I reviewed “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack” by Peggy McIntosh. The author’s analysis of her identity resonated with me. Though her female identity makes her disadvantaged over men, her white identity gives her advantages over people of color. McIntosh writes, “... 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 6). This statement brought me a great deal of clarity about what racism really is. I come from a state in this country where racism is often outwardly and unapologetically expressed, and so I used to think that as long as you did not subscribe to any obviously racist sentiments, that you were not contributing to the problem of racism as a whole. However, this is not the case, because racism is a systemic phenomenon and is perpetuated by white peoples’ complacency with the benefits that it allows us. Furthermore, by creating a comprehensive list of the variety of privileges that white people enjoy is helpful because it brings my attention to the fact that something I view as a given (e.g., that my actions, good or bad, will not be a reflection of my race), is not the case for a person of color. McIntosh’s “knapsack” metaphor is entirely new to me and I think that it is worth exploring further. “White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools , and blank checks” (McIntosh 1). I think that this metaphor would be a very helpful tool in educating white people about their privilege because it directly addresses a fundamental aspect of the argument that white privilege does not exist. The key word here is “invisible” because white people often do not see or feel the weight of the privileges that they have because they have always had them. Many people that I associate with in my community back in North Carolina do not recognize the existence of white privilege, and I think that the continued creation of metaphors such as the invisible knapsack can bring white awareness to something that they do not even perceive because they have never had to consider their race in their daily lives. I think that this metaphor and list of privileges is just the beginning - I think that this same argument can be applied to issues of homophobia, sexism, ableism, ageism, etc.These issues are often more nuanced and should all be considered. In short, I would like to see a continuation of this piece that is more intersectional.
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