What is privilege? Privilege, is a right or benefit that is given to some people but not others. The word privilege is generally taught at a very young age. Privilege is thought of something that is earned, not something that is just a given to you in everyday life. White privilege is an advantage that the white people have in our society. Most of our privileges are unearned and unnoticed in our daily life’s. In our daily life it is consisted of privileges that are always not recognized because they are just our everyday life. We just become norm to these privileges that we don’t even realize they exist. This privilege diary has made me re think my preconceptions of racism and race. I honestly thought I knew a lot about race, but come to …show more content…
You do not see a lot of blacks on toys. Some blacks or Hispanics may not pay certain toys because of the race and ethnicity. I think the main form of privilege I found whole finding privileges for a week was the expectation that my general appearance and sexual orientation would be reflected in my everyday life and decisions. In today’s day in age, we are becoming more accepting of different sexualities and gender identities. I can remember when I was younger gays, homosexual, and transgender were all very unaccepted. Everyone has their own opinions on it. Now we see states legalizing gay marriage. Many people believe that by having different sexual orientation is a decision that I really frowned upon. We normally think of gender as something that is developed at birth and is normally set in stone. Recently, people are now starting to express that their gender is different from the sex they were given at birth. I can’t even fathom how much things have changed in the last ten years. Between race and sexual orientation has changed a lot. The racism will keep continue if not get worse. And the sexual orientation is continuing to be expressed more and more. I feel as if our society has been changed with all of our race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation has changed. Sexual orientations have a big effect on our society. Some people are judged by our sex or sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is a person's sexual
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.
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
While, white privilege benefits whites it often has an adverse effect on people of color. White privilege comes in many forms. One white privilege is that being white is seen as normal. This is evident when looking at product sold in “flesh color.” Bandages, hosiery, and undergarments are often marketed as “flesh tone” but are sold in tones that match white skin (McIntosh, Holladay). It is normal
A privilege is not something people should expect to have, but something people consider themselves fortunate if they have it. Lewis Gordon believes that white privilege does not exist, since the ‘privileges’ that benefit white people are just social commodities that all people aim for. He also points out that although white people may be the majority race and population in privileged settings, that the actual amount of white people that enjoy those benefits isn’t much. Another criticism of white privilege also points out the confusion between a privilege and a right. If someone were to discriminate against a person of color, or a nonwhite, that does not count as a privilege. Blum feels as though privilege is not whites having more opportunities than nonwhites, but that racial discrepancy has been adopted by society over the years, within activities and opportunities that are often unconsciously assumed by those who benefit.
Biologically speaking, all people are made up with approximately 99% of the same genes (Robbins et al. 2013:80). It does not matter if a person looks different or has a different skin colour; we are all humans and thus should be treated equally. Unfortunately, this is not the case in most of the world, especially in America. In America¬ (and other parts of the world), several communities and companies believe in white privilege. One of the first reports of white privilege in America was in the 1600s, when white people enslaved black people (Nkomo & Ariss 2013). Back then, having slaves raised a white person’s power and identity, while also making it beneficial from a business standpoint (Nkomo &
Privilege is an unfair distribution in which a particular group, goods, services and equity ratio is higher than another group.
According to McIntosh's list of privilege, I meet 10 out of 14 or so applicable categories. These categories vary based upon nationality, gender and sexual identity. According to this I am very privileged but my background has led to a much different experience.
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.
The final privilege discussed is the privilege of not being seen as lazy. When people hear welfare, they assume two things: black and lazy. While the assumptions is that most of the people who are on welfare are black, white people have the largest percent of people on welfare and receive the most benefits. “White non-Hispanics, who make up 42 percent of the poor, receive 69 percent of government benefits” (Applebaum & Gebeloff, 2012, para. 10). While white privilege doesn’t guarantee a trouble-free life, when things get tough they will just be seen as things being tough, not as being unwilling to work or looking for aid without wanting to work for
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 (male) privilege comprises of having more access to resources, having normative assumptions of self-worth, and escaping consequences like being discriminated against just on the basis of one’s race (Neville, Spanierman, & Lewis, 2012). There are seven core components of White (male) privilege (Neville, Spanierman, & Lewis, 2012). The first core component is that While (male) privilege differentially benefits Whites on the basis of social group membership, including class, gender, and sexual orientation. Further, differentially benefits Whites, means that Whites benefits vary based on their social membership group. An example
Interwoven through history are the have and have nots. Those who come from privilege tend not to recognize those privileges, while those who fall into the marginalized groups have an uphill battle. White privilege is a set of institutional beliefs granted to those based on their skin color. These individuals have better access to privilege and resources. Much of these privileges are seen through types of employment, amount of compensation, quality of schools, and racial profiling. Among these few privileges one can see daily how the people of color are affect with basic needs as well.
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.
The book, Privilege, Power, and Difference brought awareness to where I stand as a Latina female in the United States. Growing up, I did not like to focus on the differences I experienced or saw others experience. These differences made me feel angry, scared, nervous, confused, and hopeless. Instead of focusing on the unfairness I was a part of I decided to look at it as a challenge, I would prove to myself that I could do whatever I set my mind to. I took every opportunity handed to me and tried to make the best of it, to make myself proud and my family proud. At least that is what I thought at the time, but now that I have had time to reflect on my desire to succeed I know that part of that desire comes from proving to the dominant culture that minorities can succeed.