White Privilege

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.

In “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” Peggy McIntosh argues that racism can be found imbedded into the culture of society; conferring and denying certain privileges on some rather than all. This is a dangerous cultivation; endowing a strong expectation that white privileges are naturally deserving. Furthermore, making the cornerstone of McIntosh’s main argument; that white privilege is just a less aggressive synonym for dominance. When you receive privileges for looking a certain type of way, the recipient becomes immune; often not being able to acknowledge their advantages. As a result, this creates a cultural divide, between racial groups.

Peddy McIntosh highlighted various unearned white privileges in her autobiographical article “White Privilege, Color and Crime: A Personal Account.” She illustrated the white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that one white person could count on cashing in each day. White people have these privileges given to them by the society in which they live in. The same society taught them to be ignorant and unawareness of these privileges. This system of unearned privileges established by white individuals made people of color feel oppressed. In this system being white is a norm and dominant power. Caucasians, who benefit most from the white privilege system in the United States, are more likely to

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.

These advantages are not realized until you actually sit down and think about situations and that about how others deal with being put in the same situation. Some races are higher in power than others, and this allows for the advantages that they are

Today, the U.S. is considered a “post-racial” society, and many believe that in this day and age, equality is much more prevalent among races. However, the word “many” is mostly referring to the white population in the U.S.. Majority of white people often refuse to believe that they have more privileges, or benefits, compared to people of color. Throughout history, and even in todays society, white privilege has been an issue that many people of color have discussed. For example, research shows that white people are much less likely to be arrested and jailed compared to black people, even though blacks only make up 30% of the population, they make up 60% of the prison population. White privilege and the advantages received through colorism is very much evident even now in current times.

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

As a result of this individualistic ideology and confirmed by media, whites enjoy the comfort of not dealing with the “social burden of race.” Until whites can face the reality and openly discuss the imbalance between opportunities that whites and black have in American society, the injustice of segregated privileges will continue without any prevail.

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

‘‘CRT begins with an a number of basic insticts. One is that racism is normal, not abberrant, in American society. Because racism is an ingrained feature of our landscape, it looks ordinary and natural to persons in the culture. Formal equal opportunity – rules and laws that insist on treating blacks and whites (for example) alike – can thus remedy only the more extreme and shocking forms of injustice, the ones that do stand out. It can do little about the business-as-usual forms of racism that people of color confront every day and that account for much misery, alienation, and despair’’ (Delgado & Stefanic, 2000: xvi).

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.

Privilege refers to the unearned advantages enjoyed by a particular group simply because of membership in that group. Privileges accrue to those who (consciously or not) oppress others and are generally invisible to those who enjoy them (Swigonski, M.E. 1996). Having that in mind my position on white privilege (or white skin privilege) which can also be called the huge “pink elephant” in the room. Society (especially now) believe that America have advanced past racism when in all actuality we still have a long way to go. People in our society can go through life without knowing about white privilege or realizing they themselves, may have this privilege. The white or lighter skin color of a person has automatic benefits, right from birth, them not ever having to do anything to attain this privilege. The consequences are mostly good and outweigh the bad, for the ones that have white privilege. However, skin that is not white has far more injustices, they are oppressed and they are the ones that suffer, not having this same privilege (King, M.T. 2009). I do believe the only difference between racism and 2016 as compared to 1960 is the law civil laws enacted caused white Americans to construct more subtle ways of displaying racist behaviours. In doing this assignment not only did I read what the author stated about white

while the gap between whites and collective blacks does not shrink. The authors argue that in group versus out group hostilities will lessen between the whites and honorary whites, however this will only increase their in group size compared to the out group of the collective blacks and only create new tensions while strengthening old ones between these two groups. This will be because the collective blacks will feel more segregated from their lighter skinned counterparts. This type of grouping will only allot the whites more power as honorary whites’ participation within social society will rely solely on their white superiors for their approval. Maxine Leeds Craig argued in “The Colors of an Ideal Negro Beauty Queen,” that one way to

Recently in American history, there has been an ongoing debate regarding non-whites ability to achieve the “American Dream” as easily as their white counterparts. Some people believe that this form of racism has died and supported their claim by citing famous people of color such as Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama. Their argument stems from the success of one percent of the population and fails to take into account the other ninety-nine percent of the population that suffers from racial injustices. This form of colorblindness originates from parts of America that either doesn't have frequent contact with people of color or aren’t one of those targeted races. For example, an Italian girl in a white community might come in contact with someone of color once every other week. She wouldn’t be able to make an accurate personal statement about current race wars because she doesn’t interact with other races enough to know their situation. Generally, this blindness convinces citizens that America is no longer racist and minorities are holding grudges about past historical events. In so-called “post-racial America”, citizens of color are experiencing harassment and discrimination, which ultimately prompts citizens involvement in hateful race movements.

Yet, the most significant flaw in this essay can be seen through the author’s simplistic view of the scope of racial injustice. Remarkably, the author only refers to white privilege in terms of its impact on what she calls “the problems facing Black America.” She fails to acknowledge or perhaps has no insight that white privilege involves the preference for ‘whiteness’ over all persons of color. Every non-white group is impacted by individual and institutional racism. Every non-white group grows up with the knowledge that their white peers have certain automatic privileges. Every child of color has to learn to navigate through the floodwaters of racism