Do You Feel Privileged?

In the dictionary, privileges means a special advantage, immunity, permission, right, or benefit granted to or enjoyed by an individual, class, or caste. Either people have privileges or they do not. In the article, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” written by Peggy McIntosh, made me feel very enlightened. I feel that the arguments she brought up were compelling and unbiased. She discusses white privilege and its effects upon her life. I feel that this article can be prove to be helpful to people of all races/backgrounds because it puts us all on common grounds.

McIntosh starts off with the idea of white privilege by linking it to men’s privileges. She believes “whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege”(1).  She is a white person and she realizes she had been taught to believe that racism is something which puts others at a disadvantage. She had been taught not to see white privilege as an advantage. If you may have notice, just being white can guarantee that you won’t be categorized because of the color of your skin.

It could be as little as being followed in a store, or being denied a seat at a restaurants, clubs, etc…  The white culture will always be categorized as feeling comfortable and confident. When you look at other races, they are categorized to feel uncomfortable and inferior. McIntosh claims that “If these things are true, this is not such a free country; ones' life is not what one makes it; many doors open for certain people through no virtues of their own”(4). This conflicts the idea of democracy because a person’s skin color categorizes his or her status in society.

“A "white" skin in the United States opens many doors for whites whether or not we approve of the way dominance has been conferred on us”(6). McIntosh discussed many cases where she felt that white privilege has played a role in her development in society. She is aware of it too. The only way to change things is by being persistent and getting heard. When talking about change, having a black president in office is not enough. Only with a mutual efforts can these issues be solved, and these ideas must be brought out into the open. We need to set aside all feelings of blame and guilt to focus on a change in society. Through her writing, McIntosh is reaching out to others.

Stereotypes and White Privilege: