White Privilege
White Privilege
Racism has been prevalent for centuries. And it has been an issue that requires action for just as long. Racism is defined as a system of advantage based on race. Due to this racism, white people are those that receive the greatest advantage. White privilege is the term given to that advantage. According to Peggy McIntosh, “white privilege is an invisible package of unearned assets” (McIntosh, 1). George Lipsitz similarly defined white privilege as “the unmarked category against which difference is constructed” (Lipsitz, 1). This privilege has worked its way to underpinning the systemic inequality within the United States through its belief to be the norm and securing its authority as such.
Racism comes in multiple forms all of which can be overt or covert. Examples of such forms include Cultural that is the cultural images and messages that assert the dominance of whites and the supposed inferiority of people of color. Another example is that of Institutional racism which is formal practices and traditions in social organizations that harm or deny the same opportunities for some racial groups as others. Over time much of the racism exemplified in the aforementioned forms has become covert as many have come to believe that racism is not an issue any more. However, racism is as big an issue as it always has been due as a whole to the fact that ‘white’ is not considered to be a racial identity. This simple fact is the key to unlocking all of racism and white privilege.
We as a population see white as the normal state, and the proper one. We are taught to think that our lives are “morally neutral, normative and average, and also ideal” (McIntosh, 2). This has caused us to erase from our minds the idea of our being privileged at the cost of others, forcing their being underprivileged. Due to this we believe that when we work to assist others and other racial groups, what we do is seen as work that would make and let other racial groups be more like
Racism has been prevalent for centuries. And it has been an issue that requires action for just as long. Racism is defined as a system of advantage based on race. Due to this racism, white people are those that receive the greatest advantage. White privilege is the term given to that advantage. According to Peggy McIntosh, “white privilege is an invisible package of unearned assets” (McIntosh, 1). George Lipsitz similarly defined white privilege as “the unmarked category against which difference is constructed” (Lipsitz, 1). This privilege has worked its way to underpinning the systemic inequality within the United States through its belief to be the norm and securing its authority as such.
Racism comes in multiple forms all of which can be overt or covert. Examples of such forms include Cultural that is the cultural images and messages that assert the dominance of whites and the supposed inferiority of people of color. Another example is that of Institutional racism which is formal practices and traditions in social organizations that harm or deny the same opportunities for some racial groups as others. Over time much of the racism exemplified in the aforementioned forms has become covert as many have come to believe that racism is not an issue any more. However, racism is as big an issue as it always has been due as a whole to the fact that ‘white’ is not considered to be a racial identity. This simple fact is the key to unlocking all of racism and white privilege.
We as a population see white as the normal state, and the proper one. We are taught to think that our lives are “morally neutral, normative and average, and also ideal” (McIntosh, 2). This has caused us to erase from our minds the idea of our being privileged at the cost of others, forcing their being underprivileged. Due to this we believe that when we work to assist others and other racial groups, what we do is seen as work that would make and let other racial groups be more like
Bibliography: McIntosh, Peggy. "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack." Rachel 's Democracy & Health News [Annapolis] 15 Feb. 2007: n. pag. Print. Lipsitz, George. "1." The Possessive Investment in Whiteness: How White People Profit from Identity Politics. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 1998. N. pag. Print.