Blinded By the Sun

"White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" - McIntosh (argument)

     In think article, Peggy McIntosh argues that there is a white privilege, even if some people don't realize it exists.  McIntosh discovers, "men's unwillingness to grant that they are over privileged, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged", or rather there are obvious disadvantages in society, but those who are not effected do not believe they are at a privilege either.  She also explains that she was taught that different races were at a disadvantage, but that she was never told that she had the privilege, or that she was part of the dominant group.  I have endured a similar upbringing, where I never realized that being white meant you were "above" the other races, in the sense that you had less hardships throughout your life.  Today, I can realize that, yes, people of other races do face problems that I do not have to face on a day-to-day basis, like speaking English fluently, or having people look at or treat you differently.  In this article, Peggy McIntosh is saying that we need to acknowledge that "white privilege" exists, and learn how to change the privilege to a cultural norm in society.  White people have to acknowledge their power, and learn to share this "power" with everyone else, because there is no reason for one race to be dominant over another.  I also discovered a website where the organization was designed to remove the "privilege" from white people.  The page that I have linked you to explains their goals and also how to take action in the process of dismantling privilege from society.  This group is exactly what McIntosh believes that society needs; people to understand that privilege exists and that we need to work to remove it.