In her classic article, “White Privilege and Male Privilege,” Peggy McIntosh (1988) offers a long list of examples of white privilege she experiences. She notes that white privilege includes being able to assume that most of the people you or your children study in school will be of the same race; being able to go shopping without being followed; never being called a credit to one’s race, or having to represent one’s entire race; as well as simple details like finding flesh colored bandages to match one’s skin color. These examples highlight the unearned nature of privilege.
People of privilege often do not realize the extent to which inequality is still pervasive. Looking at life from their own narrow experience, they fail to recognize that their experiences are not universal nor simply the result of their own hard work, but instead the result of their privileged status.
For example, many white people believe that discrimination has been outlawed and equality has been achieved. Central to this assumption is the belief in a color-blind society. This perspective argues that we should simply treat people as human beings, rather than as racialized beings. While many people naively embrace this view as non-racist, by ignoring the extent to which race still shapes people’s life chances and opportunities, even life span, color-blindness actually reinforces and reproduces contemporary racial inequality. The reality of inequality today is subtle and institutional, rather than the overt gestures and legal discrimination of the past. Sociologists call this “the new racism.”
It is no wonder that individuals, especially those who are most privileged, often resist acknowledging the reality of ongoing inequality. We are immersed in a culture where the ideology of color-blindness is pervasive. However, all of the evidence suggests that institutionalized barriers to racial equity still exist.
Individuals often experience some cognitive dissonance, then, when they start to learn that the values they had previously been taught as truth are in fact myths. Coming face to face with one’s privilege may produce a flood of emotion, including anger, guilt, shame and sadness. As faculty members who have been teaching about race and privilege for the many years, we have seen resistance take many different forms. Some of the common responses we encounter include:
- “I don’t feel privileged, my life is hard too!” This is an example of minimizing or denying privilege. We often focus on oppressed identities as a means of ignoring our privilege.
- “My family didn’t own slaves!” This is a way to excuse oneself, but as historians have documented, the majority of whites benefitted from the slave trade and slavery. The economies of many Northern cities were based almost entirely on the slave trade; and generations of whites have been enriched by the forced labor of slaves, the cheap labor of other minority group members, and the land and resources taken, often violently, from Native Americans and Mexicans. These practices contribute directly to today’s tremendous racial wealth gap.
- “I treat everyone the same!” This type of response shifts the focus to prejudiced and bigoted individuals and allows us to ignore systemic oppression and privilege.
- “Anyone could succeed if they would just try harder!” This adherence to the myth of meritocracy attributes the failures of an individual solely to that individual without taking into account systemic inequalities that create an unfair system. It is a form of blaming the victim.
- “We need to move on! If we would just stop talking about it, it wouldn’t be such a big problem!” Systemic inequalities exist and ignoring them will not make them go away.
- “Stop being so sensitive! I didn’t mean it.” Speaking in a derogatory manner about a person or group of people based on social group memberships can, cumulatively, have a devastating impact. Disconnecting our own language or action is another form of resistance because it minimizes the indiscretion and sends the message that anyone who challenges the language or behavior is simply being overly sensitive.
- “I am just one person, I can’t change anything!” Seeing oneself as incapable of creating change is a means of excusing oneself from accepting any responsibility. Individuals often conceive of social inequalities as too large to tackle, and thus rationalize their lack of action.
Adapted from: Oppression without Bigots, Sociologists for Women in Society Factsheet, 2010:
What are some other responses you have encountered? Have you developed any helpful strategies to respond to these claims? We can learn from each other’s experiences.
What do you think?
We also recommend a nifty downloadable booklet called Speak Up! Available free from Teaching Tolerance.
Author Bio: Abby L. Ferber, Ph.D., is a Professor of Sociology, and Women's and Ethnic Studies. She is the Director of the Matrix Center for the Advancement of Social Equity and Inclusion at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. She is the author of White Man Falling: Race, Gender and White Supremacy, Rowman & Littlefield, (1998); co-author of the American Sociological Associations' Hate Crime in America: What Do We Know? (2000) and Making a Difference: University Students of Color Speak Out, Rowman & Littlefield (2002); co-editor, with Michael Kimmel, of Privilege: A Reader, Westview Press (2003); and editor of Home Grown Hate: Gender and Organized Racism, Routledge (2004).
Author Bio: Dena R. Samuels, Ph.D., is a sociologist specializing in race, gender, sexuality and social justice curriculum and organizational development and training. She is an Assistant Professor in Women's and Ethnic Studies at University of Colorado - Colorado Springs (UCCS), and received the university's Outstanding Instructor Award. In addition to her own consulting firm: Dena Samuels Consulting, she serves as a Senior Consultant of Diversity Services for UCCS' Matrix Center. Samuels provides seminars and consultation to campuses and organizations nationally and internationally on the processes of integrating diversity and building inclusiveness.
Comments
Mental Training
That last excuse, “I’m just one person! I can’t change anything!” strikes me as being the crux of the problem. Or it is at least the closest to the problem: “I can’t do anything about that, so it’s not my problem”. It’s just an excuse to not face a problem that makes us feel uncomfortable. Thing is that I have known several people (myself included) who had problems with depression. When you’re in the midst of a major spell, you often find yourself making excuses as to why you can’t take action or change your ways. You have to learn how recognize when you’re thinking like that to prevent your own mind deceiving you or it can be difficult to downright impossible to function on a day-to-day basis. Facing this new “color-blind” racial inequality works much the same way. You have to teach yourself how to recognize when you’re falling into that trap; learn to avoid rationalization; take time to really think and contemplate on issues.
I am Color-Blind
I will have to say that I am one of those people that does not believe that inequality is pervasive. But then again, I have also said some of those same things that were quoted. However, I think some of the points that were made might trivialize the point of the information that we were reading. I have never thought of band-aids as a unearned nature of privilege. I think we might be taking things to far if we think that was can really have an issue or problem, and that band-aids can even be involved in the conversation. I know that the point of the argument really was not meant to have attention focused on that aspect, but it made me wonder if maybe there really is not a problem. This might also be due to the fact that I do believe equality for the most part has been achieved. If we have moved into a color-blind society, logically, there cannot be anything like new racism. I just wonder at one point where we will stop creating new things to discuss, and when we will get down to the business of actually changing problems that might exist. Creating new terms just gives people more things to be angry about, where is the action that tells us how to proceed.
Queering Privilege
Too often we view privilege as a purely racial, ethnic or gender issue, where one status enables more privilege than its counterpart in the binary. Yet, after reading the article I think that the issue of privilege is much more complicated. Every individual has various types of privilege based on how well they assimilate and accommodate societal norms, thus the closer one is to a heterosexual white male in American society the more privilege one has. This hierarchy of privilege creates stratification even in already oppressed groups, such as the ostracizing of gay males in the African-American community, and transgender individuals in the gay community. The idea of taking advantage of the privileges one either acquires or is born with is so ingrained that even those who have relatively little privilege exercise that privilege over those who have even less. Therefore I think the only way to begin addressing this issue is to queer it by acknowledging that it is not a cut and dry issue of white individuals having more privilege than non-white ones, and exploring and deconstructing power abuses in the multidimensionality of this complicated problem. Only then can we begin to liberate society from the inequality of inborn privilege and aim for a fair and equitable starting point for all.
privilege
Something I found interesting was at the beginning of the article it addressed simple privileges that white Americans have, such as finding a band aid to match skin color. That something so small, can actually be a big deal. When I was a little girl, I had a ridiculous number of dolls. All of my dolls were white. When we look at comic book heroes, Captain America, Superman, Batman, Spiderman, the most common heroes are all white. The article mentions that white privilege includes being able to assume that most of the people you or your children study in school will be the same race, and being able to go shopping without being followed. I went to school with a majority of white students, and in history classes we talked about white people except for one month out of the year. When I go shopping with a friend who isn’t white, doesn’t even matter what race they are, the majority of the time we are followed. Sometimes we seem to forget that there are privileges that come with being white. We forget that racism and inequality still exist. We say that racism and inequality are fading and then we turn a blind eye to the things that are happening every day because it is so much easier to just pretend it isn’t there, and that it doesn’t really happen. The responses that are listed in the article are all too common, but the one I most hate to hear is “I’m just one person, I can’t change anything.” History is full of examples of one person who stood up, one person who changed things. Every person who claims to be a Christian should be ashamed of that response because our whole faith is based on one person, who changed everything.
Colorblindness and blinders.
I agree with this article in which privileged people tend to excuse themselves from the issue and take no responsibility. They don’t take responsibility because they don’t feel like they have individually contributed to racism in our society. In addition, I agree that ‘privileged people’ aren’t fully aware of the discrimination and inequalities that minorities have faced but ignoring their struggle doesn’t justify color blindness. It is naïve to think that everyone has the same universal experience that ‘privileged person’ may have experienced. By being aware of this unearned privilege, it allows you to consider a less narrow way of thinking and viewing the world. Also, avoiding color blindness doesn’t solve this current type of racism. Our whole isn’t perfect and hasn’t progressed as far as many would like to think it has, in regards to the issue equal rights. As I white female, I remember hearing racist comments when I was younger but never thought it had anything to do with me or my identity, but I understand now that I wasn’t as aware of the oppression and discrimination because it seemed like a “social norm”. I believe now that it is important to not only be aware of the inequality that takes place in the world but to be an advocate for change and break this notion that colorblindness is a social norm because ignoring or denying the privilege we were given unearned doesn’t resolve the decades of oppression and discrimination that have taken and are taking place, it simply abuses the power. Privileged people need to take off their blinders, realize the discrimination and inequality prevalent in our society, take responsibility and change societal norms.
Thank you!
I am sooo glad to see comments taken apart to see what they really mean and what their consequences are. I am saddened by the entire human race sometimes due our incredible injustices to each other -- we all have to live on this planet and because we are so selfish thinking there's not enough to go around - we hoard things and refuse to help our fellow man out. So sad!!
I am glad to see people speaking up about the white privilege - this was very eye opening to me when I first heard it and as I observed around me, I began to experience the racism. Before I got married and did not have a wedding ring, I would be followed around stores - I'm a hispanic female - now that my ring shows...that has stopped, as if getting married has this difference...? I could steal now too you know, I chose not to, but why even categorize me in the first place..?? it's actually easier for me to steal now that you're not watching me! HA! -- you get the point.
My husband, being of anglo descent, has no idea about this - he does not see it whatsoever - he feels people should just work hard and get what they want - we can all achieve...I have tried to talk to him about this, but he says it's socialism....he denies it....if I can't get my husband to see this -- how much harder is it to get others who have grown up this way?
I like the booklet - I will definitely show it to him.
Looking back and also forward
When the Constitution was created by the founding fathers, they established that every person was created equal. I feel that slavery, industrial capitalism and patriarchy were inscribing forces that surrounded their discourse of freedom. To me this means what it means to be human meant white, propertied and male. This is why it is important to study white domination first to understand why white privilege occurs. This is why I believe that it is at of utmost importance to thoroughly dissect why ethnicity determines culture, and race determines social position. I feel that it is white people that need to take responsibility for races because they sort have invented the idea. It is funny to me that we have different months out of the year to praise race such as Black History Month. Why don’t we have a White History Month? Studying whiteness means studying institutional racism especially practices that create and recreate white privilege. I feel that when beginning to unfold what whiteness is, many whites enter a stage of white guilt. This involves denials and confessions of whites. White privilege being systemic and not personal, Leonardo’s approach helps to resist this stage. Silence about whiteness allows people continue to harbor prejudices and misconceptions of the history that influences the notion of white as the habitual.
The Difficulty in Responding Effectively
So far from what I have experienced, the most difficult part of getting people to talk about this issue is directly related to my ability to effectively respond to the initial comment. After moving down to Louisiana I have found myself hearing racist comments on what seems to be a daily basis. Initially I would get mad at these people but when I eventually realized that didn't work I shut down. I stopped commenting, but that just made me feel worse. Then I tried a new approach. I listened to what they had to say and then offered them question or criticisms about their thoughts. If I ever have the time to engage in a long conversation I prefer to have long **educated** conversations about why the person made the comment they did, but there isn't always the time and resources for that. So often I try to listen and then comment in a respectful manor that makes the person think about why the said what they did.
The resistance of many white people to this concept of privilege is a result of them feeling as though they are being told they don't deserve what they have. It is important in every response to make sure that the people on the defense know that they are not being told they don't deserve what they have, but instead that everyone deserves what they have.
System
This system is set up like this. I had to represent all minorities in my politics class. This show me racism rely too much with being privilege in order to make someone else seen as lower than anyone.
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