Paper
Jasmine Nixon
Mrs. McCoy-Wilson
Comp. and Rhetoric 1101
03/13/2013
Rhetorical Response 2
Peggy McIntosh’s article, “White Privileges: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” (1998), asserts that males and white people from birth have certain privileges, earned strengths, and unearned power. McIntosh supports this claim by identifying some of the daily effects of white privilege she witnesses. McIntosh purpose is to point out the invisible systems of male and white privilege in order to inform the public of the invisible unfairness and to reconstruct it. McIntosh’s intended audience is the public who doesn’t know that they are being invisibly cut short racially and unaware that they have certain privileges.
McIntosh begins with giving the reader an explanation of male privilege to comparing it with white privilege. She also goes on to list white privileges of her own. One privilege that McIntosh states that she has is that if she wanted to talk to someone “who’s in charge” at a certain establishment, it would be someone of her own race. McIntosh goes on to say that white privilege is and elusive and fugitive subject.
McIntosh then moves on to earned strength and unearned power of white people. McIntosh suggests that people of her race should get involved with informing the public of hidden privileges that they have. She believes that by people coming out and stating that white privilege is wrong will not be enough to change anything because white privilege was instilled in them at birth without even knowing it. McIntosh concludes the article by encouraging the reader to take a stand against the power systems.
The writer has done an excellent job of informing the reader of the unseen privileges that white people have as well as males. I agree with McIntosh and how she feels why white people should make a stand, but I feel that it’s not going to work because I believe there’s still a lot of racism out. Since this article was written a few years ago when
Mrs. McCoy-Wilson
Comp. and Rhetoric 1101
03/13/2013
Rhetorical Response 2
Peggy McIntosh’s article, “White Privileges: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” (1998), asserts that males and white people from birth have certain privileges, earned strengths, and unearned power. McIntosh supports this claim by identifying some of the daily effects of white privilege she witnesses. McIntosh purpose is to point out the invisible systems of male and white privilege in order to inform the public of the invisible unfairness and to reconstruct it. McIntosh’s intended audience is the public who doesn’t know that they are being invisibly cut short racially and unaware that they have certain privileges.
McIntosh begins with giving the reader an explanation of male privilege to comparing it with white privilege. She also goes on to list white privileges of her own. One privilege that McIntosh states that she has is that if she wanted to talk to someone “who’s in charge” at a certain establishment, it would be someone of her own race. McIntosh goes on to say that white privilege is and elusive and fugitive subject.
McIntosh then moves on to earned strength and unearned power of white people. McIntosh suggests that people of her race should get involved with informing the public of hidden privileges that they have. She believes that by people coming out and stating that white privilege is wrong will not be enough to change anything because white privilege was instilled in them at birth without even knowing it. McIntosh concludes the article by encouraging the reader to take a stand against the power systems.
The writer has done an excellent job of informing the reader of the unseen privileges that white people have as well as males. I agree with McIntosh and how she feels why white people should make a stand, but I feel that it’s not going to work because I believe there’s still a lot of racism out. Since this article was written a few years ago when
Cited: McIntosh, Peggy. “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”. Independent School (1988). Print