Black Privilege In America

Privilege is a strong word it is define as “a special right advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people”. How has privilege shaped my life, by dealing with race, by being an African American it a privilege to be free and not bond to someone like my ancestors had to go through in the slave days. John Blake mention in his article It’s time to talk about ‘black privilege’ , that being black we have privilege it gave an example, “Black History month congress had passed a sweeping civil right act 1875 that band discrimination”(J.Blake).yes, I agree with him that a great privilege to have and be able celebrate the great things or ancestors did and how they pave the way for African American. Privilege

This week we were assigned to read to different articles. The first article was written by Peggy McIntosh titled, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”. Throughout the article, Peggy showed the readers what it means to have white privilege. She showed the readers 50 different types of “advantages” that whites get over other races, such as African Americans. This is the biggest theme throughout her entire piece. McIntosh shows the readers that people who are African Americans should be treated the same as their white counterparts. She even later goes on and says that the word “privilege” used in this sense seems to mislead and states, “We usually think of privilege as being a favored state, whether earned or conferred by birth

Whites are privileged because we are seen as the average American. We do not get second glances, because nobody suspects we are doing anything but living our lives. Though since we are not subject to this intense scrutiny we do not realize that we in turn do this to African Americans, just simply living their daily lives as well. McIntosh (1988) points out that she repeatedly forgot each of the realizations on this list until I wrote it down. For me white privilege has turned out to be an elusive and fugitive subject. White privilege was identified in her article by a list of fifty items that Caucasians never have to deal with as a daily concern. Matters such as leading a group, schooling that supports our race, living situations, institutions that do not judge our race. These are issues a Caucasian family will never have, and a child of that race will never face feeling judged, and never have to learn that the very entity there to protect you may be responsible for your death. Whites are privileged, though this way of life should be common for every race. Our privilege should not be taken away it should be granted and transformed into a greater idea American Privilege. 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

On the surface it is not the whites who are punished; it is people of color. However, I think the issues go much deeper than what is shown on the outside. “History tells us that in the end, an unjust and inequitable distribution of resources and opportunities lead to terrible violence” (Rothenberg 4). And in present day times, I think that it is becoming much more apparent through the latest racial court disputes. The Ferguson case is a perfect example of retaliation against racism. Clearly violence was out broken when a community had too much of what they thought to be unjust behavior. Two New York City police officers were shot execution style in retaliation. White privilege clearly affects the colored community, but I think that it affects whites as well. We are unknowingly for some, knowingly for others, oppressing a race and accomplishing goals at the expense of someone else. Personally, I am not okay with only getting accomplishments and achievements because the color of my skin. If someone of color deserves a position over me, they should get it, which is not how society operates today. Personally white privilege it is costing me my accountability. I agree with Rothenberg as she states “I want to be successful and happy in my life, but my ability to enjoy my own success is limited when I realize that the racism from which I profit has destroyed the lives of many people of talent, even of genius” (Rothenberg 4).

Why is being called a “Nigger” so hurtful for African Americans currently to date? Being called a, “Nigger” means to be called ignorant, dark-skinned, or of African descent. To this day, we’re still being called that awful word although it is not to be used anymore. It is a racial slur that should never be used and if it is used should be high consequences. This is the biggest insult to Black people everywhere.

Such privileges range from obvious aspects like, “[turning] on the television or [opening] the front page of the paper and [seeing] people of my race widely represented.” to more conspicuous concepts like the ability to “ choose blemish cover or bandages in ‘flesh’ color and have them more or less match my skin.”. Throughout her 26 bullet points, McIntosh gives reasoning behind her initial claim that white privilege is overlooked by those who are a part of the group. Consequently, the audience is forced to, figuratively, unpack their privilege. With each bullet point, the reader is taken to another privilege that is not listed: McIntosh forces the reader to dig deeper, think further. This effect is just what McIntosh had in mind when she did some serious brainstorming since most of the list does not come to mind at first thought. Yet if she, as a white American, recognizes such advantages, why shouldn’t all white

White privilege is defined as “…………..” After reading this and comparing it to my life and experiences I can recognize the resemblance. As a white person in my society, I hold copious privileges and forms of power that I have not earned, but has been handed. Although, I cannot speak for my entire race when I state this, I believe that any Caucasian person living in Canada, who would be willing to take the time to stop and think about their lives, would realize that they hold power over other racial minorities. This power is acquired solely due to the fact that they have a different colour of skin. This is not to imply that white people cannot be oppressed in other aspects of their lives, as a cause of the other social identities with which they

“You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.” Bringham Young (GoodReads, 2015) Women have a tendency of starting a new view or a new idea. It is from women’s beliefs and values that changing times have come for more values and more beliefs. From looking at Women’s Suffrage, White supremacy, and stereotypes, you can see how women have impacted today’s society and my life.

Over the past decade the term white privilege has emerged in our American history. White privilege is the concept that one particular group is benefited which is typically identified as white people. Most of the victims experiencing harsh conditions are non-white people under the same social, political, or economic circumstances of mistreatment. A conversation took place with a few people about white privilege whose race is identified as white. An interviewer started that “the belief that being white comes with unearned advantages and everyday perks”. However, a white retiree disagreed that white privilege does not exist but shortly afterwards he stated that black privilege does. Many people were confused by his comment and asked him to further elaborate on what exactly black

In American society there are many advantages for being deemed “white” but not many for females and minorities. Being white is defined the ability to be different races but still having the lack of pigment in the skin. Once deemed white in America there are many privileges that come with. One advantage whites have over other genders and minorities is occupational opportunity. Most businesses and corporations are controlled or owned by whites, which usually leads to the perpetuation of racial inequality when hiring. Whites tend to hire whites because that is all they really know. If unemployment strikes the white owners or more likely to lay off the minority workers than the whites. Another advantage given when you have a higher socioeconomic

At the heart of whiteness studies is the invisibility of whiteness and white privilege (Ahmed, 2004). Whiteness is thought of as the hidden criterion to which every other race is measured against. Through the lens of whiteness, the “other” is seen as deviant (Ahmed, 2004). The invisibility of whiteness, however, is only from the perspective of those who are white (Matthews, 2012). To people who are not white, it is pervasive and blatant. People see whiteness because they experience its effects. A useful comparison can be drawn between the unrecognised privileges of males, and those of white people (McIntosh, 1988). It is not unusual for men to acknowledge that women are disadvantaged. With that said, McIntosh (1988) argues that white privilege is in the same manner without recognition and thus preserved. McIntosh (1988) views white privilege as an invisible collection of unearned assets that is of benefit to white people on a daily basis.

Peggy McIntosh wants to differentiate between "earned strength" and "unearned power" on her essay White Privilege: The Invisible Knapsack. She believes that conferred privilege is essentially a given advantage, unearned power through privilege can look like strength when it is just a form of oppression. By saying “humanity” she refers to treating others as less powerful. McIntosh is most likely referring to whites having a subconscious superiority over other social groups, therefore making the ignored groups feel distorted.

We've all heard the saying "White Privilege" used loosely in society. Well folks, it exists as a factual privilege given at birth to those of the Anglo-Saxon race of people, not only in America, but worldwide. Believe me folks, it comes with its perks and self proclaimed righteousness that creates its own preconceived path to success. On the other end of the spectrum, Charlamagne Tha God introduces "Black Privilege" in the book. Yes, it is indeed a privilege to be Black, African American. To be Black in America comes with a rich tradition of overcoming the impossible to achieve dreams through the richness of our cultural roots. However, that leads to the second half of the title, "Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It", where Charlamagne exclaims, "this for the dreamers, for the optimists; this book is about embracing who and what you are regardless of race gender, sexuality, and class. God gave you the privilege of this thing called life so regardless of what this society tells you that you can’t do and what you don’t have to understand you lack nothing God gave you everything you need to succeed.”

The racial inequality that we have in modern day blossomed from the historic oppression and comprehensive prejudice of minority groups. From the very beginning of “American” history, other groups of people who were not of European decent were discriminated against and treated inhumanely and without the smallest regard for their lives. Native American populations were decimated by diseases brought oversea by Europeans and forced from their ancestral lands by settlers to make room for their expanding populations. African people were enslaved by the millions and were used as tools of labor, and weren’t even regarded as humans,

The lack of representation of races other than white can be found quite clearly in Peggy McIntosh’s article, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, where she creates an analogy for the privilege that white people receive but usually do not notice or deny that they have said privilege in the first place. I believe that this knapsack idea is the reality that white people, especially white men like myself, get to benefit from and will, unfortunately, continue to do so until all advantages are made equal. The knapsack can also represent religion and age in their own ways which is similar to the topic of race. This topic is also not exclusive to the United States, there are many other countries that share the same problem with the invisible knapsack.