Spring Break
White privilege shaping our society
Sara Gwin
Issue date: 1/29/08 Section: Forum
I can't help but wonder how much white privilege played into my being in college. I don't think it was a matter of greater intelligence or work ethic, but of opportunity.
Because of where I come from, I feel like I grew up with a pretty good understanding about racism - at least for a white person.
However, this notion of white privilege was something I always struggled with - not that I didn't believe in it, but because I felt incredibly guilty about receiving it and not having the ability to deny those rights.
Whether we choose to accept and acknowledge it as an unfortunate consequence of being in a racist society, white privilege exists to further the oppression of minorities by continuing to empower the white majority.
Like Peggy McIntosh wrote in her well-known article, "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," for those of us who are white, it can be difficult to see past racism as just individual acts of meanness, but as invisible systems that continue the dominance of the white race.
White privilege is a set of unearned advantages we accrue on the basis of being white. This privilege is something that is very difficult to define because it is so entrenched in our culture.
For those of us within this category, it can very difficult to see how we are privileged, but those who are affected by it are well aware of it from a young age.
Minority parents know they have to teach their children how to live in a racist society in order to protect themselves.
These children are taught how to deal with living in a country that privileges the white race. From a young age, they are taught that their behavior will be judged more harshly than that of their white counterparts, and that their actions will continue to reflect on their race.
Numerous studies have found that whites have greater access to housing and the loans to afford them, access to employment - especially positions with more power - and access to education.
Because of where I come from, I feel like I grew up with a pretty good understanding about racism - at least for a white person.
However, this notion of white privilege was something I always struggled with - not that I didn't believe in it, but because I felt incredibly guilty about receiving it and not having the ability to deny those rights.
Whether we choose to accept and acknowledge it as an unfortunate consequence of being in a racist society, white privilege exists to further the oppression of minorities by continuing to empower the white majority.
Like Peggy McIntosh wrote in her well-known article, "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," for those of us who are white, it can be difficult to see past racism as just individual acts of meanness, but as invisible systems that continue the dominance of the white race.
White privilege is a set of unearned advantages we accrue on the basis of being white. This privilege is something that is very difficult to define because it is so entrenched in our culture.
For those of us within this category, it can very difficult to see how we are privileged, but those who are affected by it are well aware of it from a young age.
Minority parents know they have to teach their children how to live in a racist society in order to protect themselves.
These children are taught how to deal with living in a country that privileges the white race. From a young age, they are taught that their behavior will be judged more harshly than that of their white counterparts, and that their actions will continue to reflect on their race.
Numerous studies have found that whites have greater access to housing and the loans to afford them, access to employment - especially positions with more power - and access to education.
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