White Privilege by Peggy McIntosh is an article about racism but explained in a unique way. Peggy’s article talks about racism by masking it with the work “privilege”. In her articles she talks about how the white people privileges are taken for granted and not appreciated. There is also a list of “I Can” statements that specifically refer to white people. From the list there are a few statements that I disagree with. “I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.” This statement isn’t very true anymore because in the work place, it is usually diverse and it is HARD to have employees of the entire same race. Another one that I somewhat disagree with is “I can go into a music shop and count on finding the music of my race presented, into a supermarket and find the staple foods which fit with my cultural traditions, into a hairdresser’s shop and find someone who can cut my hair.”
The only reason I disagree with this one is I am Chinese and if I were to walk into a music shop I most likely wouldn’t find any music of my race. I am sure I can find Chinese food in supermarket because Chinese food has become a big part of the food industry. Privilege affects the spread of HIV/AIDS greatly. In the United States it is a privilege to go to school. By going to school we learn about protecting ourselves from diseases and getting an education.
Getting an education means getting a career with a steady job that keeps you out of poverty. I’ve learned in class that poverty is a big factor is the spread of HIV/AIDS. Yes I think addressing a larger system of oppression is important because it is always good to look at the whole picture. In some cases it is okay to look into smaller system if that smaller system is going to have a huge impact on a larger system. People are always overlooking certain privileges that they get because it is usually handed to them and they have always had it since the day they are born, but not everyone will get the important privileges that other gets and they probably never will.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Being Chinese myself I can relate to what you are saying about going into a music shop and only finding music of one race. You also made a good point saying how education is a large cause of AIDS. If you are educated you would know how to prevent or stop someone from contracting the disease or another types of STIs. I also thought it was true in how you said that people never not get a job anymore because of their race. It is just a thing that is in the past. I can't see smart employers potentially risking getting sued by not hiring a minority.
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