White Privilege In American History

As a result of her comprehensive definition on white privilege and endorsement to her academic background, McIntosh begins to persuade her audience that unearned white privilege does exist. The first couple of paragraphs of her essay she gives to define white privilege, so it is recognizable that this definition is necessary for her essay and her argument.

In Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege”, she talks about how white privilege is “like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks” (1). What she meant by this, was that light-skinned/white people are at an automatic advantage over dark-skinned people, whom in turn, become the disadvantaged. She claims that being white protected her from danger and violence and freed her to do many things that she realized other people of color could not. She believes she can get away with doing more things and that more doors are open to her especially due to the color of her skin. When relating this to the movie, “The Hangover”, it is easy to point out these concepts of white privilege.

This week we were assigned to read to different articles. The first article was written by Peggy McIntosh titled, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”. Throughout the article, Peggy showed the readers what it means to have white privilege. She showed the readers 50 different types of “advantages” that whites get over other races, such as African Americans. This is the biggest theme throughout her entire piece.

“Behind every success, large or small, there is a story, and it isn't always told by sex or skin color” (page 2, par. 15), Fortgang, T (2014). Some people base their success on their racial background. “Checking My Privilege” by Tal Fotrtgang was written in an effort to voice his opinion on this matter. In his essay, Tal Fortgang says, “I actually went and checked the origins of my privileged existence, to empathize with those whose underdog stories I can’t possibly comprehend. I have unearthed some examples of the privilege with which my family was blessed, and now I think I better understand those who assure me that skin color allowed my family and I to flourish today”

During the documentary I felt largely uncomfortable. Primarily because it is the first time I have really questioned being white. I know my race, I have filled out multiple questionnaires but I have never sat down and thought what it meant to be white. White privilege does exist, and it is not uncommon.

1) White privilege is an ongoing societal issue that benefits white people, giving them an upper hand in situations where non-white people would not get the same treatment. For example, when walking down the street, a white person walks freely without concern of being stopped. Someone who is not white doesn’t have the same luxury. Authority stops them just because of their appearance. Tim Wise asked law enforcement what they thought of a black male driving a nice car in a nice neighborhood versus a white male in the same situation.

I sometimes get irritated when people don’t agree on the same ideas that I have or when the other person says something that I don’t agree with. The objective of this chapter made me comprehend that based on an individual’s experiences and viewpoints impacts the person’s behavior. Some experience may deal with the oppressions and privileges a person has, the article “Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person…” made me realize that I am more privilege than what I thought. The author didn’t think she was privilege until she read a book she got recommended and from her article she summarizes

We got turned into White people by assimilation. It is because of the added colour of other nationalities that we ended up being called the whites. But there is no need for the privilege too. Europeans changed themselves completely, angloconformity, conforming to this dominant white culture. White people don’t see ourselves as a white person but other people and other cultures see us as white people.

Whites are not aware of the privilege they have, simply for the fact that this is their life the majority do not know anything different. When you have been drinking coke every day of your life and everyone else has ben drinking diet coke labeled as coke you wont know the difference. Lipsitz (1995) affirms whiteness is everywhere in US culture, but it is very hard to see. This is how white privilege looks to the average American even though everyone else is not getting the same treat as the whites they do not understand it because they have been treated the same way or so they think their whole life as well. Minorities are getting diet coke their whole life, though they see the whites making more money, and treated better in turn they begin questioning and coming up with the

The article Critical Race Theory: An Introduction did a great job explaining in detail what critical race theory was. Offering Jean Harris personal experience, made the reader understand the limited amount of minority readings. Although it lacked information concerning the relationship CRT had to other previous movements and philosophers. Aside from this, the article did fulfill its purpose of informing readers of the origins of CRT and how it was a stepping stone for future developments and movements. The article WHITE PRIVILEGE, COLOR AND CRIME: A PERSONAL ACCOUNT, is an important article concerning whiteness.

There are still factors that have only been erased on the surface but still play a large role in the way that people of color are treated in America, and dictate to a certain extent, compromise the “freedom” that people have. On the other hand, we have white America, who have heightened chances of achieving anything that they please. This does not apply to every white American, as there are also white Americans who are living on or below the poverty line, and much like everybody else must put in a lot of effort to reach certain heights, however they have an advantage over all other denomination of people known as “white privilege” which are the societal benefits that people who can be categorized as “white” enjoy over the rest of the population and in the end, have a higher social status. Ultimately, people of color must work harder, and face many more setbacks in their climb to success than white Americans do, which is not fair,

In chapter one, "Privilege, Oppression, and Difference, Allan Johnson begins his argument that "difference is not the problem"( Johnson, pg 5 ). The author goes on to explain that difference by itself is not the problem, rather difference in conjunction with our ideas that cause fear. That being said, discrimination was a bigger problem in the past and it still is today. We starts with talking about Rodney King and racism he had received from police officers in Los Angeles. Johnson continues on with the idea that people are judged not for who they are or the things they have accomplished, but how they are perceived by others.

Pick up a history book, flip through its pages, and find a section(s) dedicated to African Americans. There will be a supercut of slavery and a few inventors, enough to count on one’s hand. Ultimately, only the historical characters that are considered salient are provided, which are white educators, Presidents, legislators, advocates, inventors, etc. This issue engenders the remaining reason to advocate Black History Month. “Carter G. Woodson was the sole individual responsible for creating Negro History Week in Washington, D.C., in February 1926” (Edmondson).

One of the people said white privilege was a fluffy academic term that you learn about in university and does not exist in the real world. Another person compared the concept of white privilege to “Asian Privilege” or “Muslim privilege” and compared it to Chinese restaurants being primarily staffed by Chinese people. Which is

In the article, Understanding White Privilege, by Francis Kendall, two comments that stand out as related to this are; “Most of us go through our days unaware that we are white or that it matters.” (Kendall, 2) “We participate, intentionally or not, in the purposeful construction of a system that deflates the value of one people’s culture while inflating the value of another’s.” (Kendall, 3) When I observe the terrible state of the world most of this is due to the dominant culture, capitalist culture, the Business as Usual, largely white-centric culture that is rapidly taking over the whole planet. Many of the healing systems and cultures that for centuries lived in harmony with the earth are being oppressed and eliminated. Learning to listen and provide space for the voices of these other cultures to be heard and acknowledged is extremely important at this time.