White Privilege

           

            In Peggy McIntosh’s article, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”, she examines what White privilege really entails. Many people before Peggy McIntosh have expressed their thoughts and opinions about White privilege, but she is the first white woman to shed light on how unaware white people really are about White privilege. Because of her skin color, she has noticed certain advantages that she has gotten over people of color, and so her article is better able to connect with people of her skin color because she’s aware of what advantages they are receiving. I believe that it was important for Peggy McIntosh to create an inventory of unearned privilege because it shows that White Privilege is not just about disadvantage, it’s about how white people have more secure and safe lives naturally. She used unearned privilege because it even helped her realize the true extent that White privilege is. She explains that white privilege is not just about how you get paid more depending on your skin color, being white also gives you privilege in simple things such as where you live or being able to express your thoughts or beliefs without getting looked down upon. When McIntosh lists in her article that “If I want to, I can be pretty sure of finding a publisher for this piece of White privilege” it proves that even in just talking about White privilege, white people still have an advantage. Her article opens the eyes of white people because since she’s white too, they are better able to connect with McIntosh because her realization helps them realize advantages they never knew they held. She also connects to people of color because her list talks about things that they might experience on a daily basis, and they know that she sees the disadvantages they have to go through. This article helps open the door to show how white people have advantages that they don’t even think twice about. We need to realize that White privilege is a problem because without realizing the problem, White privilege may never change.