Advantage to Some, Disadvantaged to Many

Machado 1 Robert Machado Professor Santillana WMNST 113 15 September 2012 Advantage to Some, Disadvantaged to Many White privileges are natural advantages shared exclusively by the White community. To identify common White privileges, Peggy McIntosh constructed a list of various White privileges she was granted for simply being White. Benefits included the peace of mind while shopping alone, seeing her race widely represented in various forms of media, and access to superior housings and locations. These privileges relate to Beverley Tatum’s interpretation of racism. She concurs with David Wellman’s illustration as a system of advantage based on race and provides examples of how Whites constantly defend their racial advantage. Both believe this system operates not only to the advantage of Whites, but to disadvantage the people of color. Tatum also classifies two different varieties of racism: active and passive. Active racism can be viewed as intentional acts of racial bigotry such as repeating racial slurs, signing anti-immigration petitions, or participating with certain hate groups. Passive racism is when an individual observes active racism, but chooses not to acknowledge it. These different forms of racism are prevalent yet disguised in society, appearing normal to any who experience enculturation. In “Color-Blind Racism,” Bonilla-Silva maps out four key frames to rationalize his perception of racism. To clarify these four points, Bonilla-Silva uses interview data from two main projects: the 1997 Survey of College Students and the 1998 Detroit Area Study. One of his central ideas, Naturalization, suggests that Whites often use this frame to justify actions that

Machado 2 would be perceived as racially motivated. Bonilla-Silva stated, “The word ‘natural’ or the phrase ‘That’s the way it is’ is often interjected when whites use this frame to normalize events or actions that could otherwise be interpreted as racially motivated or even as racist” (134). When