In the article “Unpacking the Invisible
Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh, McIntosh highlighted several key issues concerning
the creating of an inventory of unearned white privileges she has unknowingly/
knowingly known about being a person with white skin. One of the main reason
McIntosh does this is due to the fact that she realized that there were a lot of
things she took for granted unknowingly simply due to the fact that she was
white and knew that others are doing the same thing. Another reason I also feel
like McIntosh decided to make this list was due to the fact that she is in
women’s studies and studied the particular issue of men’s privileges over
women, therefore she realized that she was in a way being hypocritical because
she was fighting for equality among men and women when she was unknowingly being
unfair to those who were of a different race. Last but not least I believe that
Peggy McIntosh made an inventory of white privileges to reveal to herself all
of the things that whites are given in society and to also show those things to
others. A lot of us do not realize that simple things such as flesh colored
bandages are in fact only one flesh color (white flesh). I thought this was
pretty interesting because it showed me that there are definitely things to
consider that I had not previously considered concerning various privileges
that were given to me off of one soul thing (my skin color).
In Peggy McIntosh's article, "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack", I thought it was important for her to create an inventory of unearned privileges she experienced as a white person to show all of the things you can get just by being a "white" person rather than working for those things. And the reason McIntosh wanted to list all of those conditions was to say and prove to other people that this isn't right; that people shouldn't be able to receive things based off of their race. Also, this list helped her realized, just out of a days worth of experience, how much just she didn't take into consideration or took advantage of because she was white. She was basically trying to confess to other races of her mistake on taking the unearned privileges and trying to make things right for the better, so that its not just the "whites" that get the extra attention.
ReplyDeleteIn Peggy McIntosh’s article “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”, she explains how during her women’s studies she discovers that men are completely oblivious to the advantages that they have. With this information I believe that is why it was important for her to create this inventory as she states, “I was taught to see myself as an individual whose moral state depended on her individual moral will” no she may not morally agree that she has privileges because she is white but they are given to her based on her skin color and what other people see. McIntosh’s inventory points out sides that she explores in the black community or any other race other than white that may run into these problems that she and many others may not have to face. I think the list is used to create an understanding and break the oblivious barrier that was put up and hung on to for so long. As her title is “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”, McIntosh was doing just that when creating this list. I also think she used it to make her argument stronger, because as people do they can argue that whites are in fact not privileged but when you lay out specific possible privileges then you cannot deny them.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” by Peggy McIntoch, she starts by pointing out how men are oblivious to the advantages they have over women by just because they are men. She then linked this observation to the other “hierarchies” in our society such as the disadvantages that come with race. I believe she felt that it was important for her to create an inventory of unearned privileges because she, as a white person, knows she takes things for granted and didn’t fully acknowledge them. She talks about how she knows the challenges that other races, such as African Americans, are faced with everyday that she will never encounter. Being of the white race always, as she says, “opens many doors,” in the United States. People can talk all they want how they don’t have the advantage because of how they were raised etc., and taught not to be racist or discriminatory, but at the end of the day they will come to realize it just like Peggy. Also, I think the list was to make her and other understand all the things that “whites” do have that they did not realize before, or may never realize.
ReplyDeleteIn Peggy McIntosh’s article, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” she explains many examples as to why white people have such an advantage over colored people and how some issues run parallel to sexism and homophobia. 1) While reading McIntosh’s article I came to believe that Americans are obsessed with the concept of Meritocracy because people who have power want to keep and maintain that power which links to racism and sexism. 2) By McIntosh creating a list of privileges and advantages she receives, as a white person is important because she then begins to notice how much of a handicap she actually receives in her every day life. 3) McIntosh also says how the systems of oppression such as racism, sexism and homophobia are linked and I do believe this is true because women are paid significantly less than men because men carry the dominance in society, white people are less likely to be questioned or arrested when in comparison to colored minorities because white people carry the dominance, and in some places same sex couples are not allowed get married because “old white guys” wont allow them to. 4) I believe that racism is a big problem in the U.S. and I do believe that people should not be responsible for the disadvantages of others outside their personal identity group because the only thing worse than showing off your advantages is feeling sorry for someone because of their disadvantages.
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