Privilege, as define by Webster Dictionary:
A right or benefit that is given to some people and not to others.
It’s something we have all heard of, learned about, or seen. It’s not something that is new to our vocabulary, but it may be something that is new to our lives for some of us. But, everyone has a little bit of privilege at least… right?
If you have yet to notice your own privilege, particularly if you are white, cisgender (a person who identifies with their biological sex), straight, and/or male, it’s normal because according to Peggy McIntosh, who wrote the essay, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” we are
“socialized to not recognize our own privilege.” It’s not unusual to go through your day without thinking of how others would do the same things as you. If it would be different for a black woman or a gay man or a transperson. Do we have the time to stop and notice?
If you do, you might realize that it’s not the same. McIntosh says that a lot of times when you have privileges and you spend time with others who have the same, you are less susceptible to noticing it. I grew up as a upper-middle class white, cisgender girl in a neighborhood and school district of mostly upper-middle class white kids. I didn’t see what it was like to have privileges because it was all I knew.
McIntosh describes white privilege (a type of privilege people receive because of their white skin) as:
An invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was meant to remain obvious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, map, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear, and blank checks.
White people have the ability to get through life’s tasks a bit easier simply because of their skin. Like she described it, it’s like having an extra handle on life compared to everyone else around you, and it really is worth realizing. Now, it is different for women, transgender persons, and persons of the LGBTQA community, but because they may have white skin, they still have an upper edge.
I think it can be really beneficial to take a step back and realize how you go through your day to day life; notice if there are any things that may be easier done or that you are automatically given because of one of your identifiers. Realize that people have different journeys every day and different hardships. Realize these things so that you don’t let a person get away with something because of their skin color, sexual orientation, or gender identity that you wouldn’t leave unnoticed if they were different.
I’m not trying to tell you that you are actually racist or homophobic, I’m trying to make you more conscious of things that people don’t notice. If you look at the media or even the presidential race, and see what some candidates get away with saying when others don’t or how they got where they were, you can see the different types of privileges. It opens your eyes to a whole new world. I promise.
kkc5243 says
You explained the concept of privilege/ white privilege so, so well in this post, so great job. I also really like what Lina said, equating privilege to a backpack. That’s so true, because those who have it have the hardest time realizing its existence. It’s sad to me that some people kind of deny the existence of their own privilege, as if it’s something other people have made up to get sympathy. As you’ve expressed in this post, it certainly is a real thing, and abundantly clear for those who are lacking in it. It’s incredible (and incredibly sad) to think about how different our society has made everyday life for individuals who don’t fit into the white, cis-gendered, straight, middle class American ideal we’ve created.
Lina Ruth says
I absolutely love that piece by Peggy McIntosh. I had to read it last semester for my WMNST class, and I thought it was a really good metaphor for White privilege. Another way I look at is by thinking about how you normally don’t notice a backpack unless it is heavy or uncomfortable. So when White people are wearing the backpack full of things that make their live easier, they don’t notice. However, when you have a backpack that is heavy, and hurts your back and your shoulders, it is pretty much impossible to forget about it. I think it is really important to realize the things that make life easier for us and harder for others so that we can understand the situation perfectly.