Introduction
Research Question: Do individuals in the Midwest experience the affects of white privilege?
During this investigation I seek to explore the differences in privilege that males and females, of different race and ethnic backgrounds, experiences in their daily lives. My fellow Sociology of Race and Ethics classmates and I will conduct Peggy McIntosh’s White Privilege survey, in hopes to find any differences in privilege felt by individuals of varying age, gender, race or class membership.
My hypothesis is:
According to Peggy McIntosh’s White Privilege survey, she suggests that white people are privileged with what she describes as “an invisible package of unearned assets, which I (Peggy McIntosh) can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was ‘meant’ to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions maps, passports, code books, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks” (McIntosh, 1988).
I suggest that with the changing of times, and ever growing equality that this distinct idea of white privilege is no longer prevalent. I believe that, McIntosh’s view of white privilege is no longer applicable in today’s Midwestern society and culture. I hypothesize that age will have more of an effect on responses to the survey than that of gender or race. I predict that younger people (below 20) are at a greater risk of feeling “underprivileged”. For my second hypothesis, I suggest that overall people in the Midwest feel privileged versus not. I believe this because I feel that the social stratification in the US, especially in the Midwest, has declined creating a more equal environment for all.
Data Collection
I will receive my data though the use of Peggy McIntosh’s White Privilege survey. First I will take the survey, while recording my answers, and then give the survey to ten other individuals, recording their answers in the same format. My fellow
Cited: McIntosh, Peggy. "Daily effects of white privilege." White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, 1988. Tues. 19 Feb 2013. .