White People Are Just American Essay

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).

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.

Alice McIntyre talks about how whites view racism in many different examples and stories of white talk. McIntyre defines white talk throughout the reading, “Talk that serves to insulate white people from examining their/our individual and collective roles in the perpetuation of racism. It is a result of whites talking uncritically with/to other whites all the while, resisting critique and massaging each other’s racist attitude, beliefs, and actions” (McIntyre, 45-46). McIntyre talks about the themes that were discussions of white talk: “(1) How the participants constructed differences from “the Other,” (2) how they reconstructed myths about white and people of color, and (3) how they privileged their own feelings and affect over the lived

Labelling ‘whiteness’ and white privilege and recognising how it has been institutionalised allows people to look beyond it to see how it has defined knowledge, membership and language in our society, as well as the way it makes and enforces the rules and regulations of life in our society. This allows the implicit standards against which people are measured to be revealed (Puzan, 2003). According to Puzan (2003), some whites make a conscious choice to raise their own awareness of skin privilege, but this is not considered obligatory by most whites and is not addressed through legal and social measures in the same way as the more-familiar ‘racism’ that is known by that label.

“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.

Jose Antonio Vargas states, “Until we unpack ‘whiteness’ as a social construct…we cannot have a real, more honest conversation about race and racism…In this era of #BlackLivesMatter, at a time when Latinos are the largest minority group and Asians are the fastest growing racial and immigrant group, exploring and questioning ‘white privilege’ is essential” (qtd. in Craven). Having a discussion about what “whiteness” means today and how it came about is so important because in the past, other races have had their worth based off of what “whiteness” was worth. This topic has been avoided because it questions the majority in power and it brings out the

I feel Peggy McIntosh offers compelling points in her article, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”. White people in our society tend to take for granted and not even realize how easily they can live their lives without the discrimination that others endure. They don’t live in fear of being a victim of racism because they are not used to that kind of treatment themselves. Being white is viewed as the norm in our society, while it is also normal to treat anyone who is non-white differently. People in our American society are quick to stereotype any race that is not white. Anybody who is non-white must continuously have their guards up for racism and are often labeled social unacceptable when they do not deserve to be.

White privilege is an apparent part our society, well to me at least.The fact that a white person can kill a black male for simply getting Skittles and Arizona, or selling non taxed cigarettes, or playing loud music,looking threatening and so on without consequences for their consequences is white privilege. White privilege is not having to be followed around a boutique or high class store because of the stereotype of being poor and a criminal. White teenagers can go out at night in large groups without being disturbed. White privilege is an advantage that white people are unaware they have.They can not see that the way in which they live is exclusive to their race. They have special assets that colored people do not. In White Privilege-

White people have an invisible package of unearned assets. Invisible in the way that they can't be seen or touched, but can be cashed in everyday at colored peoples expense. White people have these unearned advantages and privileges just for being white, and in our society this leads to a systematic tendency to over empowerment, where denial of these advantages occurs leading to no changes in society.

The way people of color lack whiteness can come in appearance, speech, activities and many more. We associate certain things to certain groups and obviously white American have their own standard that the whole society has created. When non-white people do not fit that standard of the American society, “whiteness”, we see it as a threat or something “not acceptable”. So our automatic reaction is to fight back, distance ourselves from the difference and start using discriminatory practices against them; where these tensions and status quo can emerge as a

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

society has been shaped, it is very easy to see how the concept of white

-Unless I'm totally off base, it has been my understanding that throughout history, several ethnic groups were not considered white. Over time, however, as new immigrants entered the country and old ones gained access to levels of power and influence, the boundaries grew to include them. It was by way of this social reconstruction that these ethnic groups such as Greeks, Jews and Irish were included. The reconstruction of the identity of “white” will continue to evolve.

The central argument expressed by Marcus is that white privilege is not a result of a political agenda as was previously stated by Tim Wise, but rather a psychological one. He goes on to say that because the issue is not based on policy, the government cannot legislate it. He explained that, “almost all scientific evidence produced to describe the nature of any individual based on race is bunk” also adding that, “only when everyone views snap judgments about individuals based on race as the absurd equivalent of such judgments based on hair or eye color, will the great moral victory over bigotry be won” (Marcus). I agree with the author that white privilege is spread by individuals and not based on policy. However, I disagree that white privilege