White Privilege: A Case Study

Privilege is defined as “a special advantage or authority possessed by a particular person or group” in the Cambridge Dictionary. Globally, white individuals are often granted privileges than minority groups do not receive. While white privilege often goes unnoticed by white individuals, it causes many disadvantages for people of color and effects how they see themselves. Furthermore, Affirmative Action attempts to equal the playing field for minorities but is faced with contention by many white people.

1) The article “White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack” explains that shows from a very young age, we are educated to see racism on an individual level, not only racism but oppression as well. The idea of oppression starts with the topic that women are at an disadvantage when it comes to the idea that mean are the dominant sex. The male population will always have an image that they are better than women. This ties into race because men are always in competition and we notice some men believe they're better than others due to ethnicity. McIntosh explains that white privilege using the idea of an invisible weightless knapsack. To summarize that, a white person in the United States has an invisible weightless knapsack that allows for acceptance, favors from the law, and common discrimination. This is truly an issue in the United States that should and will be addressed. We can raise awareness by simply treating everyone with the same respect, not because they share the same skin tone as you.

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

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

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

This purpose of this paper is to synthesize this writer 's three key revelations from this semester which are, (1) white privilege, (2) curriculum corruption and inadequate United States history education in K-12 public schools, and (3) United States legislation which disadvantages the minor races as a means for the dominate race to maintain power and control. Thus, this exploration organizes each area of significant course discovery, which a hybrid of class sources and readings relating to each area of learning supports. Additionally, this synthesis includes a summary of this writer 's social location as well as the course material’s impact on the understanding and interpretation of these themes. Finally, this paper ends with a conclusion and presents final thoughts about the concepts we 've discussed in the Sociology 321 - Race and Ethnicity course throughout the spring 2016 semester.

According to Peggy McIntosh, an American feminist and anti-racism activist, whites are convinced that they carry an “invisible knapsack”, which allow them several privileges that African American or other ethnicities don’t have. In her article “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” McIntosh describe a long list of white privileges such as, ”When I go shopping, store detectives don’t follow me” and “…people of my race are positively presented on television or papers”. They believe that the fact of being whites automatically makes them less suspicious of wrongdoing (McIntosh, 152). The American philosopher John Berteaux, a specialist in social ethics and philosophy of race agree with McIntosh about the wrong believe that whites have about some privileges embedded in the race, “Most white people don’t question their race or it’s privileges; they simple take them for granted” (Rosenstand, 373). In other words, whites believe that the skin color is what makes a race better that the other, giving some people more rights that to the others.

Many white Americans are living with the fear that they didn't really deserve their success, and that maybe luck and privilege had more to do with it, than brains and hard work. There are numerous reasons for the widespread discrimination at all levels, but the main reason for the existence of discrimination is a privilege to certain groups of people, and widespread social prejudice towards certain groups of people. Differences between people have always existed, but they gain in importance only when are different importance given to certain differences, so it creates privileges. People who are privileged in one society are often not aware of their privilege. It is very easy to be oblivious to the privilege. The problem of discrimination

Shannon Sullivan reveals what white privilege looks like from someone who deals with it on a daily basis, a white woman. Sullivan discusses how white privilege in this day and age can be an invisible and sometimes unquestioned norm in our lives in America. Sullivan speaks up about her own race and the ways it has affected her life. The book discusses the delicate effects white supremacy has had on America. Sullivan also prompts white people to start standing up to the podium and discussing the issues they see when it comes to race. In Sullivan’s writing, she states how white privilege is not discussed much amongst white people and that she wants them to own up to their privilege and to go against the norms of their environments that allow these activities to happen.

-The one that caught my eye was #20 “I can easily buy posters,post-cards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys, and children’s magazines featuring people of my race.”

The article White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack written by Peggy McIntosh discusses the power that systemic white privilege, unearned privileges given to people with white skin, holds over the society as a whole (McIntosh, 1988). The author takes an interesting stance is suggesting that those who are the most damaged by this are the oppressors, not those who are oppressed and that the society itself is damaged (McIntosh, 1988). McIntosh then goes on to show this through her explanation of men in the school system contrasted by women in the school system. The author draws parallels between male privilege and white privilege to show not only the similarities between them, but also the extent to which our society is in fact “damaged” (McIntosh, 1988). She uses daily life experiences to bring about the question “ […] whether we will choose to use unearned advantage to weaken invisible privilege system and whether we will use any of our arbitrarily awarded power to try to reconstruct power systems on a broader base” (McIntosh, 1988)

As a person that identifies as white, it is easy to overlook my own privilege and to not notice the small things I take for granted that most do not have access to. Obviously, I am talking about white privilege and it is something that I did not realize I had for many years and that I also did not believe in when I first heard of it. Many people that identify as white would agree with this statement because we do have the privilege of not thinking about race. Through the cycle of socialization, I have been taught to believe certain things about other races; however, through the socialization of media I have learned to no longer believe in those prejudices.

I as a minority will forever see them the same because we have been trying for so long to get what is concerned white privilege. We want for once have white people want what we have, as much as what we want that they have. However, white privilege individuals may disagree on what I am saying, due to the fact that white individuals believe we get extra scholarships offers and government help offers. This in result creates a conflict that white individuals will never comprehend. What white people do not know is that white individuals in fact get more of these offers given to them than what a minority individual receives. This was a discussion in the course that for a second made me happy that minorities were at least being offer something

In the movie, Time Wise, an antiracist and educator, explores racism and white privilege. He thoroughly brings up the phrase “white denial”, where politicians and others consistently believe that racism is in the past. In the reading in class we have also described this onset as colorblind racism (Golash-Boza 64). He also integrates living expectations and stereotypes into his video by describing his past. Tim had lived in an area where he attended a majority black school.

During this quarter I contributed at least 3 to 4 days, if not more of the week to Sociology, which included spending time reading assigned chapters, submitting weekly quizzes and sharing my thoughts on weekly discussion posts. Sociology on a whole is very interesting, since it covers topics that relate to the real world and is easily relatable. Some of the topics that I thought were really thought provoking were the concept of the white privilege and looking at it using a sociological imaginative approach. The documentary white people shed lights at looking at the concept of white privilege from different perspectives not just from non-white individuals and being non-white myself I got a glimpse of what the whites thought about their privilege