These articles were painful to read, because they contain so much truth. Previously, racism has mostly bothered me because I've recognized the good privileges that white people have but minorities do not. This inequality is so obviously wrong, and I've always had the mindset that the way to right the issue is to somehow give minorities the same privileges as white people. In other words, I have always focused on the disadvantage of minorities rather than the white advantage.
I've never acknowledged that some white privileges are not good things. And I've definitely never considered the idea that the ultimate white privilege is "the privilege to acknowledge you have unearned privilege but ignore what it means" (http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rjensen/freelance/whiteprivilege.htm). It makes sense that this is the real root of the issue, I've just never recognized it before (which further communicates the truth of this idea).
I agree that every white person should recognize this obvious advantage; as Jensen says, "A first step for white people, I think, is to not be afraid to admit that we have benefited from white privilege." Although I think white privilege is a real thing, I also think that the disadvantages of minorities are real as well. It is not one or the other, but a mixture of both. Many of the privileges listed on McIntosh's list are good things, and are things we should continue to try to secure for all races. McIntosh offered the starting point of "distinguishing between positive advantages which we can work to spread, and negative types of advantages which unless rejected will always reinforce our present heirarchies" (http://www.nymbp.org/reference/WhitePrivilege.pdf). This is very well put, and I think presents a good place to start thinking about a solution. But how do you go about doing those things, and reversing this problem? While reading these articles and writing this reaction, my mind immediately goes into problem-solving mode and tries to think of solutions to this issue given this new information (as if I could solve the problem of racism on my own... in five minutes). What I like about these articles, though, is that they are not necessarily seeking a solution to a problem, but rather asking that we admit the truth of what is going on in our world. I think there is great value in being willing to embrace reality, regardless of the effect on your pride.
I've never acknowledged that some white privileges are not good things. And I've definitely never considered the idea that the ultimate white privilege is "the privilege to acknowledge you have unearned privilege but ignore what it means" (http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rjensen/freelance/whiteprivilege.htm). It makes sense that this is the real root of the issue, I've just never recognized it before (which further communicates the truth of this idea).
I agree that every white person should recognize this obvious advantage; as Jensen says, "A first step for white people, I think, is to not be afraid to admit that we have benefited from white privilege." Although I think white privilege is a real thing, I also think that the disadvantages of minorities are real as well. It is not one or the other, but a mixture of both. Many of the privileges listed on McIntosh's list are good things, and are things we should continue to try to secure for all races. McIntosh offered the starting point of "distinguishing between positive advantages which we can work to spread, and negative types of advantages which unless rejected will always reinforce our present heirarchies" (http://www.nymbp.org/reference/WhitePrivilege.pdf). This is very well put, and I think presents a good place to start thinking about a solution. But how do you go about doing those things, and reversing this problem? While reading these articles and writing this reaction, my mind immediately goes into problem-solving mode and tries to think of solutions to this issue given this new information (as if I could solve the problem of racism on my own... in five minutes). What I like about these articles, though, is that they are not necessarily seeking a solution to a problem, but rather asking that we admit the truth of what is going on in our world. I think there is great value in being willing to embrace reality, regardless of the effect on your pride.
I do not agree that they do not seek solution to the problem. Rather they are saying that we can't seek a solution unless we understand that the problem exists.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. After further discussing this in class, I understand that acknowledging reality is a part of the solution, not separate from it.
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