In Peggy McIntosh’s paper “White Privilege and Male Privilege”, Macintosh expresses that white privilege is unearned dominance that whites posses unknowingly, which gives them an advantage in society. She argues that by reviewing the denials surrounding white privilege, acknowledging white privilege’s existence, and the factors that protect these unearned advantages and dominance, we can then use these same unearned privileges to weaken the invisible privilege systems (McIntosh). Whites are taught in a careful manner not to recognize white privilege, further denying it even exists. Whites are taught that racism is something that puts others at disadvantage, but the more important part we are not taught about, is that it put others in advantage. Those who are in advantage such as whites do not like to even admit they are in advantage, it is denials such as these that protects white privilege from being acknowledged. Those in advantage like to think they earned what they have in a fair manner, however, most is simply unearned privilege. McIntosh states that whites are “conditioned into oblivion” about the mere existence of white privilege by the ways in which we enjoy unearned advantages just because of our white skin color, only further denying white privilege. Once the denials of white privilege have been brought to the surface, one can then acknowledge it’s existence. By acknowledging white privilege’s existence Mcintosh expresses we must not only acknowledge other’s…
Whiteness, the term expressed as acting or behaving as white or pale-skinned people. Well, what do we mean by the term “Whiteness?” When we hear the term whiteness or white we automatically think of white people and their behaviors. We think of educated, powerful, proper, and other terms with positive descriptions. Now a days, the term white is used to accuse someone of behaving like white people. Being accused of acting white is seen as wrong because people of other ethnics take it as trying to…
White Advantage In the article “White privilege to a broke white person” by Gina Crosley-Corcoran she argues how being white in society did not make her advantaged in society by stating her own personal experiences. White privilege is recognized amongst white individuals and many have been taught not to recognize it for what it is but not every white person gets the same glamorous lifestyle. Being white is just a color that does not define the future for someone. White privilege is viewed in…
Monica Potts attempts to answer the question “what kills poor white women?”, in her essay “What’s Killing Poor White Women?”, Potts uses studies on this topic, her own research, and her own opinion to try to answer this relatively new question. Potts uses a woman’s life that fits the criteria as a poor southern white woman as the basis of her essay. The essay is full of facts that I agree with but there are some points in her writing that I do not agree with, and think are rather stereotypical. …
Jackson, Mississippi was full of injustices in the 1960s. Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan is a young, white, and inspiring writer that wants to write a book exposing the maltreatment of the help by using their experiences. She receives assistance from Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson along with a few others to generate enough stories for the book. The Help was written by Kathryn Stockett and published in 2008. It was set in Jackson, Mississippi during the early civil rights movement. Slavery was…
The Help is a powerful, appealing and inspiring film directed by Tate Taylor, because it reminds me of something that I didn't know about, but I could tie it into today. The movie is about a writer who interviews African-American maids to know point of view of working with white families. The maids talked about the white families that they work for and their poverty they face on their daily life. This movie gives a perspective of the Civil Rights movement in 1960s, and the problems the…
The one thing that people in the world cannot stop is time. Time causes change and change brings the old fashioned phrase “out with the old, in with the new” and puts it into practice. Society and norms change all of the time whether it may be a fad that the younger generation is going through or a long term discriminatory behavior from an older generation. Within the images given, the messages that are being delivered are subtle and discrete but they’re there nonetheless. Because of how things…
Schools are the most diverse places within the United States. It is a place where children from all over the world come together. Today teachers must tap into the culture of their students, make students aware of diversity, and making teachers aware of diversity. “The cultural interplay between teachers, students, parents, and their school produces a context within which significant culture learning can occur” (Textbook page 112). Creating an understanding of the culture in which your students…
Alex Haley’s Autobiography of Malcolm X and Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains are books that create a controversial matter with keeping, reaching out and challenging their readers. Most of all both of these books mainly have the issue with the white readers. Both books similarly challenge their white readers by criticizing them and or creating an image or situation that offers them a way out. Paul Farmer’s and Malcolm X’s mediator’s, Tracy Kidder and Alex Haley, play a major role in…
10/7/16-10/10/16 (Shenandoah National park experience) One the way- I’m on my way to Shenandoah National park that is in Virginia. I plan to stay for three days at one of the cabins in the park. It’s only 75 miles away from the bustle of Washington D.C. I hope that we get two do a lot of cool things like hiking and I hope to learn a lot more about it than I already know. I did a little research on my own to figure out what are the basics of the park, why it is a national park, and the usual…