As stated in my previous post, I believe that the ‘white privilege’ is the fuel behind modern day racism. It is an invisible force that is overlooked and ignored by most white people. The first and foremost thing that we have to do is to acknowledge that it exists, and then from there we should become aware of the hurt, unfairness and division it causes in our society. The Edmonton Sun paraphrases Dr. Peggy Mcintosh author of the White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, “Most of us have little awareness of our white privilege. We‘re so used to having the benefits that come with being white that we don’t even realize we have them. We also aren’t aware of our privilege because the system has encouraged us not to be aware” (Liebrecht 2010). This quote speaks only the truth and highlights the main points I am attempting to get across. Please find the website here.
The picture below shows young students signing a petition during an anti-racism campaign in Edmonton (the campaign’s focus was to fight ‘white privilege’)
In the paper by Dr. Peggy Mcintosh (1988) she identified a number of aspects that represented ‘white privilege’ in her life. Here are a few examples:
1.) I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented
2.) When I am told about our national heritage or about "civilization," I am shown that people of my color made it what it is
3.) Whether I use checks, credit cards or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability
4.) If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I would want to live
5.) I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed. – See video
Those are just five examples out of a much larger list, see the rest of her paper at this address.
Hartigan (2010) says the white’s main privilege “is to not have to think about race at all” (p. 86), and for the most part this is true. White people can live the majority of their lives free of the worry that they might be looked down upon because of their skin colour. Free to live and work without being stereotyped or mistreated. This great ‘privilege’ should not be a privilege at all, but a right, and one that everyone should have no matter what race they are.
Here is a comic that puts a humorous spin on a very serious topic:
The idea of the ‘white privilege’ is created by society and is transformed by appearance as well as how people perceive each other. It is taught, passed down through generations, portrayed in the media, and is visible on many different levels both consciously and unconsciously. It is a fog that has engulfed our society, fuelling the mistreatment and miscommunication between white people and those of different colours. It is a silent killer that can only be stopped when it is truly and openly acknowledged. Only then are we able to break away from the chains of our past and move forward into a time where differences are celebrated and everyone is equal, then love and understanding will prevail.
John Vernon
Hartigan, J. (2010). Race n the 21st Century: Ethnographic Approaches. New York: Oxford University Press
Liebrecht, R. (2010, Nov 8). City's anti-racism campaign fights 'white privilege'. Retrieved from: http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton/2010/11/07/16019641.html
Mcintosh, P. (1988). White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Retrieved from: http://www.nymbp.org/reference/WhitePrivilege.pdf
Knight, K. (2006). White Privilege. Retrieved from: http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2010/02/19/white-privilege-by-keith-knight/
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