Talk Point # 1

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh Jenna Petrucci

1.) “I have often noticed men’s unwillingness to grant that they are over privileged, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged.” I think that this quote is important, because it relates to all the other factors mentioned in the article. I also think it is true to an extent. There are a lot of men who will not admit that they are over privileged. Some are willing to say that women are at the disadvantage in the sense that women are viewed as being weaker. For example, it is safer for men to walk down the street alone at night then it is for women. Men realize this and will admit that, but they will not note that they are at the advantage.

2.) “As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something which puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege which puts me at an advantage.” This quote is something I can relate to. In school I always learned about racism and why it is such a bad thing and all the negative effects it can have on people. No one ever explained white privilege and the advantage that it put me at. It is almost as if people just assume that it is there and that everyone realizes the concept of white privilege. It is less talked about that racism.

3.) “In addition, since race and sex are not the only advantaging systems at work, we need similarly to examine the daily experience of having age advantage, or ethnic advantage, or physical ability, or advantage related to nationality, religion or sexual orientation” There are other of aspects of life besides race and sex that give people advantages. It is not something people think about, it is something that is just taken for granted. For example, I never think of my youth as an advantage. There are things I can do easier than an older person can, but I never think twice about it. Same for my religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and my physical ability.

I thought this article was interesting and easy to read. It relates to other articles we have read, because this discussed white privilege and it did the exact same thing other articles have done when it made a list of things people can do without having to worry. I find the points made interesting, because most of the things on that list I am able to do without having to worry and people of different races have to worry about doing some of the simplest things.