The Privilege of Paleness

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack                                                
by Peggy McIntosh                                                                                                   Kayla Brown

Quotes:
1) "White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, code books, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks."
           -This quote struck me because it makes sense to me; being white is not thought of as a privilege to a white, yet we have all these secret little hints and helpings through life that non whites do not always receive.  The thing is, we do not even think of these tips and helpings nor do we consciously recognize them; instead we just think of them as a part of our lives, not something special or additional, even though they actually are.
2) "I was taught to see myself as an individual whose moral state depended on her individual moral will."
          -I liked this quote because it shows that whites do not recognize themselves as having privilege in life; rather, we feel we need to put in time and hard work to made any advances or make any accomplishments.
3) "I was taught to think that racism could end if white individuals changed their attitudes. (But) a "white" skin in the United States opens many doors for whites whether or not we approve of the way dominance has been conferred on us.  Individual acts can palliate, but cannot end, these problems.
         - This quote really made me think about the big picture and it kind of made me sad to think that there is not a way for us as a society to fix this issue of white privilege because the individual acts are not enough.  I am a little more ambitious than McIntosh in thinking that there is definitely a chance for change and that one day there will no longer be a privilege of one color in this country.  How long that is going to take, however, is a totally different discussion.

Comments:


The McIntosh reading really opened my eyes to the idea of white privilege that apparently not many others recognize either.  It is not something I wake up in the morning knowing I possess.  Rather, it is more of an idea rooted deeply into the society of this country and it is sort of understated in the sense that it is not a tangible privilege, but more like a birth given and not spoken of privilege.  I do not like the idea of one race holding special privileges above any other, but the society is so deeply set in its ways that it is hard to completely uproot something that is burrowed so far into this lifestyle.  I would like to disagree with McIntosh when she says that there is no way for us as individuals to change the way society is because this country has already come a long way and the new and upcoming generations have different mindsets than those that are currently in control.  I do believe that eventually, one day done this very long and winding road of race privileges that people of all colors can be evaluated on the same playing field.  Just by not believing we can change, is already making this journey more difficult.  People need to be more open to new things and more accepting of others.  As soon as we can do that, we can begin to chip away at this large boulder blocking the road to equality.