Northeastern State University
Abstract
This paper is about my reflection of White Privilege in the United States. I got my information from four resources. The first resource was the handout provided for this assignment; White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, by Peggy McIntosh. The second resource was the website, www.jstor.com. Access is provided via Northeastern State University as a resource for peer-reviewed articles. Thirdly, the textbook, Cultural Diversity, by Jerry Diller was used as a resource. The fourth resource is the most important, in my opinion. That resource is my mind. This is an opinion/reflection paper; therefore the mind of the author is most definitely significant. The paper is a reflection of how I feel after reading Peggy McIntosh’s handout.
White Privilege: Reflection Paper Race is obviously still a huge issue within the United States. Not only do we have racism against people of color, but white people are coming into more racism and hate than ever before. The reason for this is because the rapid changes in what race is the majority and what race is the minority.
Minorities, classified as those of any race other than non-Hispanic, single-race whites, currently constitute about a third of the U.S. population, according to Census figures. But by 2042, they are projected to become the majority, making up more than half the population. By 2050, 54 percent of the population will be minorities. (CNN, 2008)
Racism is thought to only be white people, because of power, against all other races. Now days, you see racism against whites as well. I would have to disagree with the thought of white privilege. In this day in age, we all get our certain privileges. It’s true that fifty or sixty years ago there was an issue with white privilege, but I honestly think that there is no such thing now. We live in a country where everyone has the same chances. Some have
References: Diller, J.V.. (2011). Cultural Diversity. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. CNN US. (2008). Minorities expected to be majority in 2050. CNN U.S.. [Retrieved] September 1, 2012, [from] http://articles.cnn.com/2008-08-13/us/census.minorities_1_hispanic-population-census-bureau-white-population?_s=PM:US Eichstedt, J. (2001). Problematic White Identities and a Search for Racial Justice. Sociological Forum, 16(3), 461. Retrieved August 31, 2012, from http://www.jstor.org.jvlapps.nsuok.edu/stable/684720?seq=17&Search=yes&searchText=privilege&searchText=white&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dwhite%2Bprivilege%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=4&ttl=20556&returnArticleService=showFullText&resultsServiceName=null McIntosh, P. (1990). White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Winter 1990 issue of Independent School. Retrieved September 1, 2012, from http://www.amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html Pulido, L. (2000). Rethinking Environmental Racism: White Privilege and Urban Development in Southern California. Annuals of the Association of American Geographers, 90(1), 15. Retrieved August 31, 2012, from http://www.jstor.org.jvlapps.nsuok.edu/stable/1515377?seq=1&Search=yes&searchText=privilege&searchText=white&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dwhite%2Bprivilege%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=1&ttl=20556&returnArticleService=showFullText&resultsServiceName=null