This article was really thought provoking! Being a white female I had never really looked at the "white advantage" the way the author Peggy Micintosh did by comparing male advantage and dominance. The comment about unearned entitlement seems to fit most of what I have enjoyed in my life without really thinking about it. Being raised in the sixties and seeing the changes in my life now , the phenomenon of being white has always been deeply rooted in American culture. Her list of "can do" is a way of life for those that are white and really the thought of being told I can't enjoy those things I have taken for granted over years would send me into an uproar. The only time in my life tht I knew I was not the majority, was when I lived in Hawaii while on active duty back in 1984. The majority of the population is "Asian" and Pacific Islander and they called us Hallies-meaning white person. This was not an affectionate term, and that is when I knew what it felt like to be judged by skin color. Still, being on active duty in the Navy, I was surrounded by many military and did not feel the isolation of being the only white person in my community. The article reminded me to be more aware of personal struggles that all of go through even though many people do not have the same advantages due to race.
Being white and male, this article opened up my eyes a little bit. Since maturation I haven't been completely oblivious to the racial inequalities in our society but this article brought out a lot of points that I had not thought about before and also caused me to think about more. I had never thought of it as being the "white advantage" either but instead more just disadvantages that certain races have. It really isn't a fair world that we live in and that's unfortunate. I think many people are so blind to it because we like to think we live in as perfect a world that we can imagine.
I found this article to be eye opening. It is not that I didn’t know racial inequalities exist but I have to admit that I had never thought of many of the white privileges she listed in her article. For instance in her article she listed that white Americans can shop at local grocery stores and find “staples” or easily find a hairdresser who is able to cut my hair. Her list of advantages went on for 26 items. This article has definitely made me think further about how many times in a day race can come into play.
As an Korean born in American, when McIntosh talked about the racial privileges of white people, it was eye-opening to see some of the privileges that white people had that I had never thought to envy. Though on one level many of the privileges she named, minorities can feel justified in blaming their race for the hardships they go through. Though I (for the most part) find racial stereotypes funny, including my own, there are times when I realized that my peers have judged my character and potential based on Asian stereotypes, and felt that I had to either live up to these expectations or defend myself. I found it interesting when she said that the culture of "white" privilege is underplayed in our society in order to maintain the socially democracy that everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve power.
This article was very eye-opening for me. Being white, I agreed with most of what the author said about us having privileges that we don't realize. I think this is because we are just used to having them, and may not look at the fact that not everyone has the privileges that we do. I think this ties into what we were talking about in the previous classes about how we see ourselves as a classless society because we are striving for equality. If we don't recognize that there are privileges for being white then they just aren't there, which isn't true. I think that if we start recognizing the differences between races, just like if we were to start recognizing the differences between classes, we could start improving on these things and making it more equal between races.
After reading this article, it did open my eyes up to the advantages being a white person. I studying Early Childhood Education and many of my classes, especially one(Culturally Relevant Pedagogy), talks about disadvantages and racism in cultures and races other than white people. A lot of this to me was repetitive, but interesting as well. I agree with how she said "As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something which puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege which puts me at an advantage." To me this is the same way I was raised and basically taught. It was something that was said, but in a way I took for granted being white and having the advantages that I didn't realize I have.
Although I might not have thought about it in quite the same way as Peggy McIntosh, I have recently been thinking quite a bit about white privilege, especially in connection with the Trayvon Martin case. I recently read a Huffington Post article entitled "White People, You Will Never Look Suspicious," that deals extensively with white privilege and how it would likely prevent a white teenager from being the victim of such a senseless tragedy. Much like that piece, McIntosh's article interestingly points out that just recognizing white privilege isn't enough. McIntosh argues that white people must recognize the inherent unfairness of such a practice and make it public knowledge before an real, significant change can be expected. Overall, I found this article to be quite informative and relevant, especially in light of several recent developments.
This article about whites having a privilege in society is partly true. People do have benefits by simply being white. However, this is only applicable in certain regions.Living in south Florida as a white male, I was on the other end of the stick in regards to social privileges. Haitians, Latinos, and other races had the social advantages where I lived. white people were being pulled over more often than others. White people were also seen as unwelcome people in stores, gas stations, or neighborhoods. I can see the privileges that races acquire in a society inherently and how the unprivileged have to live without having the social advantages.
This article was really thought provoking! Being a white female I had never really looked at the "white advantage" the way the author Peggy Micintosh did by comparing male advantage and dominance. The comment about unearned entitlement seems to fit most of what I have enjoyed in my life without really thinking about it. Being raised in the sixties and seeing the changes in my life now , the phenomenon of being white has always been deeply rooted in American culture. Her list of "can do" is a way of life for those that are white and really the thought of being told I can't enjoy those things I have taken for granted over years would send me into an uproar. The only time in my life tht I knew I was not the majority, was when I lived in Hawaii while on active duty back in 1984. The majority of the population is "Asian" and Pacific Islander and they called us Hallies-meaning white person. This was not an affectionate term, and that is when I knew what it felt like to be judged by skin color. Still, being on active duty in the Navy, I was surrounded by many military and did not feel the isolation of being the only white person in my community. The article reminded me to be more aware of personal struggles that all of go through even though many people do not have the same advantages due to race.
ReplyDeleteBeing white and male, this article opened up my eyes a little bit. Since maturation I haven't been completely oblivious to the racial inequalities in our society but this article brought out a lot of points that I had not thought about before and also caused me to think about more. I had never thought of it as being the "white advantage" either but instead more just disadvantages that certain races have. It really isn't a fair world that we live in and that's unfortunate. I think many people are so blind to it because we like to think we live in as perfect a world that we can imagine.
ReplyDeleteI found this article to be eye opening. It is not that I didn’t know racial inequalities exist but I have to admit that I had never thought of many of the white privileges she listed in her article. For instance in her article she listed that white Americans can shop at local grocery stores and find “staples” or easily find a hairdresser who is able to cut my hair. Her list of advantages went on for 26 items. This article has definitely made me think further about how many times in a day race can come into play.
ReplyDeleteAs an Korean born in American, when McIntosh talked about the racial privileges of white people, it was eye-opening to see some of the privileges that white people had that I had never thought to envy. Though on one level many of the privileges she named, minorities can feel justified in blaming their race for the hardships they go through. Though I (for the most part) find racial stereotypes funny, including my own, there are times when I realized that my peers have judged my character and potential based on Asian stereotypes, and felt that I had to either live up to these expectations or defend myself. I found it interesting when she said that the culture of "white" privilege is underplayed in our society in order to maintain the socially democracy that everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve power.
ReplyDeleteThis article was very eye-opening for me. Being white, I agreed with most of what the author said about us having privileges that we don't realize. I think this is because we are just used to having them, and may not look at the fact that not everyone has the privileges that we do. I think this ties into what we were talking about in the previous classes about how we see ourselves as a classless society because we are striving for equality. If we don't recognize that there are privileges for being white then they just aren't there, which isn't true. I think that if we start recognizing the differences between races, just like if we were to start recognizing the differences between classes, we could start improving on these things and making it more equal between races.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article, it did open my eyes up to the advantages being a white person. I studying Early Childhood Education and many of my classes, especially one(Culturally Relevant Pedagogy), talks about disadvantages and racism in cultures and races other than white people. A lot of this to me was repetitive, but interesting as well. I agree with how she said "As a white person, I realized I had been taught about
ReplyDeleteracism as something which puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its
corollary aspects, white privilege which puts me at an advantage." To me this is the same way I was raised and basically taught. It was something that was said, but in a way I took for granted being white and having the advantages that I didn't realize I have.
Although I might not have thought about it in quite the same way as Peggy McIntosh, I have recently been thinking quite a bit about white privilege, especially in connection with the Trayvon Martin case. I recently read a Huffington Post article entitled "White People, You Will Never Look Suspicious," that deals extensively with white privilege and how it would likely prevent a white teenager from being the victim of such a senseless tragedy. Much like that piece, McIntosh's article interestingly points out that just recognizing white privilege isn't enough. McIntosh argues that white people must recognize the inherent unfairness of such a practice and make it public knowledge before an real, significant change can be expected. Overall, I found this article to be quite informative and relevant, especially in light of several recent developments.
ReplyDeleteThis article about whites having a privilege in society is partly true. People do have benefits by simply being white. However, this is only applicable in certain regions.Living in south Florida as a white male, I was on the other end of the stick in regards to social privileges. Haitians, Latinos, and other races had the social advantages where I lived. white people were being pulled over more often than others. White people were also seen as unwelcome people in stores, gas stations, or neighborhoods. I can see the privileges that races acquire in a society inherently and how the unprivileged have to live without having the social advantages.
ReplyDeleteSorry; swansee is Peter Kim. I'm not sure why it's using my username...
ReplyDelete