Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Diversity in the united states
Diversity in the united states essay
Race inequality
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Diversity in the united states
Article 1: Citation: Kottak, Conrad Phillip and Kayhryn Kozaitis 2012 On Being Different, Diversity and Multiculturalism in the North American Mainstream, 4th edition, McGraw Hill Press, New York: Chapter 8. (textbook) Central Theme: The Central Theme of chapter Eight from On Being Different is about people looking different on the outside, from the way someone looks we develop an idea of what we believe they are like. What was the article about?: Races are separated into categories, some are of higher standings then others, and some are believed to be better than others. The idea of race is believed to be something that has been made up by our culture in order to help separate people and to be able to separate them from others. This is done …show more content…
"White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming To See Correspondences through Work in Women’s Studies" (1988), by Peggy McIntosh. Macintosh.pdf Central Theme: The central theme of “White Privilege Knapsack” is about how white people actually see themselves and how they view the concept of being racist. What was the article about?: Some people have more advantages than others, while the rest are left with disadvantages and struggles. Peggy McIntosh mentions that as she was growing up, as a white person, she was taught about racism in a way that would make other individuals are at a disadvantage. White people had certain privileges that others did not. These advantages are accepted without the knowledge of these white people; this is just how they were brought up as they got older. They are brought up this way and that’s how they believe that everyone else is living their life These advantages are not realized until you actually sit down and think about situations and that about how others deal with being put in the same situation. Some races are higher in power than others, and this allows for the advantages that they are
Gina Crosley-Corcoran, author of Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person, informs her readers about her misinterpretation of white privilege. After being called out for her unknowing use of white privilege, Gina begins to plead her case. Beginning with her childhood, Gina explains how she grew up “on the go”. Travelling from place to place, Gina lived in a rundown trailer and her family obtained little to no money, had no access to hot water, survived on cheap, malnourished foods, and dealt with a bad home life. After evaluating her history when placed at the end of life’s spectrum, Gina finds it hard to pick out white privilege in her life and therefore argues she has none. Later, Gina is introduced to a woman named Peggy McIntosh
In conversations many people get defensive when someone says, “You have this because of your privilege” they feel as though that the person they are talking with doesn’t understand that they have worked hard for what they have, however that is not the point that anyone is trying to make. What someone in that position is saying is that although you have worked hard to get where you are your journey have been well furnished with privilege on account of your race. It is said to think about that you got somewhere in life due to the color of your skin, but it is also sadder to think that someone got declined a job, got stereotyped, or got overlooked because of their race or
Everyone has privilege in one way or another. People feel that privilege is give to one race more, instead of every race. The race that it’s getting more privilege is the White race and with that comes White privilege. White means the people who have a light skin color also known as Caucasian or European and privilege means an advantage over others. An example of privilege is getting away with something that someone may not get away with. So White privilege is defined as “an invisible package of unearned assets that [someone that is White] can count on cashing in each day, but about which [they were] ‘meant’ to remain oblivious” (McIntosh 1990: 1). McIntosh is saying in that quote is that Whites do not recognize that they have this privilege
Peggy McIntosh wrote this article to identify how her white privilege effects her life. Each statement is written as a privilege that Ms. McIntosh does not need to consider or fear as a white woman. From financial credibility to national heritage, this article makes a valid point regarding the way white people can be arrogant and naïve when the same treatment is not being given to their neighbors, coworkers, and peers. There can be two responses when reading this. The first would be a person of color. They will appreciate the attempt at realization of what white people take for granted. The second would be the reality that smacks the white people in the face when they realize how true all 50 statements are. Once this begins to sink in, many will start to broaden their competence realizing the unfair treatment of the people in this world. Moving down the timeline, we can see how the acknowledgement can mend broken relationships. Owning the reality and doing something to change it can give the people of different races the treatment they deserve (McIntosh,
Money is something that ties in with white privilege because they have access to better schooling which means better jobs and more money. A poor African American or a minority person who lives in an urban setting has to take what they get because they do not have the money or the resources to pick and choose which school they would like to attend, so they are already one step behind the privileged kids. In addition, Peggy McIntosh article “White Privilege: The Invisible Knapsack,” she states “As a white person, I realized I had taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspect, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage” (537) McIntosh is saying that throughout her youth she realizes with resources or not, the privilege is given unto her whether she earn it or not because of her race. What she means is that society’s look on race and not their background and think that white people gain more privilege than black people which is
America is a presumptuous country; its citizens don’t feel like learning any other language so they make everyone else learn English. White Americans are the average human being and act as the standard of living, acting, and nearly all aspects of life. In her essay “White Privilege: The Invisible Knapsack,” Peggy McIntosh talks about how being white has never been discussed as a race/culture before because that identity has been pushed on everyone else, and being white subsequently carries its own set of advantages. Gloria Anzaldua is a Chicana, a person of mixed identities. In an excerpt titled “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” she discusses how the languages she speaks identifies who she is in certain situations and how, throughout her life, she has been pushed to speak and act more “American” like. McIntosh’s idea of whiteness as a subconscious race that carries its own advantages can enlighten why Anzaldua feels like she
In her 16 January 2016 The Washington Post editorial, “What is White Privilege?”, Christine Emba asserts white privilege is a societal advantage inherent in people who are white, irrespective of their “wealth, gender, or other factors.” According to Emba, white privilege makes life smoother and is an entity that is hidden or unknown until the privilege is taken away. Although racism is still a rampant issue in society today, white privilege is a concept created by the progressive left in order to brand whites as a scapegoat for issues and adversities that non-whites face. This concept of privilege ultimately causes further dissension between whites and non-whites.
The two articles that had a profound impact to my understanding of race, class and gender in the United States was White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh and Imagine a Country by Holly Sklar. McIntosh explains the keys aspects of unearned advantage (a privilege that one group hold over another) as well as conferred dominance (the act of voluntarily giving another group power) and the relationship that these factors hold when determine power of a social group. Additionally, the purpose of McIntosh’s article was to demonstrate the privilege that certain individuals carry and how that translates to the social structures of our society. Furthermore, conferred dominance also contributes to the power of the dominant group
an advantage over others not because of the color of their skin, but because they have
In society, race clearly affects one’s life chances. These are the chances of getting opportunities and gaining experience for progression. The social construction of race is based on privileges and availability of resources. Looking at society and the formation of race in a historical context, whites have always held some sort of delusional belief of a “white-skin privilege.” This advantage grants whites an advantage in society whether one desires it or not. This notion is often commonly referred to as reality.
Race has no biological meaning. There is only one human race; there are no subspecies, no single defining characteristic, traits, or even gene, separates one “race” from another. Instead of being a biological concept, race is a social construct, and a relatively modern one at that. It was created to give light-skinned Europeans an advantage by making the white race superior and all others inferior. Throughout its history, the concept of race has served this purpose well.
(Rothman, 2015) "Race privilege refers to the advantages that people receive because of the color of their skin. " (Simpson, 2015) The problem is that those with privilege do not see the problem. Hear no evil, see no evil. Ignorance is a bliss.
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.
For those who posses them it might be difficult to visualize and see them because to them they are “…merely there, [as] part of the world, a way of life, simply the way things are”(100). However, these systems of privilege can be made visible, and must be made visible to address issues of systematic oppression within our society. I believe that one of the most oppressive systems is “white privilege”, which is defined by Peggy MacIntosh as an invisible set of unearned assets and advantages held by white people. Although I agree with her definition, I disagree with her argument that “white privilege” is imperceptible.
In her article "Representing Whiteness in the Black Imagination" bell hooks argues that the distance between the white and black races created a tense relationship between the two. This tension caused a multitude of problems that are still present today including systems of domination, stereotypes of one another, white naivety of their privilege and fear of white individuals. Similarly, Ruth Frankenberg 's article "White Women, Race Matters" discuss these issues but from the perspective of a white feminist. Many of the same points can be connected to hooks ' arguments because the main aspects with races focus on the idea that whiteness is a perspective in which we see ourselves, others and society and also that whiteness continues to remain