The Pros And Cons Of Whiteness

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.

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

Working Towards Whiteness is about immigrants who are coming to the United States during the twentieth century and struggling to become white. This is because America has this identity of being white and the new immigrants are facing the problem of fitting in based on their race and class. The states have applied restriction so that they can preserve the population to be more white. In Roediger historical studies he brings these practices to light and his goals to draw attention to the biased white supremacist policy of the government in the regulations of immigration. Roediger most evident strength would be that he has the adaptation of the “in-between” status of the new immigrants coming in, which they are neither accepted as white neither can they be able to identify themselves as their pre-existing background.

White privilege is a term for societal privileges that benefit white people in western countries beyond what is commonly experienced by the non-white people under the same social, political, or economic circumstances. For example, “white” history is taught as a core curriculum class whereas “minority” history is taught as an elective or when white people do not have to go through their entire day wondering if the negative situations that happen throughout the 24-hour span have racially charged undertones. White privilege can sometimes become an issue because white people may automatically assume that “privilege” equates to being wealthy which is not the case. Having white privilege simply equates to not having to undergo the various issues that people of color (POC) face. It is not necessarily a negative thing because one cannot help the skin they are born into but it is the person’s fault if they choose to consistently

Is whiteness only a matter of skin pigmentation? Nyack (2007) questions what would happen if we were to see whiteness as more of an organizing principle. Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS), she explains, provides a radically different way to think about race and challenge whiteness as the universal norm. If, additionally, we think of whiteness as a social construct that includes white culture, ideology, racialization, experiences and emotions, we can understand that CWS “focuses on problematizing the normality of hegemonic whiteness which has allowed whites to deflect, ignore or dismiss their role, racialization and privilege in race dynamics”

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.

I think this because look at how the term first came about; it was created as a way to identify someone. Then as years progressed, it evolved to mean a person with power and used to define someone, telling them where they stand on the social hierarchy. Now, “white” goes far beyond skin color. Being “white” is a concept, if you have money, no matter what skin tone, you are white or white washed. White doesn’t mean to be white, it means to be privileged, so if you are privileged you are

White privilege is the concept that white people such as those in the United States have not only more rights, but more opportunities in their lives that will make them more successful throughout their lives. In the United States you will find that in some job markets whites are more likely to get hired than other minority groups. Also you will find that on average white employees may be paid more on average than their minority colliges.

When we think of what it means to be white in today’s society, it seems so obvious in our modern eyes of who is white and who is not. Usually we have the mentality in racial aspects of either one person is this or not. What influences our way of differentiating from one person to another is what we were taught in life and from school. In Ian Haney Lopez, White By Law, Lopez discusses how the terms “black” and “white” were not natural categories that were simply there from the very beginning of time. But instead were terms that were created in part under the social construction of the law.

White privilege is a term used to describe the advantages in society that white people have over people of color. This concept is not new. It has been around, in America especially, for many years. We can see examples of white privilege in contexts such as slavery, the Civil War, and segregation. While we have overcome many racial issues in this country, racism and white privilege still exist today.

The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Are all men created equal? Are all men guaranteed the same opportunities in life? Are all men born into an equal environment? Do all men have the same potential? These are questions that are difficult to answer. Some would argue that although all men are created equally, they do not enjoy the same opportunities, environmental advantage and potential for advancement. Although not always, this disparity of privilege is often due to the color of one’s skin. Merriam Webster defines privilege as “a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage or favor (“Privilege”). This privilege refers to the advantages white people enjoy simply because of the color of their skin. White Privilege is also an invisible element that negatively affects the opportunity, environment, and potential of people of color.

White Privilege is the societal privilege that benefits people whom society identifies as white in some countries, beyond what is commonly experienced by non-white people under the same social, political, or economic circumstances.

Rather than merely examining the affects of racism on people of color, the book turns its attention to whiteness and how a system of white privilege, supported and perpetuated by whites, also damages whites by inhibiting them from making meaningful connections with other human beings. Until I almost reached the end of this book I was uncomfortable and disturbed by the way the book made me feel. As a white male, I am aware of the pain that my ancestors have created for others to advance the free world. I have pain for those who suffered and disagree with actions that were taken by my white predecessors. But I believed that we are now in a much more advanced world where we have chosen the first black president and equality was a focus of most Americans. Identifying with my culture as currently being a white supremacist society is something I have never considered, or would not want to consider. In Neuliep, within the Coudon and Yousef’s Value orientations, we perceive the human nature orientation within the United States with people being essentially rational. This term, rational, can be somewhat subjective. And if we continue with the same value system, and look from ‘the self’ values, we foster our self-identities from the influence of our culture’s values. If we are to reflect truthfully to how our country evolved and what we ‘had to do’ to create our freedom by limiting the freedom of other, how would we then perceive

America has coined the idea of being know as a melting pot of all races and ethnicities. Therefore, the question of white being the same as American has a more complex answer than just yes or no. Being merely white in skin color dos not correlate to an American status. Sonia Shah encountered a similar problem when she was asked to write about Asian American History Month. “… the term ‘Asian American’ itself it problematic. Most of the people whom others would categorize as ‘Asian American’ most emphatically don’t think of themselves that way” Shah explains (RGG 245). Therefore, categorizing white people as “White American” is neglecting their origin and culture, the same thing as Shah noted about Asian Americans.

Why do people treat differently to someone if that person is from the different culture or has different skin color? Racism is the major issues today and it still exists in our schools, works, and society. Racism at the workplace is responsible for continuous mood changes, aggressive behavior, and have a bad feeling in the minds of the affected persons. This turn bad for the employer and the society. Everyone has right to do something so why do people become races. Today it was better than years ago but still, racism exists in the United States and other countries.