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Peggy Mcintosh's White Privilege Papers

489 Words2 Pages

. Institutional racism and sexism is still occurring, because public policies and laws have created social class disparities. Institutional racism occurred because African Americans were not allowed to buy homes in certain neighborhoods. For instance, African Americans could not buy homes in neighborhoods that were in the suburbs. African Americans were denied homes because of their race. More simply, Caucasians believed the value of the neighborhood would decrease if African Americans moved in the area. In addition, institutional racism still occurs because Caucasians are offered privileges and resources that minorities are denied. For instance, Caucasians were offered higher loans, they were offered nicer homes, and they could purchase a home in any neighborhood. In other words, when African Americans were trying to purchase a home they were not given the same opportunity or resources that Caucasians were given. …show more content…

In her paper, I could relate to many arguments that she presented. For instance, number five on her list she mentioned that she can go into a store and shop without being harassed or followed by people in the store. I could relate to this argument, because I have gone into stores and I have been followed. Namely, my friend and I were in Las Vegas shopping and every store we went into security followed us and clerks stayed close by us at all times. McIntosh’s paper illustrates how white privilege allow Caucasians to be carefree, while minorities are constantly judged based on their race. White privilege does influence life. I usually notice white privilege in professional settings. For instance, at work most minorities are talked to about their performance or attire, while Caucasians are rarely talked to about their deficient performance of attire. In other words, when I am at work or in a professional setting I notice the effect of white

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57 Words | 1 Pages

As a result of her comprehensive definition on white privilege and endorsement to her academic background, McIntosh begins to persuade her audience that unearned white privilege does exist. The first couple of paragraphs of her essay she gives to define white privilege, so it is recognizable that this definition is necessary for her essay and her argument.

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509 Words | 3 Pages

For instance, point twenty-four, " I can be pretty sure that when I ask to talk to the "person in charge," I will be facing a person of my race," after reading this, gives the reader the idea that people of color or nonwhites are never in charge. Although it can be argued that this piece by McIntosh can be seen as discriminatory to white people in general, it seems as though the point she has mentioned is often true. When McIntosh states, "I have chosen these conditions that I thin I my case attach somewhat more to skin-color privileges than class, religion, ethnic status or geographic location," It is apparent that these were not made upon stereotypes, but upon her every day living. It is unfortunate that although these instances or conditions may be true, the opposing side of nonwhites has to endure this. As an example, "I do not have to educate my children to be aware of systemic racism for their own daily physical protection," having to teach a child to protect themselves because they are not of a certain skin color is profoundly absurd, but seemingly true.

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1147 Words | 5 Pages

As Neyyirah Waheed once stated, “Never trust anyone who says they do not see color. This means to them, you are invisible.” Neyyirah is explaining how at one time, when one’s self was little, one is taught not see color. But at the same time, one becomes more aware of the situation while being told to ignore it all at once. Peggy McIntosh’s White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack reflects on how she was taught how to deny the privilege she was born with as a white woman but also how to benefit from it.

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1357 Words | 6 Pages

Jeremy Dowsett is determined in countering the racist arguments that are prevailing in the current world. He is not happy about the “white privilege” that the blacks and other non-whites direct to the white people in the society. The author does not like hearing another person telling him about "white privilege" because of his color. Dowsett uses the bicycle formula to explain how the blacks are the minority in a particular place such as the US, hence, perceiving most of the opportunities that the whites obtain as a result of “white privilege.” In his analogy, he recounts how drivers acted aggressively towards him whenever he tries to share the road with them.

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636 Words | 3 Pages

America is a diverse melting pot of various ethnicities and heritages all blended together to create the American society. As beautiful as that is, America as a population is mired in fear of addressing issues such as white privilege which is the product of discrimination and racism. White privilege is viewed by those opposed to it that those who are privilege received unwarranted success as a result of status, luck and privilege rather than putting in hard work or using their brain to earn their success. The existence of discrimination from white privilege comes from the privilege attained by a certain as well as oppression and social prejudice facing certain other groups or races. Individuals who are privileged in one society seldomly are unaware of their privilege, not because of their own doing, but simply because it is very easy to be oblivious to the privilege when you have never seen its adverse effect from the other side.

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1070 Words | 5 Pages

(McIntosh) She grew up in the environment she was self-taught as she mentioned her schooling gave her no training to see herself as an oppressor and she treated others with unfairness and takes advantages of other people. “I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness.” But the most important point is we must not just think about racism as individuals acts of meanness. McIntosh wants us not to “instill guilt or defensiveness in whites, but to increase awareness, create an acknowledgement of privilege and expand our understanding of racism.”

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1782 Words | 8 Pages

Racism is still a very prominent issue in America today. Yes, it has improved from the days of slavery, and we do have a black president; but society is nowhere near equal, and that is not acceptable. White Privilege by Paula Rothenberg truly opened my eyes to the extent of the social injustice on African Americans. Many people are implicitly racist, meaning that they are unaware of their racism. And in fact, just by being white, one is oppressing another race because the privilege and respect that comes with the skin color.

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1743 Words | 7 Pages

Annotated APA Citations Camhi, B. (2014). White privilege: Made in the USA. Stanford Review. Retrieved from http://stanfordreview.org/article/white-privilege-made-in-the-usa/ This source discusses the advantages White Americans have in the United States, in general and in the workplace. It includes statistics of people with high professions, showing Black Americans with numbers nowhere near as high as other groups.

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617 Words | 3 Pages

In my belief, white privilege doesn’t guarantee success in life, but because they are the default they have roots that prevail over other racial groups. White privilege does not mean that white people don’t face any kind of hardships, or don’t have to work to succeed, however, it does give them advantages over people of

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102 Words | 1 Pages

I sometimes get irritated when people don’t agree on the same ideas that I have or when the other person says something that I don’t agree with. The objective of this chapter made me comprehend that based on an individual’s experiences and viewpoints impacts the person’s behavior. Some experience may deal with the oppressions and privileges a person has, the article “Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person…” made me realize that I am more privilege than what I thought. The author didn’t think she was privilege until she read a book she got recommended and from her article she summarizes

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1422 Words | 6 Pages

Whites are not aware of the privilege they have, simply for the fact that this is their life the majority do not know anything different. When you have been drinking coke every day of your life and everyone else has ben drinking diet coke labeled as coke you wont know the difference. Lipsitz (1995) affirms whiteness is everywhere in US culture, but it is very hard to see. This is how white privilege looks to the average American even though everyone else is not getting the same treat as the whites they do not understand it because they have been treated the same way or so they think their whole life as well. Minorities are getting diet coke their whole life, though they see the whites making more money, and treated better in turn they begin questioning and coming up with the

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579 Words | 3 Pages

Racism is still present in society today in a new form dubbed institutional racism. By definition, to institutionalize something is to establish in practice or custom. According to Wikipedia, Institutionalized discrimination refers to the unjust and discriminatory mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals by society and its institutions as a whole, through unequal selection or bias, intentional or unintentional; as opposed to individuals making a conscious choice to discriminate. Institutional racism is an issue

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593 Words | 3 Pages

Systemic Racism in the United States Many individuals today have different point of views on how the United States of America became what it is today. For instance, point of views such as how society learned to function the way it does, the law and order in place, and ultimately, how circumstances have developed throughout history. Unfortunately, institutional/institutionalized racism, also known as systemic racism is also a concept that has settled and is grown to be quite predominant in the United States all through times past. Systemic racism continues to take place in settings such as banks, courts of law, government organizations, school systems, and the like.

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657 Words | 3 Pages

There are still factors that have only been erased on the surface but still play a large role in the way that people of color are treated in America, and dictate to a certain extent, compromise the “freedom” that people have. On the other hand, we have white America, who have heightened chances of achieving anything that they please. This does not apply to every white American, as there are also white Americans who are living on or below the poverty line, and much like everybody else must put in a lot of effort to reach certain heights, however they have an advantage over all other denomination of people known as “white privilege” which are the societal benefits that people who can be categorized as “white” enjoy over the rest of the population and in the end, have a higher social status. Ultimately, people of color must work harder, and face many more setbacks in their climb to success than white Americans do, which is not fair,

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881 Words | 4 Pages

White people who believe in White privilege affirm much of the same things White racists do, except they feel guilty about it. White privilege essentially suggests that Black people are inferior to White people. It suggests that if only Black people were granted special provisions by the government, then maybe they might be stand on equal footing with White people. It’s the soft bigotry of low expectations, and they congratulate themselves for it. And perhaps that is why many of them use racial slurs like “coon” and “Uncle Tom” against

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