Summary Of White Privilege By Peggy Mcinntosh

Privileges are things that a person receives that gives them an advantage over most people (Merriam-Webster). These are benefits that only certain people receive for being in a certain group or discourse. Peggy McIntosh, director of the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, wrote “White Privilege and Male Privilege” and states “I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privileges, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege” (605). She argues that whites and males receive certain privileges, yet they do not even notice them. This shows that different races and women are still put at a disadvantage, but the people who receive the benefits are blind to the problem. Many people will argue that she is correct

Prior to beginning my readings on white racial identity, I did not pay much attention to my white race. If someone had asked me to describe my appearance I would have said short blond hair, blue eyes, average stature, etc. One of the last things I would have noted was the color of my skin. Growing up in overwhelmingly white communities, I never thought to use the color of my skin to differentiate myself from others. Over the course of this dialogue I have learned that my white racial identity is one of the most defining aspects of my appearance in this society. There is a certain level of privilege that I am afforded based solely on the color of my skin. According to Peggy McIntosh, “White privilege is like an invisible weightless

In “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” Peggy McIntosh argues that racism can be found imbedded into the culture of society; conferring and denying certain privileges on some rather than all. This is a dangerous cultivation; endowing a strong expectation that white privileges are naturally deserving. Furthermore, making the cornerstone of McIntosh’s main argument; that white privilege is just a less aggressive synonym for dominance. When you receive privileges for looking a certain type of way, the recipient becomes immune; often not being able to acknowledge their advantages. As a result, this creates a cultural divide, between racial groups.

In conclusion, Peggy McIntosh pointed in her article, white privileges don’t come from an individual person or flaw of a person. White privileges arise from the flaw of the system placed in a society. Therefore, if we want to change the society and equalize the privilege amongst whites and colors, then change must happen within the system. It is the system that influences individuals to act upon in the society. A great way, we can demise

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.

White privilege is a form of structural racism where whites are routinely advantaged while producing adverse outcomes for people of color such as Blacks and Hispanics. White privilege is a historically based system which still exists in the United States (US). In my view, white privilege system marked the beginning of racial inequality in the US. White privilege exists in the United States and is one of the contributing factors to the injustices people with color are facing in the US.

Wise’s examination of the inconspicuous character of racism 2.0 dovetails fittingly with our course’s recurring theme of institutionalized racism. In class lectures we have defined institutionalized racism as the discriminatory practices that have become regularized and routinized by state agencies, organizations, industries, or anywhere else in society. Although such practices might not be intentionally racist, they end up being racist nevertheless as consequence of the systematized and unspoken biases that have become increasingly convoluted and entrenched within society over time. It also doesn’t help white people to recognize these discriminatory practices considering they have been unconsciously tailored to be consistent with white perspective and mentality. In her article, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, Peggy McIntosh examines not only how white folks often consider themselves to be a normative figure within society, but also how they are carefully taught not to recognize the advantages they gain from the disadvantages that impair people of color. In the article, McIntosh acknowledges the reality of her own white privilege and expresses, “In my class and place, I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth” (McIntosh 4). In fact, even if white folks do not believe themselves to

In Peggy McIntosh’s, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” she introduces the topic of privilege from the point of view of a women in a world designed to favor men. She sees that men acknowledge the fact that women are disadvantaged but are unable to admit that they themselves have higher power. This denial of power is what creates the gap between men and women and is a clear stepping stone to her primary point of white privilege. The problem does not lie in the existence of white privilege but more so in the validation that is given to it. To be oblivious to this privilege is what gives it power to aid the white population, while simultaneously crippling other minority groups. She goes on to state that realizing there is hierarchy is the first step to systematically taking it down. This however has to start by finding where the problem originates.

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.

White privilege is the societal privileges that specifically benefit white people. White privilege is why white people can get pulled over by the police and escape a ticket with just a smile and apology. White privilege is also why whites are in charge of a company and they see a black person, they bypass the application. Whites carry a certain privilege not available to people of color. Marilyn Frye describes how whiteness is a form social and political power.

Beverly Tatum incorporates the concept of White privilege into her writing to address the fundamental issues surrounding racism. In "Defining Racism," a chapter in Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria, Tatum defines racism as “a system of advantage based on race” (P.6) In an accurate and inoffensive way she illustrates racism and extends it beyond the individual, placing blame on the greater American social structure. Throughout the development of her definition she places great emphasis on the fact that racism, like sexism, is something exhibited by the dominant group (whites/men) upon the subordinate group (people of color/women). She does this to demonstrate the structured aspect of racism as an institutional norm and not necessarily something that is actively practiced by individuals. This approach is less offensive to whites and creates a context for self awareness

This week’s readings, podcast, and videos were very interesting to learn about white privilege. The term white privilege means the systematic advantages of being white (Tatum Racism: Can We Talk?). The topic white privilege is an exceptionally difficult to discuss for the reason that many white people don’t feel influential or identify they have privileges compared to other individuals in society may not feel differently about white privilege. For example in the article White Privilege Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack Peggy McIntosh, a white feminist scholar identified of society privileges that she received simply because she is White (Tatum Racism: Can We Talk? p 8). Therefore when each individual learns about his or her own privileges there

Peggy McIntosh, chapter on “White Privilege, color, and crime,” encourages readers to think about the world in the framework of race, class, and gender on a “White privilege” perspective. McIntosh

McIntosh stresses on his identity as a white person, and more specifically as a white man, by drawing a very clear line between how white people and people of color think. He does this through announcing his identity multiple times (“As a white person” (pg.1), “my skin color”(pg.4), etc.) and multiple mentions of the idea of the “invisible knapsack of white privilege.” By calling this white privilege invisible, he is urging us to un-see it as invisible and recognize its presence – and as Ahem pointed out, assumes that the privilege is invisible in the first place when it is just actually invisible to those with the privilege. In addition, the power of whiteness comes from it being seen by non-white people, thus raising the question of what it means to push for people to “see” this privilege even more strongly. We can tie this back to his action of blaming it on the institution – in which invisibility is taught, instead of being an automatic quality of those who possess

First, Beverly D. Tatum’s viewpoint on racism is that she does not see it as an act of hate, but rather she sees it as a system of privileges based on one’s own race (Sweeney, 33). Tatum makes it clear throughout this excerpt that race determines the privileges you are guaranteed to receive and the fact that those privileged individuals do not notice the power they have compared to others. She connects the idea of white privilege with her definition of racism, and clearly states that racism could also be connected with people of color; however, people of color are not racist because they do not benefit from racism (Sweeney, 37). Tatum gives many examples of White privilege to support her idea that racism is a system of advantage based on race. For instance, Tatum talks about one of her students who was a White male that was in her psychology of racism course and that he did not know how advantaged he was until the end of this class. This White