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White Privilege Summary

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My initial reaction to this article was that of agreement. McIntosh describes white privilege vividly as the idea of an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions and more. In other words, a white person in the United States has on his or her back an invisible weightless knapsack granting favored status, acceptance, and more. It was interesting seeing a white woman’s perspective on the topic of privilege. As I was reading I was reflecting on moments in my life where I have whiteness white privilege and how it worked against me. I’ve seen white privilege illustrated at various time throughout my life. My personal favorite part of this article was the list of daily effects of White privilege that the author complied. It was interesting yet not relatable. To me, this list was eye opening. I understood the point she was trying to make with it. I cannot …show more content…

It offered a candid honest perspective on a taboo subject. Her studies in this field were rooted in findings of men’s unwillingness to acknowledge their over-privileged status. These denials, protected male privilege from being acknowledged or decreased. Calling out this unacknowledged male privilege her finding of white privilege might be a key to racism as well. The message that was being portrayed was that privilege is real and whites are taught not to recognize privilege. They simply go along with a system that is already biased in their favor, never noticing the privileges built into their daily lives and institutional structures. In terms of primary identities like race and gender, I do not think I am privileged. When looking at secondary identities like education and work experience I could be considered privileged in comparison to individuals of my same background. The freedoms of these specific privileges allow me access to higher education which opens more opportunity to various

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