White Privilege
A couple years back, I waited in line at an airport, ready to go through the checkpoint and onto the boarding area. As I waited in line, I noticed a Middle Eastern man being taken away from everyone else. Although I was puzzled at first, not many other people took note of it, so I didn’t either, but looking back now, I realize it was probably due to racial profiling.
This brings me to my main topic: White Privilege. There are several privileges that we, as white people, have that other races don’t have. We have it so much easier than other races. We don’t have to worry about stuff that other races would have to.
There are many things we, white people, have that other races don’t. One of these things could be not having to worry about being falsely accused for something you didn’t. I have seen many movies, such as ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, that contain a lot of social inequality. Most media, such as television or the internet, represent white people in a wide fashion, and we can see our own race almost anywhere we go.
These are all things in a white person’s ‘Invisible Knapsack’. The Invisible Knapsack is basically a tool used to look at the privileges we have that we take for granted. It contains the things white people have that other races do not have.
White people don’t only have an advantage, but other races have a disadvantage. An example could be a race other than white could be in constant fear of being harassed, while whites have a sense of security. Last summer, as I was walking home, I noticed a group of white people harassing a single black person. I kept walking home, for I was afraid of getting myself into black person’s situation.
I feel as if we need to bring the privileges of all the races closer together, and do our best to eliminate the Invisible Knapsack so that there is equality. While perfect equality may never be achievable, there are multiple actions we could take to eliminate racism. Some of the actions that could be possibly taken are simple, such as disencouraging racist jokes. We could also try integrating neighborhoods, and raising the next generation in a more diverse environment.
I will not lie; my Invisible Knapsack gives me a lot of privileges other races do not, and I appreciate having these, but I also feel like other races should have these privileges too. It is not right for us, white people, to have much more than what everyone else has. The sooner we can eliminate the Invisible Knapsack, the sooner we can achieve racial equality.
This brings me to my main topic: White Privilege. There are several privileges that we, as white people, have that other races don’t have. We have it so much easier than other races. We don’t have to worry about stuff that other races would have to.
There are many things we, white people, have that other races don’t. One of these things could be not having to worry about being falsely accused for something you didn’t. I have seen many movies, such as ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, that contain a lot of social inequality. Most media, such as television or the internet, represent white people in a wide fashion, and we can see our own race almost anywhere we go.
These are all things in a white person’s ‘Invisible Knapsack’. The Invisible Knapsack is basically a tool used to look at the privileges we have that we take for granted. It contains the things white people have that other races do not have.
White people don’t only have an advantage, but other races have a disadvantage. An example could be a race other than white could be in constant fear of being harassed, while whites have a sense of security. Last summer, as I was walking home, I noticed a group of white people harassing a single black person. I kept walking home, for I was afraid of getting myself into black person’s situation.
I feel as if we need to bring the privileges of all the races closer together, and do our best to eliminate the Invisible Knapsack so that there is equality. While perfect equality may never be achievable, there are multiple actions we could take to eliminate racism. Some of the actions that could be possibly taken are simple, such as disencouraging racist jokes. We could also try integrating neighborhoods, and raising the next generation in a more diverse environment.
I will not lie; my Invisible Knapsack gives me a lot of privileges other races do not, and I appreciate having these, but I also feel like other races should have these privileges too. It is not right for us, white people, to have much more than what everyone else has. The sooner we can eliminate the Invisible Knapsack, the sooner we can achieve racial equality.