While I had been aware of some of the privileges that I held, It was an eye-opening experience to read White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. This essay, written by Peggy McIntosh listed out many of the unearned privileges the author holds simply because she is white. In addition to the privilege of being white, there are many other factors that influence a person's accruement of unearned privileged. I was born with many of these privileges, having been born white, to modest yet secure economically parents, and in a free developed country. It is true that we are socially taught not to recognize our individual privileges. People get stirred up for charitable causes that strive to fix "big" gaps in privileges, such as food and shelter (extreme home makeover-need I say more?), as well as scholarships and other big ticket items. But what about a much needed van for a family of five, or for that fact, the gas money to put in it?
We need to find a way to turn unearned advantages into unearned entitlement, and make positive privileges universal. However, the path to achieving this ideal is unclear, and there are so many layers of privilege inequalities to contend with. It was suggested by McIntosh to avoid using unearned privileges through being aware of their existence, but it would be incredibly hard to escape them (or for that matter want to). Overall, I hope that my new awareness will enable me to use some of my advantages to the advantage of others who do not have them.
1 comment:
What you say is so true. I think the best way to reduce white privilege is to educate people as to the the privilege we have. You never see how privileged you are until you open your eyes to those around you. Even those who are unprivileged in the US are privileged compared to those in other countries.
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