Synthesis Essay On White Privilege

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.

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).

Firstly, white privilege entails wide media representation, where people of colour are consistently underrepresented. Many people don’t see this as an issue at all, but it is necessary

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 is the ability for whites to maintain an elevated status in society that masks racial inequality. It is also considered a system of advantage based on race, as well as societal privileges that benefit white people. It is usually known as the “other”, or the opposite side of discrimination. Some people in society, typically people of color, feel as though people with white skin have benefits over people of color, just because they’re white. White privilege is sometimes seen as a higher social status, having the freedom to move, buy, work, play, and speak freely as one wishes. The effects of white privilege are predominantly evident in professional and educational settings. Some critics argue that the concept of white

“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.

White Privilege is a thesis about positive racial discrimination. In exploring this thesis and in the effort of joining this decades old conversation, I think it worthwhile to fully engage Peggy McIntosh's thesis. White Privilege contains a comprehensive list of privileges that I will now check my privilege by.

Privilege affects everyone, regardless of if they are affected positively or negatively. Being the majority in America, the white populations bears an automatic stamp of privilege on their foreheads, although they would care very strongly not to admit it. On the surface, privilege does not seem like such a bad thing, but when you pay attention to the differentiation of struggles between white men and everyone else in America, you can see it is a very large issue. Whether it is in the classroom, in the workforce, in real estate, or even in your own home, white privilege is affecting you. White privilege in America is counterproductive to the growth of equality in society today because it affects the quality of living and level of opportunity for the rest of the country’s inhabitants. Within all facets of life, you can find extreme examples of white privilege.

For example, being able to say “honky” or “cracker” but whites not being able to say the n-word or whites not being able to apply to certain scholarships that only applies to black people. As a black girl in America I would have to disagree. The difference between white and black privilege is that white privilege is global whereas black privilege is more national. Also, black privilege helps black people catch up to their white counterparts not get ahead because the system IS rigged in white people’s favor. Now I’m not whining about how “the man” has his boot on the necks of the black people of America, I’m simply putting my ear to the door of a party that I and my family were not invited to. When they call it whining and complaining, we call it being a whistle blower of a corrupt system. White privilege can affect one’s social interactions, economic occurrences, and how they are portrayed in the media. Now let’s begin, shall

White privilege is a term coined by Peggy McIntosh. White privilege is defined as, “a form of embedded racism wherein “white” people are granted greater power, prestige, and/or access to resources” (lecture march 6 and 7). McIntosh points out that white privilege, like male privilege, is denied by those who have it (source). For those who benefit from privilege, they are quick is dismiss any claims that they have it, as they do not want to believe they have been advantaged in any way over others, or they simply believe that all are equal, and are ignorant to the fact that inequalities exist. This is not the case,

To fully understand what white privilege is, one must first understand the origin of white privilege. White privilege actually began in the time of Britain’s struggle to conquer Ireland and control its people. Because of the dominance of Britain and the stubbornness of Ireland, a rise in cultural perception that Irish were inferior people gave rise. This did not just mean their society, but also their humanity. British people at that time perceived Irish as a different type of species, and had biological traits which was passed down that made them unequal. This allowed the British to feel no empathy and remorse for the Irish. When the British came to America, they also brought their social and cultural views of race with them. Capitalists, for example, controlled the conditions and resources of their companies, because of superiority and greediness- the less the capitalists payed for the labor and the materials, the more the capitalists got to keep. In time America became a large Agricultural country. The capitalists needed a large scale of cheap labor. They then

The sad reality is White privilege is very prevalent in the United States and has been for the past hundreds of years not to say that there has not been improvement. This is a very touchy subject where emotions runs deep many people who do not see it as an issue do not believe that White privilege exists. I do not think it is always done purposely the way society is set up many do not realize what they are doing or some may not even care. When watching the video about the resume experience it was sad to hear the same resume with different names the jobs called back the less ethnic name and how it was estimated that it would take five weeks longer for the person to find a job that was not white. Additionally saying a person who has an ethnic

There are two prominent writer/scholars who have taken the issue of white privilege to heart and have shared their expert analysis on the subject; these authors/writer-scholars are Peggy McIntosh, a white feminist, and Beverly Tatum, an African American Psychologist. McIntosh, in her article "Coming to See Correspondences," makes excellent observations about the privilege that she has experienced just by being a white female in America. The two most significant points made by McIntosh

So to everyone in the world all white men are privileged but to be real that's is not correct at all. The truth is white privilege are white men that have money power connect and that means they in the upper class. We all have seen new about a young white male college student rape two fellow female classmates and he was sentenced to six months in prison but he only served three months. He only served that short amount of time because of his father's connect money and power. If that was someone lower class white men or any other young minority they would have been in prison for 20 to life. The stereotype only applies to upper class and people that have connects. Also their is another part to white privilege that always happens white men will always get jobs over everyone and anyone. That does not mean that it's white privilege for all you could know that position you both are going for is he is more qualified. Everyone throws white privilege in white people's face and it really originated in white supremacy groups and that phrase white is right came from. Another question ask by salam,”What if white supremacy really is as pervasive and powerful a force as many left-of-center intellectuals believe?”(salam ). This question many people think because its more than likely true. One thing about the white supremacy I agree that they are the ones who came up with white male privilege or white privilege in general to be honest it a kind looks similar to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, Hitler was trying to make the ideal or perfect race and in a lot of ways white supremacy groups are saying they are perfect and other things as well. In the essay “Black people in public space”, shows white privilege in a way. Staples states, “It was clear that she thought herself the quarry of a mugger, a rapist, or worse. Suffering a bout of insomnia, however, I was stalking sleep, not

To begin, I would like to examine the privilege that I inherited when I was born to a white mother and father. It is important, as a white person, to end the silence that so many white people engage in daily, regarding their privilege. It is not common to hear people speaking about the privilege they experience. This may be due to guilt. It may also be because most people wouldn’t want to willingly admit that all they were able to achieve, the stability they feel in their lives, and the pride they feel for the success that they created for themselves, in large part is due to how people in society perceive them as members of a privileged group. This isn’t to say that those who have achieved success have not earned it, but it must be said that skin color has made certain things easier for white people, and that it may have played a large role in their ability to achieve their potential. Of course I worked hard to be where I am today, but I