White Privilege Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack Analysis

Patricia Collins tries to expose her readers to the term oppression and the different types of oppression that human beings can be subjected to or rather the different disparities that cause human oppression including gender and race among others. Collins (74) in her attempt to expound on the issue of oppression and dichotomous thinking argues that "one side of the dichotomy is typically labeled dominant and the other subordinate" which forms the basis of the definition of the term as being a way of thinking in which an individual is convinced that they are subject to being the dominant or the subordinate on the basis of different issues including race where the white male perceives himself as the dominant while the black male becomes the subordinate.The

White Privilege: Essay 1 White privilege is a systemic issue that has roots in our history as far back as the creators of our country. Searching back, we see our norms and values created into habits that have been woven into how we view and act around specific groups such as African Americans. This essay is going to explain how the average Caucasian individual experiences white privilege on a day to day basis and the solutions to insure that white privilege will stop and true equality can be handed out. This paper views the latter issues through symbolic interactionism, with supporting sub theories such as; labeling theory, looking glass self, and selective perception.

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

“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.

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.

In Peggy McIntosh’s’ essay, “White Privileges: The Invisible Knapsack”, she uses numerous diverse rhetorical strategies to persuade and engage her readers attention toward the claims she states about white privilege and racism. The essay points out that males and white people from birth have certain privileges, earned strengths, and unearned power. The author made good use of ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade her readers to understand and accept her claims about white privilege, and these claims she specifically stated, gradually expanded her thesis throughout her essay. McIntosh’s purpose in her essay is to identify the “invisible systems” that we have of male and white privilege in order to educate the public and readers about the masked favoritism or inequality to reestablish it.

My initial thought about privilege when I read the paper written by Peggy McIntosh was to instantaneously think about entitlement and the minimization of a cultural and a class of people. It’s not that whites are exclusive in the usage of systematic racial intolerance, it’s that they appear to be oblivious to the benefits of this entitlement. The author attempts to debase and use some forms of lightheartedness to point out the luxury she possessed as a result of simply being white but it’s much more than simply being white.

People with disabilities are often viewed as less capable, less intelligent and not available to cope well in society. Mairs uses the different persuasive strategies such as ethos, logos and pathos to create a conscious awareness to build a world in which despite the differences everyone is treated with equality and dignity. She imagines her body as something other than problematic, but a reason to fight to build a world in which people wants her in. Mairs mentions in page 169 “I imagine a world where people, allowed the space to accept- admit, endure, embrace- their diverse and often difficult realities.” As Robert M Hensel, a famous Guinness world champion and a man with spina bifida said once “There is no greater disability in society, than the inability to see a person as

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.

1) White privilege is an ongoing societal issue that benefits white people, giving them an upper hand in situations where non-white people would not get the same treatment. For example, when walking down the street, a white person walks freely without concern of being stopped. Someone who is not white doesn’t have the same luxury. Authority stops them just because of their appearance. Tim Wise asked law enforcement what they thought of a black male driving a nice car in a nice neighborhood versus a white male in the same situation.

White Privilege The thought or conception that everyone is treated fairly, and without injustice is completely false. The term known as “White privilege”, is real, and evident in today’s time. White privilege is not something people do intentionally or on purpose, it is simply a dominance in race, social, and political values. Privilege in general is given to people who benefit from unearned advantages that others may have challenges facing everyday.

Mary Mcaleese, one of the former presidents of Ireland, works as a current affairs journalist who truly researches her topic. In fact, she once spent a day in a wheelchair in Dublin, one of the most unfriendly wheelchair cities in the world. She once said, “people with disabilities have abilities too” (Mcaleese). Many people throughout the world develop stereotypes, and those who have disabilities make up a great number of these stereotypes. These people need to understand that their body has limits, but their mind does not.

Murphy lacks mobility and sensation in his lower body other than the feeling of occasional muscle spasms, and has limited movement in his upper body below the neck including his arms. Murphy writes the story as it recounts events throughout his entire life, from childhood onwards. He was sixty-two when he wrote the novel. The story provides Murphy’s anthropological commentary on the life of a person with a disability and how society views and treats people with disabilities (Murphy, 1990). Murphy’s performance patterns both support and inhibit his occupational engagement.

Scott Hamilton once stated, “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” Disability is only an obstacle in a person's life, but it does not set the identity of that person. John Steinbeck's novel shows how disabled people are treated differently by writing about their heartbreak and sorrow. Many individuals with disabilities feel that a disability is a wall blocking them from achieving their goals. In our society, people are told what to be and what to do with their disability, but one should have the choice to carve their pathway to success.

Nancy Mairs forces a sharp-witted and blunt tone on the reader in her essay, “On Being A Cripple.” A new perspective is explored, on being disabled as well as the word “crippled” which is found offensive by most of society. While keeping the piece light and relatable, she shines a light on the guilty pity thrown on the disabled, treatment no one asks for. Although it is a generally light piece, Mairs uses humor, anecdotes, and diction to improve the treatment of physically disabled. Humor- Mairs lives with multiple sclerosis, and when the reader realizes this it immediately makes them feel sympathy for her.