The Pathology Of White Privilege By Peggy Mcintosh And Tim Wise

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The Concealed Privileges White privilege is a set of privileges that white people benefit from on a daily basis. It is as if doesn 't exist because it is camouflaged into society and is the sole reason why the United States is not a free country. It has long been a critical issue in our society and while many people have brought the topic to attention, only Peggy McIntosh and Tim Wise have been able to initiate it successfully. They present the image of white privilege in hopes of influencing other white people to open their eyes and take responsibility. They also warn that remaining oblivious to this issue fuels the ignorance that is already widespread among the white community. In his lecture "The Pathology of White Privilege", Tim Wise presents the idea of white privilege, explains its origins, and how it can be eliminated. He begins by talking about the issues of racism, discrimination, and white privilege that have been increasing rapidly, but the awareness of it is rather absent in politics and culture. According to him, these issues in the past have been frequently worshipped by many politicians in a negative manner to neglect the class issues and to gain power in certain fields. Nowadays, many political candidates in the United States talk about many issues such as poverty, housing, education, and healthcare, but rarely talk about the issues of racism or white privilege and the affect it can have on the society in which we live. Wise points out that the ignoring of these issues by the politicians and the media can simply make them seem nonexistent, especially the systematic and institutionalized injustice that is typically not reported by the media. Moreover, he points out that whites quickly label racial discrimination as a problem of the past. Wise states that only six percent of white people believe racism is a national problem, but the number of discrimination complaints based on race are at its peak in 2006. According to Wise, this is why February is recognized each year as Black History Month, while there is no White History Month. He also refers to the word "underprivileged" as an incorrect term to be used against the minorities because the complete opposite word "overprivileged" doesn 't exist and is not used to refer to the dominant group. On the other hand, McIntosh brings to attention the various privileges her skin color granted her by listing them out based on her daily life experiences related to education, entertainment, and public life. She explains how many white people are oblivious to these covered immunities that benefit them on a daily basis which are not received at all by the people of color. For example, white people can expect their neighbors to be neutral or pleasant to them at any given place or time. Furthermore, she provides a clear distinction between earned strength and unearned …show more content…
Recognizing white privilege can be beneficial in the long run, but if one is not careful, it can result into a lot of problems. White people should be intelligent enough to make decisions that won’t lead up to the issues of racism, discrimination, and white privilege. However, not everyone uses sound judgment when it comes to recognizing white privilege. Action needs to be taken now to prevent these catastrophes from happening in the future before it becomes almost impossible once racism and discrimination advances beyond

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