White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack By Peggy McIntosh - Book Report/Review Example

?A Review of Peggy McIntosh’s White Privilege The so-called white privilege is considered to be an unearned privilege simply because white people do not need to exert effort in order to gain advantages in the society. For the author, it was hard to recognize this social phenomenon since it does not reveal itself through acts of racism, but remains hidden within the social system. In America, white people enjoy privileges in the society not so much because he/she does something to attain it but because it is bestowed upon him/her since birth. The author realized that, in this country, advantages already existent for someone who is born with the “right” skin color. To clarify the rather complex idea of white privilege, the author listed 50 instances where she experience white privilege in her daily life. According to her, one example of an unearned privilege of a white person is the representation and attention that the “white race” gets in different media specifically whenever American nationhood is often featured. Learning that the founding fathers of the nation belong to white American race gives white people the sense of pride and accomplishment that their own race made this country great. On the other hand, minority groups such as African Americans or Native Americans suffer from the lack of representation. Because of this, they feel excluded from the participation and discussion about our nationhood. It is through listing her daily experiences of white privilege that the author was able to unpack the “invisible knapsack” of a privileged white person in American society. According to her, it was hard to recognize the existence of the concept simply because the manifestations of white privileges do not come into a visible form of racist violence and outright discrimination. Instead, its presence remains to be denied and protected by political leaders or other people because they benefit from the system and continue to dominate it. As such, average white Americans feel that condemning racism is enough to achieve equality. However, what they do not know is that one must recognize the existence of such privileges to fully understand the dynamics of racism. In order to achieve genuine equality in this country, the author suggests that white people must be made aware of the “hidden” advantages that white people enjoy to comprehend the deep division among different races and culture in American society. With this, an important point raised by the author is the reason why the recognition of white privileges remains to be denied or unrecognized is because it invalidates the idea of meritocracy in the country. Meritocracy is very important in achieving the “American dream”. Our nation projects itself as a land of limitless opportunities to every individual who works hard for his dreams. Because of the existence of white privileges, the idea that life is what one makes is now considered as a false belief. Recognizing that being white brings many advantages to a person is affirming that there indeed is a myth of meritocracy in this country. As such, many white Americans continue to deny or choose to ignore its existence. On the last part of the essay, the author encourages white people to recognize white privilege because it hinders the country’s goal to promote equality. Equality means that privileges are ensured to those who earn it through hard work. It also means having the same and equal opportunities with everyone despite the differences in ethnic background and skin color. For a white person, it is difficult to recognize such privileges because the social system makes its existence invisible. Also, admitting the existence of white privileges denies the foundation of the American dream which grants meritocracy. A Critique of Peggy McIntosh’s White Privilege From the article, one can realize that white privilege is a complex term that is very difficult term to define simply because its existence is not visible in the society. Because white privilege is ingrained within our social system, it is difficult to identify the effects of this social phenomenon in our daily living. White privilege consists of the advantages earned by white people not because he/she works hard to attain it, but because it is inherent in the system which his/her race dominates. A white person may not realize it or may deny the existence of this privilege because the societal structure already favors the domination of his race. As white Americans, it might be difficult for us to recognize the existence of white privilege because we are conditioned to think of our lives as “normal, normative, and average”. Admittedly, in schools, we are taught that racism is simply about being mean towards the person from a different race. However, this article on white privilege tells that the mere dominance of white Americans contribute to the deepening divide in this multi-cultural society. It is difficult to recognize white privilege because it is ingrained in the societal system which granted privileges to us – the white Americans who are born with the “right” skin color. Also, some of us choose to deny that white privilege exist because we enjoy the gains and advantages bestowed upon us from birth. As a result of both denial and lack of awareness, inequality continues to exist in American society. As such, the author should be commended for the honesty presented when she admits the privileges she enjoyed being a white American woman. Peggy McIntosh did not only try to explain the concept of white privilege, but she also lay out concrete examples in order to understand it better. Out of the 50 privileges listed by the author, there are three specific privileges which can be deemed as important and necessary to be given attention to. The sixth condition described by Macintosh about the recognition of white race when people talk about national heritage or American “civilization” is very striking. It makes most of us realize that if we place ourselves in the shoes of people from the minority group, we would feel that our forefathers are excluded in the building of this nation. In a way, we would feel the effects of crisis in identity and would try our best to assert the significance and existence of our own race in this country. Unless we put ourselves in the place of minority people, it will be hard to comprehend the deep divide that is deterring unity among different cultures that make up the American society. On the other hand, events in numbers 18 and 13 about white people’s physical appearance show how skin color becomes the basis of social status and behavior. The perception that all white people are privileged with education, propriety, and money should be erased in people’s mind. The author had an agreeable point that, as white people, we should well be aware of our own privileges so that inequality will be addressed. Indeed, spreading awareness, such as reading the article, is the first step to contemplate for concrete actions to combat the unfair effects of white privilege. It might take time before all of us can really admit and recognize the unearned privileges enjoyed by white people, but then if we just open our mind to embrace the concept, then we can fully understand the true dynamics of racism. The best action to take right now is to contemplate and come up with our own lists of privileges, just like what Peggy McIntosh did. Read More