The article White Privilege and Male Privilege by Peggy McIntosh describes a very accurate image on the 1980's and earlier than that. Upon closer examination of the notes section at the end of the paper it can be seen that McIntosh referenced a piece from 1949, thats 64 years ago. This paper was published in 1988 making it a quarter of a decade old. This particular piece doesn't apply 25 years down the road. Although the white male is very much "privileged" in today's society our culture has taken major steps in leveling the playing field of race and gender. There are now laws that prevent unfair hiring practices according to race and gender and other discriminatory practices. Times have changed but that doesn't mean everything is better there are still many things wrong with society but grievance numbers 24, 10, and 6. But also find number 9 oddly funny as that McIntosh's paper was published but I sincerely doubt that an editor will turn down a top notch paper written by a person of color or a woman than a lesser peper by a white man.
I grew up in a school district where I, a white male, was the minority and then I came to DePauw. There was a huge difference going from the minority to the majority but the only real difference was the amount of white people and their dominating opinions. I find it funny to hear people talk about minorities and stereotypes, while I sit back and laugh to myself. I find this funny because they themselves are fulfilling a stereotype of a rich white college kid. In my opinion stereotypes come from experiences that stick with them, whether it be a personal interaction or media portrayal of a race. The reason why it sticks with people is because generally the loudest and most annoying people are recognized despite their race. But once the loudest and most annoying person is recognized the person observing the situation then associates the person's actions with the race of the loud and annoying person. All the while everybody else that is keeping to themselves and carrying on with their business in a less loud, rude, or annoying fashion are not seen. Once a person creates these stereotypes they will start to look for them in their surroundings. Someone once told me that once you get your first car all you will see are cars like yours. The same goes for behavior in a social setting.
The only way to break these stereotypes and to end Macintosh's 40 some grievances against the white male is to recognize this and see it for what it truly is. That those who stick out are noticed just like a car going 120mph in a 40mph zone will attract the attention of a police officer more so than a car going 45mph. Once we recognize this we can start to mend the stereotypes in our society so no one is perceived as lower or higher in status because of race, creed, religion, looks, or gender.
I'm not sure that we can say that McIntosh's perspective is outdated just because it was published a long time ago. As someone of color, I can look at her list and notice that the majority of these conditions still occur today. There were only a select few in which I was unable to relate. I agree that this country has come a long way in terms of legal rights for minority groups, but just because the law says not to discriminate in the workplace, etc., this does not stop private discriminatory practices from occurring in people's everyday experiences-- which is where McIntosh is mostly focused. I do think that Jack's point about stereotypes is a good one, especially the comparison about the new car. The only thing is there will always be people that stick out that may fulfill a stereotype without even meaning to. And since we naturally create groups and categories of people in our minds to understand the world better, negative stereotyping like this seems like it will always be an issue.
ReplyDeleteWith McIntosh's article, the problem that I have with her argument myself is where she begins to talk about how we can improve. Jack also mentions that we need to recognize this unearned advantages for what they are, and I agree. However, it seems to me that in order to go about radically correcting the systems of structural violence that exist in America today, only the majority must first be willing to recognize that white and male privilege do exist. When it comes from minority groups, it may just seem like they are complaining yet again. If you keep hearing the same criticisms from the same groups over and over, are you more or less likely to just ignore them and think of it as just something that they “do”? For example, groups have been drawing our attentions to climate change for decades now, but have we listened or do these criticisms fall on deaf ears? Also, as I think McIntosh suggests, we cannot just create opportunities for equality without this admission that the system is the problem. But how do we get members of the majority to come to this conclusion when minority groups have internalized these structural issues and have become apathetic to it all? So really there will be no collective political “uprising” that will come from these groups even if they all banded together. And how do we redesign the American social system when the majority cannot see that (as McIntosh rightly claims) the oppressors are also the ones that lose their own humanity in this process too? If they don't think they have a dog in this fight, how do we get them to even care? Maybe I am just entirely pessimistic, but I don't think any of this is feasible.
I must agree with Kia on the idea that we shouldn't consider McIntosh's piece outdated just because it was written in 1988, which is more than a quarter of a decade ago. There are many examples of how our world has come closer to being equal in terms of ethnicity and gender, but to say that her work doesn't apply to 25 years from now is a bit of a stretch. You may want to be careful in the second paragraph, for your writing comes across as a little condescending when you say that you sit back and laugh at those "rich white kids". By saying this, it seems like you are putting yourself above such stereotypes, when we are all guilty of forming them.
ReplyDeleteYour argument about the similarity between our cars and our behavior in a social environment is slightly off-base, since this is not the same for everyone. Plus, one must consider the idea that there is a reason a stereotype is there. Though it may be a touchy subject that most of us are unwilling to agree with, stereotypes are not randomly based on those few people we see. There is a pattern we see which created the stereotypes. They obviously don't apply to every member of the stereotyped group, but at the same token, we don't create them on a whim.
I feel like you have some good points to make, but there are some wholes in your arguments that need to be mended. Try rereading your post and rewriting them more effectively and expand more on the ideas.
While I agree with the idea that stereotypes (especially modernly) seem to be self-affirming and it tends to be the minority's reaction to the stereotype that also proves the stereotype to be true, I do still believe that the concepts of white privilege and male privilege are prominent in modern society.
ReplyDeleteAn issue I have with McIntosh's argument is that it seems she sometimes overgeneralizes in her list of securities based on the fact that she is white. As an example and to elaborate on jack's assertion, point number 6 is slightly problematic not because it is untrue, but because it is only partially true. McIntosh states "I can be fairly sure of having my voice heard in a group in which I am the only member of my race". While this might be true, this assertion does not mean that people of other races are then never considered or heard solely based on their race either. In fact, the sole fact that she is the only white person, but a minority in a group of people of another race might in fact mean she will be less likely to be heard.
While McIntosh's argument may be slightly outdated and overgeneralized, but Jack's argument does not address the fact that some of these stereotypes still thrive in certain atmospheres. To a certain degree, racial stereotypes are ingrained in our society's culture in a irremovable way. For instance, if American society was completely colorblind to race, we would not have applauded the fact that we elected a black president because if these stereotypes no longer existed, the race of a candidate would not be a qualification or an accomplishment.
After reading these articles, Jack's post, and the various comments on it, I can't help but be reminded of an article I read earlier this year. It was at the beginning of the NBA season, and it was an article bashing the Minnesota Timberwolves as being racists because their starting five players were all white. Upon reading this article, I found the article over the top due to an overwhelming majority of NBA players being African-American. I agree that racism and sexism have been huge issues in the past and still are in some places today. However, I feel that certain scenarios have gone over the top in correcting the issue of white male privilege. Another example of this would be applying for schools. Schools are so inclined to get diversity across their campuses that they sometimes reject more qualifying applicants who just happen to not be diverse compared to their student body. I realize that it is important to have diversity on campuses and I also realize how needed diversity is. But sometimes, I feel like blaming white male privilege is taken advantage of sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI have attached the URL to the NBA article here.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2012/10/29/civil-rights-minnesota-timberwolves-white-players-racial-makeup/1666061/
Collin, I agree that they were off base, but a more detailed article shows that it's not like they didn't have good reasons for their arguments. As I hope you picked up from McIntosh's article, discrimination happens rather subtly and in instances where you might not ever expect it. I don't think it was so wrong for people to think that the team has been discriminating against black players when, because of our experiences in this country, African Americans are constantly asking themselves these same questions in their daily lives. This is something else that I hope was taken from McIntosh's piece. I don't think this has much to do with taking advantage of white privilege. If anything, it's calling foul on something that happens in the opposite way in basketball too and not even acknowledging it. Some teams have predominately black rosters, so are these teams racist too? These people simply need to ask themselves that same question first.
ReplyDeleteAlso, to Collin's other point, I disagree here as well. Yes, schools look for diversity. You agree that diversity is needed. However, how can we achieve true diversity when there are systems in place in this country that off the bat do not provide the same opportunities for all? People at the bottom are playing catch up their entire lives and do not receive the same chances as those that were born better off. This is a class issue that stems from race issues that have not been fully corrected in America. We have not fully reconfigured these discriminatory systems even today. We instead have been applying initiatives such as affirmative action, etc., without even really getting to the route problems (a McIntosh point). These programs to attract more diversity recognize that everyone will not receive the same opportunities as those in the majority. But, when a minority is chosen for opportunities to go to a school over someone of the majority, this seems to be unfair. Is it fair though that institutionalized racism and classism do not allow for these opportunities for everyone on their own? Is this really taking advantage of “blaming” white privilege? This is what the McIntosh article gets at, and a closer reading of the text reveals this point as well.
In terms of understanding these issues better, this text does a pretty good job at explaining structural violence in the education system in America. She goes on about a Christian duty to correct these things (she goes to a Mennonite university), but in spite of this, this short read is useful for understanding an important dimension of this issue.
http://www.emu.edu/peacebuilding/peace-oratorical-contest/laura-cattell.pdf
I found Collin's example of diversity in applying for college very interesting. In fact, I have heard of a similar situation about job application. A white man and a black man both apply for a position in a company. If both men are equally qualified in terms of their knowledge skills, the employer may intentionally choose the black man over the white one. This is because if he chooses otherwise, he may be deemed discriminatory against color people. Similar issue has also been raised during the Obama-Rommey election. It is interesting to see as society makes progress on racial equality, privileges may shift from one group of people to another. Nevertheless, sometimes it is just extremely difficult to tell if "the race factor" plays a role in the decision making. Thus, unless it's evident, we should stay neutral and avoid making assumptions when facing this kind of situation.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2012/10/27/obama-race-romney-associated-press-poll/1662121/