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Social class and how it relates to race and gender
How white privilege affects society
White privilege effecting our society today
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Recommended: Social class and how it relates to race and gender
The author describes some privileges and power the white people have in the United States. The author's tone here is very pessimistic and pragmatic. She explains that in USA, power is in the hands of majority in context of socio-economic status. She uses the word rage to show the intense side of anger. Power gives a person everything. If a white man gets angry they are given support by government in any situation but if it would be a person of minority groups the scenario might be different. In 2014, a 12 year old boy, Tamir Rice was shot and killed by a white police officer for having a gun which actually turned out to be a toy gun. The police officer was saved from the charges by the statement that he had fear of his life and that was a defense
In Deenu Parmar's "Labouring the Wal Mart Way," the author discusses the business practices of Wal Mart, their impact on systemic poverty, and on existing work unions. Their business model forces competition to align with them, or close up shop. Wal Mart hires workers that would usually have a difficult time finding employment. That said, they pay them well below a living wage. Staff are also subject to abuses like overtime without pay. Wal Mart is resolute in their feelings towards unions. Their hiring process designed to cut out union sympathizers. This way, they can prevent any retaliation from staff seeking a better work environment. If anti-union efforts are unsuccessful, they close the store. It also forces existing unions to take pay
“White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks” (McIntosh, 172). White privilege is all around us, but society has been carefully taught
It is theorized that the phrase “angry Black man” is a social construct created during America’s Colonial period. It was supposedly used to negatively describe African-American men who spoke out against what they considered to be an incongruous and xenophobic society and more specifically the institution of slavery. The phrase’s essence has been intentionally misconstrued. The three words together were said to have been used by whites as a dismissive tool; a method of sabotaging the validity of an outspoken Black man’s claims of an unjust and oppressive system. This was done in an effort to detract from the legitimacy of the outraged Black man’s cries of injustice.
In Days of Destruction Days of Revolt by Chris Hedges Chapter 2, he shows that the minority is fully aware that White privilege is there, in a quote saying “I had urged [the minority] to have faith in America and in white society” (Hedges 2012: 60). In this quote, he shows symbolic interactionism by using the Labeling Theory. The labeling theory is when a label is being put onto something to describe it. And in that instance, it was put onto society and it was the word “white.” It was being put there to show the minority that had to hope in society, but mainly in white society because he feels that the majority of our society is controlled by white people. Coming from Schaeffer, he says that Blacks are discriminated against because they are inferior to whites (Schaeffer 2012:62). This is important because when related to Symbolic interactionism it is labeling Blacks as inferior and Whites as superior and coming from Lipsitz, “‘Americans’ means ‘whites’”(Lipsitz 1998: 67). It symbolizes that blacks think that they are not Americans and making them less a part of our country. This explains why white people are unaware of their superiority and how black people are aware of that they are inferior to Whites. This should
The author points out that it was an issue of “white resistance” rather than racism that played a role in the violence of the protests. I believe that this is a contradictory statement. What Formisano calls “white resistance” is the violent reaction to the
Recently police officers are questioned if they are abusing or utilizing their power the correct way. For example a police officer shot an African American whom he “believed was armed” but had no evidence of a gun. In “Partial People” by Terry Bisson the weaker people, or the partial people as Bisson calls them, are allowed to be beaten and do not have equal rights as non-partial people. In Bisson’s “By Permit Only” people who have money can buy permits to abuse other people. Bisson uses the absurdity of “Partial People” and satirical situation of “By Permit Only” to demonstrate that powerful people will always try to dominate the weaker people.
1) What petitions did you read on change.org & what did you notice about the format of these petitions?
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.
With all of these facts, the author tries to prove that racial differences and privileges appear exaggerated and unrealistic. The privileged and less privileged exist at all levels of society. Duke wants white people to understand that they are in the same position as all other races. The awareness of “white privilege” is only a fallacy that causes feel of guilt without foundation.
Concluding remarks: Ultimately, Margaret Wente’s article “The Original Sin of White Privilege” is a missed opportunity. Had she decided to present this information with more statistical evidence and less anecdotal evidence her argument would have been stronger. This is a highly controversial topic that calls for the use of several examples in order to provide the reading with a clear and compelling
The people in power, white corporation leaders, want to oppress marginalized communities in order to exploit them to develop fear t...
...less knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks” (page 79). McIntosh’s ranges of examples are no doubt impressive, ranging privileges from education, political affairs, hygiene, the job industry, and mainly public life. Her list of examples makes it easy for her readers to relate no matter how diverse the audience. While, many would disagree with this essay McIntosh anticipates this by making the contrast among earned and acquired power vs. conferred privilege. Contrary, to anyone’s beliefs everyone has an unbiased and equal shot at earned power. However, conferred privilege is available to certain groups: particularly the white race. America is founded on a system of earned power, where we fight for what we believe in, particularly freedom and equality. However, this is simply a mirage we want to believe in.
Coates (2015) shared with his son and his audience about "America 's history and slavery through a series of inspired experiences" that he described as a journey when he was a child (p. 3).The purpose of the article is to persuade the audiences which relies on author 's justification and biases. Coates ' goal is to make the audience understand the history of the United States and the current racial crisis that exists in the country now. "The different kinds of crime that young black males have tolerated in the U.S. because of white culture is emphasized and the community which trying to obtain sovereignty over black bodies" (Coates, 2015, p. 5). Coates describes in his article that racial issues have influenced America and how police officers treat black people brutally. He conveys his powerful message through appealing his audience to emotion and
White supremacy and society in general alongside interprets the inability to see racism, classism, homophobia, and imperialism as forms of violence, it is both a reflection of and a mechanism to solidify white women’s privilege. That is, privileged white women cannot stand not being able to claim status as victims of gender oppression as we exposed through this course’s discussions when race, class, sexuality, disability, and nation complicate this status. The Color purple exposes this point magnificent when Sofia is forced to serve the major’s wife and child bear her kids for her. White women enjoy their roles of saviors and will readily cast women of color in order to capture the liberator roles for themselves when they confronted with their roles as oppressors they quickly turned to been victims as well.
In addressing the Los Angeles riot, Dr. West, wrote, “The riot of April 1992 was, neither a race riot, nor a class rebellion, rather, this monumental upheaval was a multiracial, trans-class, and largely male display of justified social rage.” These events were unfortunate, and attempts were made by ‘the powers that be’ to blame them on “the black underclass, the action of criminal hoodlums, or the political revolt of the oppressed urban masses miss the mark.” Instead, Dr. West attributed the cause to: economic decline, cultural decay, and political lethargy in American life. He stated, “Race was the visible catalyst, not the underlying cause.”