White Privilege/Data show racial bias persists in America

Peggy McIntosh
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

Salim Muwakkil
Data show racial bias persists in America

McIntosh argues that she sees racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on her group. That white are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught to not to recognize male privilege.


(1) "I decided to try to work on myself at least by identifying some of the daily effects of white privilege in my life. I have chosen those conditions that I think in my case attach somewhere more to skin-color privilege than to class, religion, ethnic status, or geographic location, through the course of all these other factors are intricately intertwined. As far as I can tell, my African American coworkers, friends, and acquaintances with whom I come into daily or frequent contact in this particular time, place and line of work cannot count on more of these conditions."
(Lists of conditions)

-After reading her list, I found that they are true and that I can also relate to some. I feel that its hard to avoid these type of things. They happen and are real.


(2) "Disapproving of the system won't be enough to change them. I was taught to think that racism could end if white individuals changed their attitude. But a "white" skin in the US opens many doors for whites whether or not we approve of the way dominance has been conferred on us. Individuals acts can palliate but cannot end, these problems."

- I think that shes right when she says disapproving of the system won't be enough to change it unless people do something about it. I think white people open doors for other white people, yes that happens but we can also open doors for others as well.

(3) Rather than a quote from the article I want to take the whole thing into part. It was hard to understand for me just because it was confusing to understand all the different surveys. I do however understand that white people get more jobs faster than someone of color. Even a white people with bad resumes and white who have been in jail will get the job faster than someone who isn't white. As much as I don't agree with that, its true, it really is.

I think McIntosh wasn't arguing about issues rather than just telling us what she was taught and how she see things. I like how she writes because she she doesn't want to argue she just tells her own opinion. I thought the Data was true, but a little hard to understand.