Author, Peggy McIntosh sheds light on a matter that was present almost 30 years ago that is still constantly occurring in today’s society white privilege. The fact that this issue was written about in 1989 and republished in 2014 proves that white privilege is still an issue in today’s world and it shows that more people need to read this article to become aware. McIntosh effectively persuades her targeted audience that white privilege exists and goes unacknowledged. However, McIntosh may not be so persuasive if a secondary audience were to read this article.
In “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack,” published for the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, author Peggy McIntosh raises awareness of white privilege. She stresses that white privilege exists but is rarely acknowledged as such. She continuously states how white privilege is a problem that needs to be made aware to those that can claim it. She makes a list in which she documents all the instances where she herself …show more content…
The constant references help the reader make a connection to the argument. She can easily persuade her audience because she, herself, is a white woman. McIntosh builds her credibility by providing the reader with a list that states situations in which she has benefited from being a white female. The list helps build her ethos because it stresses how well she can relate to her audience by listing her personal experiences. She states, “being white has protected me from many kinds of hostility, distress, and violence." This shows the audience that she knows how being white has evidently helped her live a more peaceful life. McIntosh leads her audience into seeing that white privilege is an ongoing issue by continuously providing examples in which she can relate back to the reader which creates more ethos for her
In “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack,” published for the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, author Peggy McIntosh raises awareness of white privilege. She stresses that white privilege exists but is rarely acknowledged as such. She continuously states how white privilege is a problem that needs to be made aware to those that can claim it. She makes a list in which she documents all the instances where she herself …show more content…
The constant references help the reader make a connection to the argument. She can easily persuade her audience because she, herself, is a white woman. McIntosh builds her credibility by providing the reader with a list that states situations in which she has benefited from being a white female. The list helps build her ethos because it stresses how well she can relate to her audience by listing her personal experiences. She states, “being white has protected me from many kinds of hostility, distress, and violence." This shows the audience that she knows how being white has evidently helped her live a more peaceful life. McIntosh leads her audience into seeing that white privilege is an ongoing issue by continuously providing examples in which she can relate back to the reader which creates more ethos for her