The Invisible Knapsack - 1023 Words

Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack Reaction Paper It is easy for me to walk into a stationery store and find a greeting card appropriate for my family or most of my friends. But recently, my husband and I wanted to send a card to dear friends who just had a baby girl. But we had a challenging experience finding the right card. The problem was not in the lack of congratulatory messages, but in the lack of cards which properly identify with our friends. Our friends are African American. It is also heartbreaking to notice that their birth announcement portrays a sketch of a white baby; they, too, had a hard time finding an appropriate greeting. There were a lot of truths to McIntosh s statements. White privilege seems to†¦show more content†¦In order to change these types of conditions, I think it should be put out in the open more. â€Å"White privilege† is supposedly this invisible knapsack. If more people knew about it, maybe they would try to be more conscious of how they treated others and how they exercised this w hite privilege without really knowing it. I think a lot of people’s reactions to a minority speaking, for example, is done kind of subconsciously and many may not realize that they are doing it because they’ve done it for so long and they’ve been trained in a way to think that it’s ok, and it’s not. In regard to this article directly, America, being initially a British colony, will of course have a â€Å"white† history. Barack Obama, Colin Powell, and Condoleeza Rice are African American’s that held or currently hold high governmental positions. Living in a predominantly white town, going to a predominantly white school, I had no idea that white privilege even existed. Honestly though, I feel white privilege isn’t about who is a CEO or a multibillionaire. It’s about taxi cabs picking you up and job interviewers taking you seriously. I had an uneasy feeling after reading this article. It really opened my eyes to what minorities have to deal with on a daily basis. I take for granted the fact that in high school my grades were average and I cannot help but wonder if a student of another race would haveShow MoreRelatedWhite Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack920 Words   |  4 PagesIn the article, â€Å"White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack†, Peggy McIntosh talks about the various privileges white people receive. Her basic idea was to inform the readers that whites are taught to ignore the fact that they enjoy social privileges that people of color do not because we live in a society of white dominance. McIntosh lists some daily white privileges; a variety of daily instances where white dominance is clear. Her examples include privileges relating to education, careersRead MoreWhite Privilege : The Invisible Knapsack Essay825 Words   |  4 Pagesto be a common topic this century, almost letting us know, it’s not going away. Powerful voices have stepped up and spoke out, trying to change something, anything. This includes the writers Peggy McIntosh, who wrote â€Å"White Privilege: The Invisible Knapsack† and Beverly Daniel Tatum, who wrote â€Å"Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?† These essays had more in common than having authors, who are great influential woman. They both had a point to prove about racial identityRead MoreWhite Privilege : Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack967 Words   |  4 Pagesover time. It also doesn’t help white people to recognize these discriminatory practices considering they have been unconsciously tailored to be consistent with white perspective and mentality. In her article, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, Peggy McIntosh examines not only how white folks often consider themselves to be a normative figure within society, but also how they are carefully taught not to recognize the advantages they gain from the disadvantages that impair people ofRead MoreWhite Privilege : Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack1455 Words   |  6 Pagesand Ethnicity course throughout the spring 2016 semester. White Privilege To begin, the first pivotal revelation is the concept of white privilege. White Privilege, as Peggy McIntosh specifies in her essay, â€Å"White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack†, is a set of unearned assets which a white person in America can count on cashing in each day yet they remain oblivious to. This theme resonates as prior to this course, though aware of certain advantages as a seemingly â€Å"white† person in societyRead MoreWhite Privilege : The Invisible Knapsack, And Beverly Daniel Tatum Essay908 Words   |  4 Pages Many powerful voices have spoken out to try to change the impertinent mindset of racists and lessen the racist acts of society. Some of the spokespersons speaking on this topic are writers Peggy McIntosh, author of â€Å"White Privilege: The Invisible Knapsack,† and Beverly Daniel Tatum, author of â€Å"Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?† I found these essays to have more in common than great influential female authors Both women had a point to prove about racial identity asRead MoreThe Readings White Privilege : Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack, By Peggy Mcintosh, White Women, Race Matters1425 Words   |  6 PagesThe readings White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, by Peggy McIntosh, White Women, Race Matters by Ruth Frankenberg and Representing Whiteness in the Black Imagination, by bell hooks, all cover the issue of whiteness from different perspectives. There are many aspects of whiteness; in this essay, I will argue that the two most important features are the absence of knowledge of the issue on the part of white people and stereotype consequences. A key point in racism is whiteness, andRead MoreAnalysis Of White Privilege : Unpacking The Invisible Backpack949 Words   |  4 Pageseveryone carried a knapsack. This knapsack carries all of our privileges, whether it is our gender, religion, or even simply our ability to breathe without an oxygen tank. Every knapsack that everyone carries is different; however, the only way we could know what’s in a knapsack, you have to be willing to ask and look for your answers. Peggy McIntosh exploits this concept of a â€Å"knapsack†, as she pulls apart what’s in her own sack in her article, â€Å"White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack.† HerRead MoreDoes Affirmative Action Correct Past Injustices?942 Words   |  4 Pagescorollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage.† (McIntosh, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, p.1). In being in a position of majority and privilege, Caucasians are made to be â€Å"confident, comfortable, and oblivious, [while] other groups [are] likely being made unconfident, uncomfortable, and alienated.† (McIntosh, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, p.1). Whiteness, allows me to open a magazine, turn on a television, or browse the internet and find myRead MoreGender, Racial, Sexuality, Race, And Class ( 11 )975 Words   |  4 Pagesbut her ability to view the Other through the dominant eye presents her with a newfound white privilege she critiques. The scholar examines daily cultural practices and norms of whiteness in her essay, White Privilege: Unpacking Invisible Knapsack. The invisible knapsack embodies a series of rights and entitlement that are not earned, but conferred and naturalized (97). Acknowledging white power and publishing it revokes some power McIntosh otherwise had. For instance, schooling taught her to viewRead MoreOrlando Padilla. Mrs. Miller. English 1A . Flawed Economic1562 Words   |  7 Pagesin the way they are treated. In Peggy Mcintosh’s â€Å"White Privilege: The Invisible Knapsack†, she claims that whites live privileged live’s because their race is seen as being superior to others. Mcintosh says, â€Å"I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that i can count on cashing in each day, but about which i ‘meant’ to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports