The effects of white privilege listed by McIntosh that stand out the most to me are the ones that include the idea that the white race never has to be concerned that race is a factor in the way people judge them. Regardless of whether they are seen in good light or bad, the white race doesn’t have to question whether this judgment was made about them just because of their race. These effects of white privilege make it seem like the only people who can do something well without their race’s help, or act in a certain way without it being attributed to their race, are those who are white.
For example, number 18 on McIntosh’s list shows what I am talking about: “I can swear, or dress in secondhand clothes, or not answer letters, without having people attribute these choices to the bad morals, the poverty, or the illiteracy of my race” (FF, 14). If you were black and you did any of these things, some would write off your attitude and appearance to the fact that you are black. But someone who is white and does these things is most of the time just seen as rude or poor. I have never heard anyone say, “Oh, she just does that because she’s white.” This is something I had never thought about before.
Number 20 on McIntosh’s list also deals with this same issue, but this time, the judgment is positive: “I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race” (FF, 14). There are two instances of this effect of white privilege that come to my mind. First, the stereotype that black people are better at sports. I have heard people say, “He’s good at basketball, but he’s black, so that’s expected.” On the other hand, I have never heard anyone say, “She’s really good at soccer, and that’s probably because she’s white.” There is also the stereotype that Asian students are better at math and science, and more generally just better students, simply because they are Asian. When a white person is praised for her great test scores, it is simply because she is an excellent student and intelligent individual, not because she is white. When an Asian student does well in a class, she is likely to hear from someone that her race has helped her succeed in school.
McIntosh does include the fact that she, as a white woman, “can easily find academic courses and institutions that give attention only to people of [her] race (FF, 15),” but I would also add to this, that even when attention is given to people of all races, I can be assured that I can attend an institution in the United States for which the majority of its students and faculty members are my race. Although this is not something I would ever consider looking for in a college choice, it is available to me, so I would consider this an effect of white privilege.
I think you’ve made a great point about number 18 and number 20. I also have never heard anyone say anything like, “She’s good at English Literature because she’s white,” or anything of the like. Especially when it comes to school—like the hypothetical Asian in a class (a math class, perhaps?)—race seems to be tied to certain subjects, except when it comes to white students. I also find number 18 especially interesting because I enjoy shopping for second hand clothing, as do many of my friends, and for us, thrift shopping is just something you do—it’s a fad, even. Second hand is cool for us privileged white kids, but if our non-white peers were wearing obviously second-hand clothing it would most likely be assumed that they were poor.
ReplyDeleteOn a similar note, it occurs to me that the opposite of number 20 does occur in white circles—white people who are poor or undereducated are labeled “white trash.” In other words, it’s clearly expected that whites will succeed both economically and academic. When they do not, they literally become the throw-aways of society: the trash. Whereas members of other races (especially, at this point in history, Hispanics or African Americans) are called a “credit” to their race if they succeed, as though success for non-whites is an extra-special kind of accomplishment. Fair? Absolutely not.