White Privilege Essay

White Privilege: Reflection Paper Northeastern State University Abstract This paper is about my reflection of White Privilege in the United States. I got my information from four resources. The first resource was the handout provided for this assignment; White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, by Peggy McIntosh. The second resource was the website, www.jstor.com. Access is provided via Northeastern State University as a resource for peer-reviewed articles. Thirdly, the textbook

Privileges are things that a person receives that gives them an advantage over most people (Merriam-Webster). These are benefits that only certain people receive for being in a certain group or discourse. Peggy McIntosh, director of the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, wrote “White Privilege and Male Privilege” and states “I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privileges, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege” (605). She argues that whites and males

White privilege and “black privilege” As I start to type this paper I really don’t know how to start. It took me the day before my first draft is due to start writing. Not because I was lazy and waited last minute, but because this is such a touchy subject to speak on.(6) I was sitting there at the kitchen table with my mom asking her what I should and shouldn’t say. She told me, “Danielle you don't need to worry about what you should or shouldn’t say. You need to be real about white privilege

2 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

seemingly foreign to me. As well, I can sadly remember questioning whether or not white privilege exists. In my ignorance, I questioned this in almost the exact same manner as the guy does to Professor Hunk in Ifemelu’s blog post “What Academics Mean by White Privilege. I even pondered the question the guy asks: “Why must we all talk about race…”(429). This blog offers a beautiful, understandable explanation of what white privilege is to both gift to those who have difficulty expressing the issue with their

White Privilege 2 WHITE PRIVILEGE: Founded in Racial Preference What is white privilege? It is important that white privilege be defined because the majority of whites want to deny that it exists at all, especially in response to assertions of people of color that it exists unjustly and should be dismantled. The denial of its existence by whites is racialized. People of color say white people enjoy white privilege while white people deny, as often as possible, that they

White Privilege Dick Hebdige in “From Culture to Hegemony; Subculture: The Unnatural Break” states “All human societies reproduce themselves in this way through a process of ‘naturalization’. It is through this process- a kind of inevitable reflex of all social life- that particular sets of social relations, particular ways of organizing the world appear to us as if they were universal and timeless,” (142). Hebdige speaks to the fact that the way society is structured and the way people interact

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

Many Caucasians do not realize that they possess white privilege, while people of color do. White privilege has been around ever since society had considered “white” as the dominant race. White privilege is unfamiliar to many people because it is the inconspicuous elements white people take for granted. For example, Caucasians are forty percent more likely to receive a private scholarship than POCs (people of color); they also have a sixty-seven percent lower incarceration rate and are ten times

At its core, white privilege is described to be an “invisible package of unearned assets” (McIntosh, 2002, p. 33) for white people. There are many layers explaining the manifestation of white privilege and even more explanations pertaining to its dominant presence in today’s world. This essay will address key aspects of white privilege and pick the two most important aspects with explanations signifying the reasons for their choosing. An explicit aspect of white privilege is the fact that it is