Essay On Privilege

952 Words2 Pages

What is privilege? First, we must figure out what privilege is not. Being privileged is not a choice. Privilege is not what hard work or a high salary job can earn. Privilege is not what can be bought at the mall or any materialistic item, even though that it what the world is all about today. In the broad definition, social privileges are abilities you’re afforded, based on external factors. Such as where you were born, how you look, where you live, what kind of education you have received, what you believe in, who you are attracted to, etc. These privileges are important and necessary to acknowledge and understand because where there is privilege, there is always disadvantage and oppression. Privilege is merely advantages people have by virtue of their status or position in society. It's a word that we throw around during many of our daily lives. We know we have to be knowledgeable of it. And we talk a lot about it. In fact, our class was based on the topics of power and privilege. For many, the immediate connotation is simple. The white male that has his school paid for (by his parents) and has a job right out of college. So he is considered privileged. Many people categorize privilege by race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and sexual preference. I would like to categorize it differently. I believe privilege to be a way of life, either one is privileged or one is oppressed there is no in between.
A few months ago this class took a field trip outside the classroom to a large grassy field. The whole class lines up against the fence in a single file line. Dr. Becker started to ask the class questions such as “If there have been times in your life when you skipped a meal because there was no food in the house take one step backwar...

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...e low- income communities has been a life altering experience for me in many ways. Firstly, the garden leaders as well as the few members of the community were extremely welcoming to me. I wonder if the roles were reversed and these people were outsiders and a burden in my community would I be as welcoming? I came into the gardens with a slightly negative outlook and absolutely no gardening experience but they took me under their wing and not only taught me to garden but asked for my insight into the well being of the garden. The first time Mrs. Aldreamer inquired with me if we should weed a certain flowerbed or not, I was taken back. She sincerely wanted my input and to me this is a direct reflection of her community-oriented lifestyle. Here I am, a complete outsider, with little knowledge of gardening and a poor attitude and she went out of her way to include me.

Peggy McIntosh's White Privilege And Male Privilege
982 Words | 2 Pages
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 receive certain privileges, yet they do not even notice them. This shows that different races and women are still put at a disadvantage, but the people who receive the benefits are blind to the problem. Many people will argue that she is correct while some others will explain why this not is the case.
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Analysis Of Checking My Privilege By Tal Fortgang
1656 Words | 4 Pages
When I read “Checking My Privilege” written by Tal Fortgang, a freshman at Princeton University, it made me stop and think. What does privilege mean, how should it be used and does it affect me and my life? Fortgang never really states the exact meaning of the word privilege but goes on to complain about the mistreatment of the word and how it is a form of reverse racism; could that be true, I wondered? However, he also claims that privileges do not exist based on race or gender, and that is something I do not agree with. I imagine many people will not agree with his stance on the word privilege or mine, as a matter of fact. Mainly because the word privilege has a different
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White Privilege Essay
941 Words | 2 Pages
White privilege is a concept that many people are unfamiliar with, but not because they do not benefit from it. In the paper “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh argues that white people have an advantage over those of other races, though most are completely unaware of it or simply take it for granted. Her recognition of white privilege came from the concept of male privilege. She says that she looked at that concept and realized there was certainly something similar to it in regards to race (McIntosh, 1988, 11). This paper has great importance to the function of society. Because many white people do not recognize their unfair and disproportionate advantage in society, racial tensions can rise even more because there is a major wall blocking people from fixing the current issues.
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Privilege, Power, and Difference
2519 Words | 6 Pages
In the beginning of the year I entered this class with a very sheltered and ignorant view of current and past events. Through time and sociological evolution I have begun to see things in a different light. The development of my ability, to look at something or some kind of situation, lets me use the sociological terms in such a manner to relate them to micro and macro problems in society. This started with the assigned readings of the class; the aim was to decipher the messages the authors were presenting. The goal was then to dig deeper and use my experiences to help myself understand the concepts throughout the course. "The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited." Plutarch (46-120 CE--common era) I was no longer supposed to retain knowledge on a factual basis but to observe the problems and challenge my own thoughts, values, and beliefs. Challenging these aspects lights the fire that creates the ability to use working sociological terms in my analyses. Through my analyses of the authors in the course I developed questions about the particular readings that we were assigned. The questions I present from these authors are on the basis of learning and seeing the macro picture from micro events. The authors that we read from were: Allan G. Johnson, James W. Loewen, Jonathan Kozol, David Nibert, Arnold Arluke, Clinton R. Sanders, and Elie Wiesel. From each one of these authors we are able to relate a theme of sociology to what is happening in their books, which results in the discussion questions.
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Essay On Privilege In America
615 Words | 2 Pages
As a member of the dominant race in America, I know that I possess certain unearned privileges that allow me to be more successful overall. I was raised with the mindset that racism doesn't affect me because I am white. The U.S. education system taught me about my racial and ethnic history, but it is likely that my classmates of different races could not say the same. I learned about racism in school but not to view whites as privileged or degrading towards subordinate groups. My group was never seen at fault for oppression or took any responsibility for it. Myself, nor my peers, were ever seen or viewed as unfairly advantaged or privileged. I grew up under the impression that any person could achieve what they wanted if they simply worked hard
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White Privilege Examples
1551 Words | 4 Pages
Privilege is defined as “a special advantage or authority possessed by a particular person or group” in the Cambridge Dictionary (“privilege”). 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 affects how they see themselves. Furthermore, Affirmative Action attempts to equal the playing field for minorities but is faced with contention by many white people.
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Essay On White Privilege
829 Words | 2 Pages
White privilege are privileges that are given to white people who they do not earn, it 's an asset they get; on daily basis just because of their skin color.; White. Peggy McIntosh describes the white privilege as "an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, code-books, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks (McIntosh 1988, p175).” I believe that the white privilege is the same as racism because the word white privilege itself explains it. It is privilege given and offered towards only the white people. If someone is given a special privilege because they are white then that is racism.
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Essay On Executive Privilege
2444 Words | 5 Pages
The power of executive privilege has been extremely controversial since basically the beginning of the United States as a democratic government. Many saw this power come into a greater public focus particularly during the Nixon presidency and the infamous Watergate Scandal, but the theory and use of executive privilege existed long before Nixon. As in true American fashion, some argue in favor of executive privilege, while others view it in a more negative light. The intense controversy is what makes executive privilege so intriguing to review in a deeper and more in depth analysis. The theory of executive privilege has derived its power throughout evolution of time, a series of presidencies, and quite a few pinpointed circumstances resulting in some very notorious court cases.
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Race And Privilege Essay
795 Words | 2 Pages
Another example of the little bit of privilege that I have, is religion. I am a Christian and America is a Christian nation. If I were to claim myself as Christian, I would probably be less ridiculed if a Muslim stated his/her religion. Not everyone in America are very welcoming towards other religions because they may or may not be affiliate with something bad. A lot of times, the only reason I have privilege is because of peoples preconceived notions. Someone would more likely give me special treatment because they have this assumption that I am better than the next option. I do have certain privileges, but in my opinion, it’s not enough to matter. The reason for this is mainly because of my race. The only privilege I have is because I am a Christian, or just got lucky and was better off than someone else. Beside race and religion, social class has a lot to do with the certain privileges I have. A key example is where I live. My father lives on a predominantly white side of town, and my mother lives on a predominantly black and Hispanic part of town. If I were to tell someone that I lived with my dad in said neighborhood, then I would most likely be considered better than others of
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Racial Inequality Essay
1212 Words | 3 Pages
1. What is the difference between a. and a. Inequality became instrumental in privileging white society early in the creation of American society. The white society disadvantaged American Indians by taking their land and established a system of rights fixed in the principle that equality in society depended on the inequality of the Indians. This means that for white society to become privileged, they must deprive the American Indians of what was theirs to begin with. Different institutions such as the social institution, political, economical, and education have all been affected by race.
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Animal Privilege Or Privilege
1288 Words | 3 Pages
The word “Privilege” is defined as being an immunity granted to a person or group of people that is meant to give one an advantage over others or benefit them in a useful way. Privileges are supposed to help people, but some do not want to accept the privilege and they should not be forced to partake in the advantage. Some privileges could be dangerous if a person partook in it and they could end up harming others. For example, there is a “grandfather clause” that allows certain people to drive a boat without taking safety classes or tests other people are forced to take. This could put someone who does not know how to drive a boat safely to drive one legally. Some topics are controversial when it comes to a privilege, like whether owning a
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White Privilege in America
707 Words | 2 Pages
What is privilege? What does it mean? Is privilege inherited or is it earned? As an American resident of color I’ve learned that privilege in this country is something that is innate and inherited. The privilege that I speak of is that of White privilege.
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Argumentative Essay On White Privilege
1040 Words | 3 Pages
"The idea of privilege- that some people benefit from unearned,and largely unacknowledged, advantages, even when those advantages aren 't discriminatory."(Rothman, 2015) "Race privilege refers to the advantages that people receive because of the color of their skin."(Simpson, 2015)
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Sociology: Privilege
1154 Words | 3 Pages
1. (a) Privilege is defined as a favor or right granted to some people, but not to everyone.
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Social Inequality Essay
1370 Words | 3 Pages
To understand the concept of social inequality, one needs to explore how it occurs or functions. According to Charles Walker, “Social inequality refers to the ways in which socially-defined categories of persons are differentially positioned with regard to access to a variety of social ‘goods”. Social inequality, therefore, is an umbrella term. It is expansive in nature, as social inequality encompasses a variety of different inequalities; for example, gender, race, and structural inequality are all social inequalities, but they can differ widely in manifestation. The definition of social inequality can also change based on the perception of the individual who is defining the term.
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Essay On Privilege

Peggy McIntosh's White Privilege And Male Privilege

Analysis Of Checking My Privilege By Tal Fortgang

White Privilege Essay

Privilege, Power, and Difference