UNPACKING THE INVISIBLE KNAPSACK

I was extremely disappointed upon reading Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Through the article, Peggy McIntosh tried to create a tone of understanding white privilege, when instead she mentioned some worth-while issues without fully addressing how to change the problem at large. This is a common theme I have noticed universally; an issue is brought to attention (in this case white privilege,) but no concrete plans or action steps are mentioned to help society change. Without a clear follow through plan that addresses white privilege, no positive, large-scale result is going to take place. I am definitely pleased that McIntosh is bringing awareness to the issues surrounding white privilege, but more needs to be done to truly rid this from society.

While reading the article, all the ideas McIntosh mentioned seemed to come from her personal perspective of white privilege. Her word choice of “I can be pretty sure” used throughout the list of the daily effects of white privilege made me caution the reliability of her article, especially since no data was referenced and she did not ask any people from a variety of races if they feel the list is accurate. One individual’s actions and feelings do not represent an entire race and I disagree with a few of the points she mentions. For instance, the first daily effects of while privilege she states, “I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race.” I’m going to limit the next few sentences in association to students only at UNC-Charlotte, as to why I feel this statement in incorrect. One reason I came to this university is because of the diverse student background. I feel that any individual, regardless of race, can surround themselves with others of the same background. Even though Caucasians are the majority on this campus, I look around and see others arranging to meet in the company of a broad array of races. Caucasians are not the only ones who can meet in the company of the same race and by McIntosh opening up the list of daily effects of white privilege with this statement, I was hesitant to even continue on reading the rest of the article.

One point McIntosh brought up in the beginning of her article was the idea of being taught about racism. First off, I was never taught about race with a negative connotation during my K-12 education. I am not sure where McIntosh went to school but when she says “as a white person, I have been taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage,” I immediately felt unsettled. Being at a disadvantage because of your race parallels with negatively stereotyping against others, and teaching this to children at a young age is not going to help with eliminating white privilege. I was taught in my educational upbringing that all human beings, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, geographic location, occupation, etc., are equal. Once again, McIntosh did not accurately portray how race is taught in schools and used her own experiences to voice a societal issue.

Regardless of what I think of the article, white privilege happens every day. Being a white women, I can relate to some of the points McIntosh addressed. However, the real issue at hand is not how I feel about the article, it is more what can be done to help the oppressed women and men become and feel heard in society. With the upcoming presidential election, issues of race are now more present then ever, and changing the outdated philosophy America has is direly needed.