White Privilege and Male Privilege
In this reading, the White male author addresses his privilege and attempts to analyze it from the standpoint of racial oppression. Apart from acknowledging that abuse is rarely discussed from the privileged side of discrimination, McIntosh (1998) also lists numerous advantages that he unconsciously enjoys as a White male in his everyday life. When reading this list, I realized that both racism and sexism are expressed not only as overtly derogatory statements, but also routine privileges of others that people of color lack, like representation and social status.
On Being White and Other Lies
In this reading, an author discusses the phenomenon of White consciousness in the context of American culture. Baldwin (1984) argues that the US population is divided race-wise. For White newcomers from Europe, it is challenging to abandon their different ethnic characteristics and become a part of the broader, leaderless White community. In comparison with other parts of the world, America is admittedly more racially divided, which shows how extreme the issue of oppression is.
The Possessive Investment in Whiteness: Racialized Social Democracy
The chapter describes the problem of racial relations in the social context of the US. What interested me about this reading is the approach to racism from the point of examining the oppressor rather than blaming the Blacks (Lipsitz, 2007). Indeed, racial equality activism often focuses on Black people as the problem instead of changing the discriminatory behavior of White oppressors. A more individual approach to the challenge of equality and personal analysis of the privileges of the Whites might lead to a better understanding of discrimination and more tolerance.
Still Separate, Still Unequal
The author of the reading analyzes the problem of racial segregation in the field of American education. Kozol (2005) gives the statistics of numerous public schools’ attendance all over the country that appears to be dominantly Black and Hispanic. The fact that the school named after Dr. King in the prestigious White neighborhood attracts 3% of White students shows that the racial segregation in the US is still prominent and needs a solution for integration.
Groundings with My Brothers
The chapter investigates the African culture and history in an attempt to persuade readers to relate to their authentic heritage. Rodney (2019) claims that African Americans are the only nation that is ashamed to recognize its descent because of the destructive processes of slavery. I agree with the author that being proud of one’s history is a powerful tool for national strength and resilience towards the oppression that modern Black people lack due to institutionalized discrimination. African Americans are not taught about the African continent’s history and traditions, and thus perceive their race is inferior, leading to internalized racism.
The Souls of White Folk
Dubois, a White 19th century sociologist, presents an unpopular support of African Americans and analyzes the White privilege. Dubois (2020) breaks down the dominant perception of White superiority and confronts that deeply rooted belief with Christian dogmas, morals, and the rules of democracy. He claims that Whiteness is perceived as the ultimate pureness and success, which is a statement with no proof and rationale behind it. I can see the irrationality of the White superiority in the modern world. This vision is apparent in how most politicians, world leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, and faces in media are White, which creates a vision of eminence.
References
Baldwin, J. (1984). On Being White and Other Lies. Essence.
Dubois, W. E. B. (2020). The souls of white folk. In J. Benjamin (Ed.), Race and Ethnicity: Difference and Decolonization (pp. 81-90). Kendall Hunt Publishing.
Kozol, J. (2005). Still separate, still unequal. Harper’s, 41-54.
Lipsitz, G. (2007). The possessive investment in Whiteness: Racialized social democracy. In C. A. Gallagher (Ed.), Rethinking the Color Line: Readings in Race and Ethnicity (pp. 201-214). McGraw Hill.
McIntosh, P. (1998). White privilege and male privilege: A personal account of coming to see correspondences through work in Women’s Studies. In M. L. Andersen and P. H. Collins (Eds.), Race, Class, and Gender (pp. 94-104). Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Rodney, W. (2019). Groundings with My Brothers. Verso Books.