race

Peggy McIntosh wrote "White Privilege". It describes invisible racism of the white people in our society. Jobs, band-aids, housing opportunities, etc. are based on skin color. White people automatically get these opportunities, strictly because of this "power privilege". The list of everyday situations that McIntosh writes about are true--at least in my life anyway. The part where she writes that she can go shopping without being followed is true for me because I belong to this "white privilege". In order to change this unearned privilege and make it earned, we must realize how it affects how we live everyday. Like in the SCWAAMP activity, we have to force ourselves to realize the powers and advantages that we have working for us. Sex, ability, ethnicity,religion, etc., all affect the way we live and operate on a daily basis.

In his essay, "Data Show Racial Bias Persist", Salim Muwakkil writes that 55% of whites said yes to the fact that minorities are given an equal opportunity in the job force. This may be true for basic, entry level jobs, but in our society there is this invisible biased opinion that has been en grained in the American mind. Even on job applications, where the boss does not see the one wanting to be hired, the boss will pick the first and last name of the one who has the most "white- sounding" name. The name of the person has nothing to do with the ability of the person, but in our society we see that a non-white name could mean any racial stereotype you could think of. All of these typical stereotypes are probably wrong when thought of in a job related task, but the manager will more than likely use his/her biased opinion on who to hire for the position--typically the white person.

McIntosh eloquently brings racism to light. She says, "I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth" (McIntosh, 5). I used to think, up until now, that I was never racist. But, looking at this quote, I can see that institutions in our (white) society hold this invisible curtain of racism over our eyes. It makes me feel racist strictly because I am a white female living in this American society. We do not see racism until it is clearly brought forward.

I do not think that anyone has the right to judge, but a higher being. It gets me frustrated to see that one group (white people) in our Western society have the privilege and the ability to judge. Who made white people the power culture?