The Pros And Cons Of Entitlement

When I think of what privilege is, I see it as being individuals who are able to benefit from society without the barriers of race, gender, or sexuality. All of these privileges have different outcomes and some of them can go hand and hand with each other. For example, when I think of privilege people who have a privilege in the workforce, or in society as a whole, I think of a white male in America who is treated better than a female who is a minority. White males are stigmatized as people who are usually hard working and respectful, while a female minority might be seen as lazy and irresponsible. For people who are open with their sexuality most people in this nation see them as an abomination. Being seen as your race, gender or sexuality

According to the book, entitlement means “that one has the belief that they have the right to be respected, acknowledged, protected, and awarded” (Rosenblum & Travis 203). The film that we watched in class showed us who people with entitlement are and what they thought about the entitlement they have. Of course the people who had entitlement were white and a lot of them were not aware of what other races had to go through because they were blinded by their entitlement. Some thought that it was unfair for black people specifically to receive scholarships simply because they were a minority. They could be applying for these scholarships for a few reasons. One reason could be that being a minority, they do not have access to the same amount of resources as a white persons would. This could be due to their class status being lower than the average white person or it could be because of external circumstances that they cannot control, like being stigmatized because of the color of their skin or even their last name. In the 2007-2008 school year 65.2% of private scholarships were awarded to white people and the other 34.3% was awarded to six other minority groups (Kantrowitz). To say that minorities have more opportunities than whites is simply not

The term passing came from “passing as white”. It happened because of the southern states who reestablished racial segregation through “Jim Crow” laws. When these Jim Crow laws were passed, black people passed as white in order to get better paying jobs (Rosenblum & Travis 205). Even though passing is now looked down upon, it could still be beneficial like it was back in 1875. When people are walking out in public, it would benefit a person whose stigma is not easily visible when walking down the street. They would be able to go about their day and not be judged by a person out on the street. Some people might see the concept of passing as a negative thing because you are rejecting who you really are. Personally I see nothing wrong with passing as long as you do not dismiss who you are as a person. Sometimes there are reasons to pass in public, the act of a certain racial performances act as a defense mechanism to cope with racial oppression. For example, even though society has become more accustomed to accepting mixed racial groups it is still easier for them to accept a black person for white because white culture is more widely accepted than black