The Educational Benefits of White Male Privilege

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The Educational Benefits of White Male Privilege

What is learned in school, be it public or private, determines, for the most part, what position an individual will find themselves in - in the future. In “White Privilege and Male Privilege,” Peggy McIntosh, an author known for doing something that is rarely done in the white community--speaking of her race--makes references to education, to her privileged education, to support her argument on white and male privilege. Sometimes I wonder what society would look like without education; would there be any norms, or rules? Education is so deeply instituted into most Americans' lives that those questions will probably never be answered. One thing is certain; some people are able to get a better education than others.

One of the points that Peggy McIntosh makes that truly impacts me is when she states, “I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege.” I must say that I agree with this point, but not in its entirety. In high school I was always taught that throughout history women were treated differently than men and that because of this, men have been able to attain a better position in society, mainly in the workforce, and in this way I was taught about male privilege. I believe that it depends on the type of education one receives that determines whether or not males are taught to recognize male privilege. I also believe that the way men view their male privilege is heavily influenced by race, culture, and one’s values, which McIntosh does not mention. For example: in my family we were taught not to treat the women in our family any different than the men and have always supported them in any care...

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...hite. The Posse scholarship was one of those doors opened for me, but in any other case if I had applied to Middlebury on my own, my application, like the Columbia one, would have probably been overlooked.

What is happening in education? White privileged men have taken over our education systems, the economy, and perhaps every other aspect that makes up our society, and are changing everything so that it all goes in their favor. Those in dominant society have the power to make the important decisions that are crucial to education and society in general. Through education, or more realistically, through the lack of education, many have been denied advancement in society. Peggy McIntosh makes it very clear that white men have throughout history had more privilege than anyone else in society and this has certainly been my experience when it comes to education.

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