White Privilege: Peggy McIntosh

     In McIntosh’s article I think she does a great job making you aware that white privilege is out there and it does exist in today’s society.

     She firsts introduced us to white privilege saying that she had been taught, “about racism as something which puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege which puts me at an advantage.” I agree with her, if we were never taught or shown that white people were at an advantage why would they recognize it? If they weren’t aware that something exists how could they recognize it?  I think that it is a very blind way to teach youths about issues in our society.

     Growing up in a middle class, mostly all white rural community, at first it was hard for me to relate my own experiences to this article. I could read and understand what McIntosh was saying, I agreed with the things she brought up, but I could not personally relate. Other than seeing things on television shows, movies or the news I never saw white privilege or had to learn how understand that it does exist. Which got me thinking that white people are unconscious about white privilege just like how McIntosh said that males are unconscious of male privilege.

      I really like this quote she used, “I was taught to see myself as an individual whose moral state depended on her individual moral will.” I believe everyone should be taught this no matter what skin color you have. It is extremely important for any person at any age to learn that.

      “Since race and sex are not the only advantaging systems at work, we need similarly to examine the daily experience of having age advantage, or ethnic advantage, or physical ability, or advantage related to nationality, religion or sexual orientation.” There is always going to be some form of privilege over another.  I believe that with time and conscious efforts and people using their voices these privileges could be something of the past. But we need to be conscious that it’s out there and act together to better them.