In an article titled “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh, she explains how white people have certain invisible privileges solely because they are white. For Feb 07, · The Oppression and Privilege. White Privilege 2 The United States can be thought of as the epitome of rags to riches story of success. To many, the United States symbolizes unseen opportunities and chances for a better life. From the time we are in elementary school we are told, “Work hard so you can go to college and be someone in life.” Essay On White Privilege. Words | 6 Pages. the mid ’s the term “white privilege” was used to describe the legalized prejudice that favored whites. Around the same time, when prejudice against race was made illegal, the term “white privilege” was extended to the extralegal prejudice that was still going on
Essay on White Privilege | Ivory Research
Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Th e United States of America has always been considered the home of the brave and the land of the free. It is known all over the world as the country where a melting pot exists. In other words, races and ethnicities can come together as equals without feeling inferior or superior. This idea of social solidarity, the forces that hold a society together privilege essay a cohesive group, is what we as the people of America strive for. Achieving social solidarity privilege essay seem effortless but in fact, privilege essay is the complete opposite. However, whites are not the only ones who have these guaranteed privileges, other races and ethnicities do as well, privilege essay. Throughout history every race has experienced a time when they had privileges in favor of their race or against their race.
Usually, privilege essay, the story is always the same, one race is in power because they see themselves as superior while the inferior race privilege essay to suffer. Although social solidarity is important, privilege essay, divisions implemented by society contributes to the difficulty of holding everyone together as a privilege essay group, privilege essay. T he Philippines is a country that has experienced strenuous hardships that ultimately denied them of valuable privileges needed in their society.
During Spanish control the Philippines could only hope for independence. The American government finally intervened and reassured the Filipino rebels that the U. was interested only in defeating Spain and in the process, helping the Filipinos gain their independence. As they became closer to finally gaining their freedom, their dreams were crushed in when the Philippines were transferred from Spanish rule to American rule, privilege essay. This must have been especially disheartening for Filipinos because not only did they have to follow under the rule of another country yet again, they were also tricked into believing that the U. had admirable intentions to help their country. When the United States took over, they felt that Filipinos were incapable of self-government and uneducated.
Essentially, Filipinos did not even have the chance to prove themselves because assumptions were made that they were incapable of having the privilege to self-govern their own country, privilege essay. On top of all of this, privilege essay, the Americans also felt the need to Christianize them even though they had been already Christianized for centuries. This just proves that Filipinos never had the opportunity to see what religion suits them the best because all throughout time, they only knew Christianity as the religion that they should follow.
The war and the occupation of the United States changed the cultural landscape of the islands. Filipinos dealt with an estimated 34, privilege essay, - 1, privilege essay, casualties and the introduction of the English language as the primary language of government and businesses. Not only did Filipinos lose a substantial amount of loved ones, but they were also seen as inferior, and asked to learn another language to use in government and Filipino owned businesses. Obviously, privilege essay, the United States rule was a time when Filipinos were at a disadvantage, being denied the privilege of having independence.
The Philippines waited for a very long time until they could have the privilege of becoming an independent nation, but even when they finally gained their independence, they still experienced hardships. The Philippines was granted independence on July 4, Privilege essay of the United States of America and the Republic of the Philippines signed the Treaty of General Relations between the two governments, privilege essay. The treaty provided for the recognition of the independence of the Republic of the Philippines and the relinquishment of American sovereignty over the Philippine Islands, privilege essay.
Finally, the Philippines privilege essay the privilege of calling themselves an independent nation, privilege essay, even though this privilege should have never been denied to them in the first place. Although Filipinos were granted their freedom, privilege essay, there were still a number of strings attached. For example, there was the Bell Trade Act which prohibited the Philippines from manufacturing or selling any products that might come into substantial competition with U, privilege essay. made goods. Futhermore, it required that the Philippine Constitution be revised to grant U. Citizens and corporations equal access to Philippine minerals, forests, and other natural resources. Even though the Philippines was deemed as an independent nation, Filipinos unmistakably still had unjustified guidelines put forth by the United States.
It seems that the Philippines had been misled by the United States a numerous amount of times. The promise of earning what they deserved was always broken even though they always came so close. In spite of all of the misfortunes they had to endure, the Philippines as a country and society have come very far and the privileges they were denied in the past only makes them appreciate what they have now. I was having a conversation with one of my friends about the SAT Math II subject privilege essay. I was apprehenseive about taking the test because Privilege essay know that math is one of the subjects that I do not excel in and I did not want to waste my money.
While I was talking to my friend about the Math II subject test, I was trying to convince him to take it with me so that privilege essay could study together in order to prepare for the privilege essay test. He told me that he did not want to take the test because he had done the two that is required privilege essay order to apply to UC schools. I kept telling him that I had already done the two subject tests that are required as well, privilege essay, but I wanted to take two more during the beginning of our senior year so that I could take the best scores out of privilege essay the subject tests and send them to the colleges that I will be applying to.
Although my efforts in trying to get him to take the test with me were adequate, he would not budge. After I stopped convincing him, privilege essay, he told me that I should not take the subject test because I would be wasting my money, privilege essay. He explained to me that the day that he took his subject tests, the Asians that he saw taking the Math II subject test were struggling. Even though I am Asian, that does not privilege essay that I am good at math. In fact, math is the one subject that I struggle the most with.
Just because the Asians that took the Privilege essay II subject test were finding difficulties with it, does not mean that the test is impossible. Again, privilege essay, my intelligence was assumed because of my race. Despite the fact that many may deem intelligence as a privilege, there are also many disadvantages to this privilege as well. You're supposed to know! I work hard for my grades, privilege essay. I gain my knowledge the way everyone else does and not because of my race. The first person I interviewed was my grandma. My grandma was born in and has experienced many disadvantages that I could never imagine, privilege essay.
The most significant occassion in which she was denied a privilege was when she was trying to come to the United States, privilege essay. My grandma wanted to come to the United States in privilege essay to live a better life for herself and her family. Her son, my uncle, petitioned for my grandma to come to the U. but unfortunately she had to wait six months until she finally was allowed in the United States. In my eyes, this is a privilege that my grandma was denied because she had to wait 6 months just to come into the United States. Not only did she have to wait six months until she was allowed into the United States, it took her five years to become a United States citizen. The second person I interviewed was my mom, privilege essay.
My mom had to go through the same process my grandma did when she was coming to the United States but when she finally did become a citizen, she had a difficult time finding a job because of her race. She received her education in the Philippines and went to a number of places in order to find a job but they did not accept her, privilege essay. I think they did not accept her probably because they thought that the education she received in the Philippines was not as good as the education others received that were also applying for the same job. Eventually my mom did find a job but she obviously struggled in the process because the employers might have deemed her privilege essay unqualified because of where she received her education.
The last person I interviewed was my friend. When he was in elementary school, privilege essay, he moved to Mississippi from San Diego because his dad was in the navy. Because he was the new kid at school, he had a difficult time trying to make friends and furthermore, privilege essay, he was shy. His teacher old him that the kids were nice and if he privilege essay himself, privilege essay, he would have new friends in no time. He took her words into consideration and introduced himself to a group of kids. At first the group of kids did not notice him as he stood there for awhile.
You can't play with us because you're not white! Now that he is older, he obviously realizes that he was being discriminated against because he is not white, privilege essay. At the time he did not have that advantage of being accepted into a group because he was not of the majority race. From interviweing these privilege essay different people and seeing that there are all these situations in which they were denied a privilege because they are Filipino shows that we have come a long way but the journey is yet to be finished.
I also interviewed ten strangers of my ethnicity at the North County Mall so they could help give me an insight towards their feelings about certain privileges that are handed out in society. The three questions we were told to ask people were do you think certain racial or ethnic groups have certain privileges in society, what privileges do you feel you have and are there any prvileges you do not have. The first person I interviewed was a 17 year old girl named Nicaela. When I asked her the second question that being what privileges do you feel you have, she thought about it for awhile and could only come up with being smart.
This told me that one of the most common privileges asians are assumed to have is intelligence, privilege essay. The second person I interviwed was a woman named Helen who looked to be about in her 40's. Suprisingly, she answered no to all three questions. She said that she felt everything was equal. Although most people do think there are certain privileges towards different races, there are still some privilege essay out there who believe that times have changed and privilege essay is pretty much equal. Then, I interviwed a 50 year old woman named Rose. She was an interesting woman who had a very interesting story to tell. She was raised in Hawaii and all throughout her life, she never felt she was denied any privileges because of the fact that in Hawaii, asians are the dominant race instead of whites.
In reponse to the first question, she said privilege essay she felt that it was up to the person whether or not they believed there are certain privileges handed out in society. As for her, privilege essay, it did not seem to bother her one bit probably because of the fact that she had a good childhood where she was treated better than other races, privilege essay. This told me, privilege essay location has to do with privileges privilege essay well. Depending where you are in the world, privilege essay, you may be of the majority race and because you are, you might be the one receiving these privileges rather than the ones who are denied of them.
I also interviwed a 30 year old woman named Cami and a 18 year old boy who had the same answers. What's interesting, is that in response to the first question, privilege essay, they answered yes but when I asked them the second and third question, they felt all privileges were given to them and that no privileges were denied from them. I was a bit confused by their response because they said that they did feel that certain racial groups have certain privileges given to them but because this issue was not addressed to them prior to my survey, they could not think of any privileges that they were denied of.
Two young privilege essay named Meilani and Clare answered the privilege essay survey questions the same, privilege essay. They both said yes to the first question, I don't know to the second, privilege essay, and I don't know to the privilege essay one as well.
How Privileged Are You?
, time: 5:55The Oppression And Privilege - Free Essay Example | blogger.com
Dec 28, · White privilege is one of the fueling factors, encouraging racial inequalities; that is, those benefits that appear to merit white descents at the expense of the people of color in America. Non-whites mostly believe that the whites are systemically entitled to special treatment and they enjoy this advantage at the expense of others, especially the blacks In an article titled “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh, she explains how white people have certain invisible privileges solely because they are white. For Power And Privilege Essay. Power and Privilege Power and privilege is exhibited when a group of individuals have an advantage over other groups in the same circumstance. These groups often carry the power over oppressed groups and often hold power positions in society
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