Whiteness And The Power Of Privilege Essay

Through the evaluation of many essays talking about whiteness and the power of privilege, I was able to identify and defined the word privilege and the invisibility veil covering my eyes as a white man. My own early experiences have shaped me to understand that the color of my skin would make me normal in a sense that I don’t belong to a minority group; thus, I will never be experiencing discrimination in this country. Analyzing these materials and author’s perspectives, I came to the conclusion that racial issues are embedded in every single social structure in the United States and that the real change for racial equality relies not in the macro level of our society but in our everyday actions. We need to recognize these privileges, and challenge them with our attitudes and actions. Even though the knowledge of whiteness as a racial identification uncovers the …show more content…
It can be a positive thing when a group of people are privileged to have the opportunity to pursuit their dreams here in the United States, or to have certain benefits or awards for belonging to such groups. On the flip side, being privileged in a diverse society where race and ethnicity sets the stage for majority and minority relationships, the word privilege segregates and maintains minority groups disadvantaged in the mainstream of society. One of the best definitions for this word through the social negative connotation was noted by Johnson A., he stated that, “privilege grants a presumption of superiority and social permission to act on the presumption without having to worry about being challenged” (Rothenberg, 2016 p.145). Another problem we encounter is the invisibility of such privilege occurring in our everyday activities. To illustrate this matter, several authors have reveal their own experiences with this invisibility and have expressed how privilege is created and embedded in our