To me, the terms “invisible systems of privileges” and “unearned privileges” can mean many things. Upon reading the articles recommended for this essay, along with some other online resources, I would say that I have a much broader understanding of each term. While my first reaction would be to say that invisible systems of privileges are privileges that may be obvious, yet difficult to recognize. Likewise, “unearned privileges” seems simple enough to explain. My first reaction would be to call them privileges one does not deserve.However, realizing exactly what privileges are, and who has them, along who does not, is a bit more of a challenge.
Privileges can describe a great many things such as; driving a car, having a cell phone, or even a paid day off from work. But upon reading some of the articles, I came away with a better understanding of how in-depth this term really is and can be. These privileges can even come down to how a person of color is treated versus a white person in such subtle settings as clothing stores or applying for housing.Without a doubt, I would say that the people with the most unearned privileges are white males.
According to the social-experiments conducted by Dan J. Spence and J. Arthur Fields at Southern Utah University, they discovered that white males were treated better by sales personnel of different businesses, as well as land-lords for housing than their black counterparts acting under the same conditions (Spence/Fields,1999). This study also suggested that men, in general, would be taken more seriously than women, especially in situations such as shopping for a vehicle or an apartment.I have seen this type of discrimination take place in person, where a female was treated differently than a male. When working for a landscaping company, I witnessed my employer, who was dealing with a disgruntled female customer, instruct her to go get her husband because he “would rather consult the man of the house since he would not be so emotional and irrational”.
Needless to say, we lost the account, yet it was a testament to the fact that men have invisible privileges that women do not share.There was no evidence that the husband would have dealt with the problem at hand any more rationally than his wife. In fact, he was even more difficult to talk to that she was. Dominate groups, to me would indicate groups within a society that have these unearned privileges, greater social-status, and much more power than their counterparts. In any society, there is a majority and a minority.
In the past, this was determined sometimes exclusively on race alone, but I feel that as we move forward with race-relations and tolerance of our peers, another type of domination is more prevalent: class.Though our society will probably suffer from racial inequality and prejudice based on ethnicity for generations, I think that it is easier for dominate groups to discriminate based on social-status and wealth than it is for them to do the same based on race. When whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, etc, all find themselves in the same class, I feel that it is easier for them to find a common-ground and not let things beyond reasonable control (skin color, place of origin, ancestry) get in the way of forming a unity and establishing solidarity.Perhaps there is much work to be done before this becomes the norm, but I think that our society is moving slowly toward it. Being oppressed means experiencing unwarranted and unjust suffering and mistreatment from the dominate groups.
While oppression can be put upon many different groups of people, historically in America, blacks and women have suffered badly from it. The articles I read for the assignment covered blacks, and the information I retrieved on Peggy McIntosh also mentioned women as being victims of such behavior as well (McIntosh,1988), while the experiments conducted by Dan Spence and J. Arthur Fields mentioned gay males, along with lesbians falling victim to such mistreatment (Spence/Fields,1999).Still, historically, Jewish people, Hispanics, political activists, Muslims, and immigrants from virtually everywhere in the world have fallen victim to oppression at one point or another. In fact, short of a few European immigrants at different times in America's history (Irish during the 19th century, German immigrants during the World Wars), it is difficult to find many instances of oppression against white males short of class or social-discrimination, which I believe is more rampant in today's America.
Before reading the required materials for this assignment, I read the terms “power and privilege” and thought of them as I usually would relating to skin color. As a white male, I am fully aware of the unearned privileges I have, and I feel for others who struggle so hard to earn what I have done nothing to obtain. While I may face discrimination for other reasons such as; having tattoos, being a convicted felon, wearing my hair shaved to the skin, or having come from a poor neighborhood, I will never know the strife that many of my African-American or Hispanic peers face.My thoughts on power and privilege were defined quite articulately by Peggy McIntosh several times in her list which observed simple things I have overlooked many times in my life so far.
For instance, I never considered that being labeled a credit to my race as reward for exemplary behavior or achievements is a back-handed compliment which really demeans anything I did to be called that (McIntosh,1988). This reminded me of all of the times in my life where I heard people referred to as “a well-spoken black man” or “one of the nicest and funniest black people I've ever met”.I have never once heard anyone say similar statements referring to a white person where their race was credited for their accomplishments or talents. The article by Tim Wise was the most intriguing bit of reading I found on this subject.
Perhaps it was because many of the other articles I found seemed a bit dated, or because this one hit close to home with me. What I found the most interesting about it was the fact that it pointed out many of the irrational statements and suggestions made about President Barack Obama during his candidacy.Many of these accusations such as; Obama being associated with militant religious extremest groups, implying that his honesty about experimenting with marijuana made him a candidate for being a drug dealer, or suggesting that President Obama observing the constitutional rights of accused people indicated he was in some way unfit to secure our nation (Wise,2008), were absolutely ridiculous. I remember watching this play out on national television, and I always believed that these accusations were made out of fear of a black president, and intentional racism to deter the president from continuing his endeavor to succeed and lead our nation.
This absurd, and outright bigotry was broadcast worldwide, and many Americans still feel that it is valid to this day. This type of acceptance of disrespect based largely on the color of a man's skin made me doubt how far we truly have come since the Civil Rights Movement began all those years ago. Sadly, I fear that openly treating Obama this way, along with antagonizing his family, gave a sense of empowerment to many timid bigots to make the transformation into all-weather bigots.I notice daily (especially considering that I live in the deep south) that many people who I have known for a long time have revealed quite racist sides of themselves to me that I never knew existed prior to this past presidential election.
This has even cost me friendships and restricted, if not entirely cut off, contact with members of my family. In conclusion, I think that what is obvious to other races is virtually invisible to many of my white peers: white privilege. This may be one of the most difficult things to teach white students, and that is why I think it is one of the most important.Some white people do not even realize they have such privileges until it is taught in a way that they can understand and observe. The funny thing to me is, it is whites who give these privileges to themselves.
That is why I believe that this issue is vitally in need of mass-awareness as to begin healing the oppressive wounds we have inflicted upon our fellow human-beings. I once heard that in situations like these that silence is the equivalent of acceptance. Unfortunately, I think the same can be said for ignorance and denial as well.
