Ursinus Bonner Blog

As someone who was raised in a third world country as the minority, this article really hit home for me. I lived in Bolivia for most of my childhood, and you would think that because of my white skin, and american culture, which contrasted so much from the culture and skin color of the south americans- i would finally get to understand what it would feel like to be a minority. However, even in South America, an entire continent away, white people still manage so carry the “invisible knapsack”. people would automatically respect me because i was white, they would assume i was educated and wealthy and would be extremely polite to me while being rude to people fro their own culture. Experiencing this firsthand during my childhood made me realize that as white people we really need to start understanding the advantage that we have and trying to work to overcome it to give minorities the same advantage.

I grew up in an interesting high school. It was probably about 50%White and 50% black. The problem with this was that I was still the majority because I was in a lot of the honors classes that were mostly white. It was so strange walking out of those classes because it was like going from one environment to another like from being the majority to just being equal in numbers but not in everything. I remembered parts of the article happening in that school. For example, one of the points was that people of color do not have the skin color that matches what is known as by “flesh tone”. That is something that is never really thought of as a big deal but at the same time it is because what is that saying about their skin, that it is the wrong tone? I think that there are so many different things like this that are seeped into the daily environment. It also made me remember a time in high school where we did Annie, and a black girl got casted in a usually white role as one of the triplets. I just remember everyone being so frustrated by that because “They didnt all look the same”. The fact of the matter is that this is another bit of white privilege in that it is that a lot of the roles are written for white people when they do the character descriptions. It was such a big deal when we casted a black girl as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz when in fact she was just the best person. It is a shame that it is still a big deal when people do something that breaks the privilege when it is actually what we should be doing every day.

I think the article does a very good job of presenting and demonstrating the pervasiveness of white priveledge in our culture. Another part that i really like about it is how it talks about the idea of “too much priviledge.” I think alot of times these conversations occur and white people begin to try and understand black americans positions in white hegemony power structure but they still do not want to question the morality of their own privilege or the the fact that some privileges – including wealth and the comfort, convenience, and power that comes along with it – have to be given up for true justice.

I really enjoyed reading this article and also the previous posts. I can really relate to everything that Maddy said in her post, especially about Madagascar. Being stopped and interrogated by the police for being white was definitely not a fun experience.

I’ve been thinking so much about this topic since the movie a couple of weeks ago. I feel a whole bunch of emotions and it is very hard to put them into words. I think it is interesting that McIntosh brought up the privilege of men because, while I know that I can never truly understand because I am white, I feel like the underprivileged feeling of being a woman is as close as I will ever possibly get. Especially in my work with the Women’s Center, this power struggle has become more and more clear.

I think that McIntosh’s list of “daily effects of white privilege” on life is one of the coolest things that I have seen written down. I think that every white person should read this article so that we can start to realize the immense amount of covert racism that exists. In class I talked a lot about each individuals “journey” with racism and I feel ready in mine to start looking at these subtle privileges.

While I was reading the list, I started to ask myself how can we change these things? I think it is important that we all start to ask ourselves this question. However, I did notice that some of them seemed to be rooted in the fact that whites are the majority culture in the US. For example, when we were in Madagascar, and also when I was abroad in France, I was not able to always find staple foods of my culture in the grocery store or find posters and post-cards representing people of my race. So, how can we change ALL of the things on this list in this country knowing that 79% of Americans are white?

I think that America has promoted tolerance and acceptance for years. Most of us grew up every day starting our days with the phrase “liberty and justice for all”, but it is time that we as a culture start practicing what we preach. I think that this article is a great step in the right direction towards facing awkward situations and discussions in order to bring the truth out into the open. I hope that we can stop being the lazy white privileged people that Maddy talked about and start caring.

I’ve always struggled with the fact, and still do, that I grew up without personally experiencing other cultures or peoples. Rural Vermont is about as racially homogenous as you can get. During all 13 years of my education, I went to school with only three people of color. And being friends with these people did not even introduce me to other Indian or Black people, as they were all adopted by wealthy white families. In an ironic twist, at least economically, the only people of color I grew up knowing were in a far better situation than me. The economic status of my family further contributed to my lack of exposure to diversity, in that it prevented any sort of travel. As we didn’t have TV, I didn’t even grow up watching the news or shows (which, while dominated by the white race, at least would have provided some awareness). Obviously, my complete lack of personal experience didn’t mean I came to college thinking that only one race exists in the United States and that people of color are adopted from other countries. But it did mean that every bit of information I was taught about the huge racial inequality in our country and in the world came to me through my white teachers. Honestly, I’m not really sure how that influenced their message, but I can be sure that they couldn’t possibly have portrayed the reality of racism and inequality to me. By saying all this I don’t mean to say that I am now completely ignorant of other cultures and people (I do read, I do attend a college near Philadelphia, and I did live in a developing nation for six months), I simply wanted to reflect on the background that undoubtedly affects my perception of McIntosh’s article. Other people have talked about how their experiences relate to the article. When I read the list of privileges that she said “African Americans” whom she came into contact on a daily basis with do not have, I was really unable to relate it to my past. For most of my life, I really haven’t witnessed these advantages, because there was no one to compare ourselves with.
I think my experience really exemplifies the lack of awareness she is talking about. I was never taught to identify how white privilege affected my life, and it was even harder for me to see it, as there were no readily available examples of how minorities didn’t enjoy these privileges. As she said, it is incredibly important that we begin to recognize these advantages. This needs to happen before the social systems of our country that provide unearned advantage and conferred dominance can be changed. She seems to suggest that the appropriate way to act on this knowledge is to use some of the power we were born into to “reconstruct power systems on a broader base”. Although I think this article is important just to spread awareness, I wish she had talked more about what she means by this. She says disapproving isn’t enough; and that individuals cannot change the system. So then how do we overcome institutional racism?
I don’t believe that it is by accepting her claim that all whites are racists. Despite my racially homogenous upbringing, I have always said and believed (like others in the class did last week) that I am not a racist. But this article suggests that by virtue of being white that I am. Although the racial dominance conferred upon us at birth is “unsought,” it nevertheless makes us racists. I just don’t understand how this conception of racism helps us in any way. By saying that all whites are racist from birth, she makes it inevitable, and therefore suggests that we as individuals are helpless to do anything about it. Where do we end up with this argument? Possibly with people believing that that is the way things are, and there is no need to act, because there is no way they can change their skin color and the conferred dominance it affords them. Instead, we need to focus on how we can achieve what she briefly alludes to, and find a way to fundamentally change the power system in this country and overcome institutional racism.

This is kinda separate from everything but I really appreciated this article. I think it really shows a side of racism that people don’t acknowledge. I feel like when people think of racism they think of physical discrimination but I feel like it’s important to acknowledge the side of racism that’s just mental. Like thinking or making negative judgements about people just because of their color. Whether their Black, Hispanic, Arab, or anything else because I feel like alot of people assume racism is just black and white but it’s actually minorty v majority.

I was raised and attended all of my school years in Europe, and during our conversation, it really struck me that the issue we were talking about was a uniquely American issue. Yes, slavery and colonialism took place in almost all Western countries, but each country’s unique history and treatment of slavery and colonialism in the 19th and 20th century has a great bearing on the racial and social climate of the 21st century. Having grown up in Europe, I learned about the slave trade and colonialism in many countries, but I was not exposed to the race issues that occur in the United States presently; the focus was more on ethnic and religious minorities and immigration in Western Europe. I think it is so interesting how each country truly deals with 21st century race issues in different ways because of our different historical paths, so I can understand how it is really important to look to the past to get a better understanding of the present.

I was talking to Christian and Liz after class about this issue and the fact that when Christian studied in Germany and he brought up the Holocaust and the racism that took place during this period (not too long ago). His questions were met with rejection- no Germans wanted to talk about anything. I have seen this shame and guilt in Germany as well, when I lived there. While I can understand it, I think that it is crucial to throw the issue onto the table and deal with the guilt and shame to work towards an understanding of what happened and what can be done to ameliorate the present. By contrast, Liz mentioned that when she was in South Africa, any person of any gender, class or race would be open and willing to talk about racism and Apartheid. I thought this was amazing and inspiring- Apartheid only ended in 1994, and to have the openness to address it today when surely effects are still very prevalent seems great.

It seems to me that the United States lies somewhere between these two extremes. We seem to be open to talking about and trying to deal with our past and our involvement in the slave trade- but is there enough emphasis on the effects which that entire period has on today’s social and economic structures? Are we really open to talking about white privilege and the 26 points that were put forth in the article? It seems crucial, to me, that we refocus ourselves and look at the present and towards the future- what moves can we make towards equality? Throwing it all on the table, like we did in class that day, and sharing our opinions and stories is the best start.

I really don’t know what I want to get across. I don’t have this profound thought or suggestion for everyone to think over. I really only have what I know and have experienced. Growing up, on my block there were several white families, but there were also Black, Spanish and Jewish families. As a kid those categories never existed to me. All that mattered was who was home and who was allowed to come out and play. Yes as we got older, my friends would say things they heard their parents saying and I would tell them what I heard, but we never really understood what it meant and never let it affect our friendships. I think that is why this article on white privilege was so foreign to me. Growing up I never saw myself as different or advantaged over my friends and neighbors. In the summer I work as a cashier at Target. I’d say that the staff is pretty young and very diverse. Once again I spent the last three years getting to know such amazing people and it wasn’t like I was making Indian friends or Black friends, I was just making friends at my job. Also as a cashier it was part of my job to check for counterfeit bills. Whether a person was young or old, White, Black, Asian or Hispanic I had to check. It had nothing to do with their race. I also can honestly say that before it was a requirement I never checked it for any person. This article kind of upsets me because as I grew up I never felt like I had any privilege over other groups of people. I do not know how to handle it. I think if I was told as a child that I have this inherent advantage then I would have felt guilty and as I was making friends I would become worried that they thought I was only talking to them out of pity, which really upsets me. To me this article makes me uncomfortable because it seems rather racist. As a member of a white lower-middle class family, I have felt some of those rules against me. Especially after my parents split up and my mom was left with five children and a job making little above what is considered poverty. I have been in situations where I felt very judged and unprivileged. Those points are not so much a racial issues but a class issues. Yes racism exists and I want to help end it, but I think that assuming all white people have this privilege over all black people is only adding to racism. Instead we should rid ourselves of any preconceived ideas of the sort and handle each individual as an individual.

I really appreciated reading about experiences like Maddy’s in Africa and Zannah’s in rural Vermont. I also really admired Travis’ willingness to post so honestly, and to be the first person to post. There is so much I want to say ….but I’ll keep myself only to sharing my experiences as others have done here.

I’m still dealing with the shift from home to college, and I don’t think I’m dealing well. My community at home is the Chicago community with the third largest percentage of residents who are Latinos, so I have been accustomed to not being a minority in that sense. There has always been the availability of my food, people with whom to speak my language, some somewhat accurate representation of my people. I went to a few different elementary schools, but two of the three were almost entirely Latino, and almost entirely Mexican. Outside of my community things are different, but I at least had that experience to help.

Because outside of my community in my city I was always exposed to different cultures and ethnicities, I never experienced culture shock when I went to high school within walking distance of downtown Chicago. My high school was the most diverse Chicago Public School, and there was never any one group that was a majority. Despite this, I was aware of the reality of the statement of one of my favorite teachers, who said that even if soon White should not be the physical majority, America was still a white culture. Regardless, I truly appreciated that my school made a concentrated effort to address racism and its effects, and I appreciated that every single one of my teachers, regardless of race, was actively working against racism in and out of class. It was in my high school that I first truly understand what a white person who understood and rejected the privilege automatically given to her/him could accomplish.

Coming here to Ursinus has been and continues to be my first experience with culture shock. I have throughout my life always been able to go home (sometimes at the end of a few weeks but always soon) and not feel a minority. Here, I cannot do that. I am dealing with the fact that even the Latinos here are not of my Ethnicity (and despite common belief there are big differences between the cultures of Latin American countries), with the fact that there is nowhere for me to buy the food that has composed my diet all of my life (excluding school lunches or the occasional meal out), and I am dealing with the fact that there is considerably less diversity than I have ever encountered before. I have never been so unable to escape the reality of my position as a “minority.”

Personally, I don’t really know where I stand on this issue. By all means, don’t take that statement as that I’m racist because I’m definitely not. I have friends of all ethnicities and religions and would give my life for them if need be. However, considering my background, where I come from, as well as my personal experiences it’s hard for me to sit here and say i have white privledge. Okay, so maybe at a global or national point of view, people could claim I do. However, I’m not as fortunate as many “white” people or “minorites”. I don’t even like to use those words. The issue is based on a cultural representation also being a sterotype. When I look at someone, when I talk to someone, I’m not looking at their skin color, their religion, or how they speak. I’m listening to the message their conveying because every single person has a purpose, opinion, and meaningful message to portray. I don’t see differences as an issue. Every single one of us are different. It makes us unique. “White” privledge may exist in some areas, and i’m not going to deny that racism exists in part of our own nation. However, I’m not really exposed to it. My high school has a mix of all different races and ethnicities and not one person is treated differently (if anyone wanted to argue that, I asked a few friends from high school what they thought, and they said “African Americans, Asians, and Latinos, etc. aren’t treated worse than us, if anything, they’re even more privledged than we are”. Of course that is just my particular location not the whole US. Back in the olden days when my mom was little, or when my grandmother was little, i can absolutely tell you white privledge was evident in the world and partially in my family. However, now in 2010… I truly don’t feel in the areas that I’ve been and my life so far has been due to white privledge. No one knows my past, and doesn’t know the struggles I’ve gone through being a “white person”. I may seem to be going back and forth with this “white privledge” idea. I did mention earlier I’m unsure where I stand in this matter. I guess, personally, I don’t feel I have white privledge as I know some people do, especially in other countries, or as my ancestors may have. I’ve had a challenging childhood in many aspects even up until now. I struggle just like anyone else, and I don’t get catered to just because I’m of a certain “race”. What many of you probably don’t know about me is that I’m very religious, and due to my faith, I believe God see’s all of us in the same way, children of God, not by “race”. I cannot tell you that this whole world views people the way I do. Although, I can’t tell you that one day everyone will because after years apon years of stereotypes, traditions, and beliefs, cultures formed to feel superior to one another, and etc. It’ll be awhile for everyone to be on the same page, if that’s even possible. ?

I think the article was very informative and very relevant to the discussion we had in Bonner class two weeks ago. I think if we had read this article beforethe discussion, it might have gone very differently, because judging by people’s blogs, they seemed to have changed their opinions. This article, as well as the movie we watched and discussion we had in Olin Auditorium after the movie made me realize that African Americans really are angry. I never thought that people were still angry over things that happened so long ago, but after hearing people speak and reading the article, I can understand why. I now understand the idea of “white privilege” but I think that if people keep believing in it, it will never go away. I also say let’s worry about how to make things better, and not forget the past, but not focus on the past.

When articles as such are placed on the table for people to reflect upon, they create issues, not only because of it being a controversial issue but because of the lack of knowledge that many people have on the issue. Personally, I really wanted to know what everyone had to say about the issue, and how this article made a change on their position. As a strong advocate for racial discussion, and potential white recognition of black struggle, I am really disappointed when a person says they are not racist. I have decided not to reflect on the article because that is what I have gone through my entire life. Not only in America but in the Dominican Republic, where I spent many years of my life. That is to say, that America has had such an indirect impact on the way that the world perceives color that it is sometimes unimaginable, and incomprehensible how these structure came to be. Not only how it “came to be”, but in the way that it” came to be” and how people do not notice that it “came to be”. I am not sure if you can follow, but ultimately my point is that until the day that whites understand that they are not suppose to give up their privilege, but help in making that privilege the norm, I will not give up. For example, driving is a privilege, but with any traffic offense you may be subject to lose that privilege, and if you attend driving school you may attain that privilege once again. I feel as though being Black in America is automatically getting a traffic offense at time of birth, loss of privilege. Although we have “Driving school”, which many of us cannot afford, the exception is created and white America fills their mouths with the story of “he made it, why couldn’t you”. That is just a brief example of how through exceptions to the rule, people have been embedded with these thoughts of colorblind racism. I would like to end with the idea that many people are afraid of color differences; yes I am Black, I do not need anyone not to see that. Many whites think that by saying, “my friend is Black and I just see him the same like everyone else”, they will eliminate the issue, and that is not the case. I personally would like whites to recognize that there is a difference, and after that, realize that there needs to be a change, to eliminate Black struggle.