social Security is perfectly fine for us; but not for them. Congress; the only job in America that entitles the employee to a lifetime pension equal to their salary coupled with lifetime retirement healthcare benefits that you can’t find on an Obamacare exchange. When did being a servant of the people with a defined term of service become a lifetime entitlement? I thought the lifetime entitlement issue was settled on paper in 1776 with the Declaration of Independence. Can being a Congressman qualify as a full-time job? What exactly justifies their escape from accountability and why are term limits viewed with disdain by our political elite? What is unreasonable or unfair about the concept of term limits? Term limits have been a topic of keen discussion and lethargic movement within the legislative branch since the inception of federalism. Since the 1682 Pennsylvania Charter of Liberties, the concept of formal term limits has existed in the United States. Constraints concerning term limitations for holders of public office are applied to practically none of our elected officials. Today, it is common knowledge that if you’re a senator who hasn’t amassed more than twenty years of office, served as a Committee Chair, or party whip; you

of the individual by making them think the reason they got the job or grant

The team that supports affirmative action presented detailed arguments to back up their claims. The main reason why the team considered affirmative action necessary in reducing the negative impacts of discrimination is its role in reducing racial disparities in law enforcement and learning institutions. However, the team would have made their argument more comprehensive by illustrating the role of affirmative action in promoting equal representation of specific racial groups or minorities within work environments. Empirical indicates that the diversity that characterize modern work environments is mainly attributed to the implementation of affirmative action policies by employers with a view of promoting equal access to socioeconomic opportunities within the society (Wicks-Lim 21).