American Society The Power Of Privilege - 1396 Words

American society is heavily influenced by the power of privilege; who has it and who doesn’t, and how those groups interact together. This influence isn’t only based on who holds most of the societal privilege in the present but it can even be viewed in terms of which groups historically had the power of privilege, and how they interacted with the groups who historically did not have it. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary privilege is defined as â€Å".a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor especially such a right or immunity attached specifically to a position or an office† (Merriam-Webster). In America we see a clear definition between those who have it and those who do not. In our society it is safe to say men hold the most privilege while women are left to deal with what powers the men throw our way. By thrown our way I literally mean the powers men allow other social groups, not just women, to have through a variety of fo rces. Men use their privilege to dominate over women in almost any way they can, or at the very least they sit back and benefit from their privilege. A student from Wellesley College, an all-girls university, sums it up perfectly when he said â€Å"the patriarchy is alive and well and I didn’t want to perpetuate it† (Padawer). This student who was in the process of transitioning from female to male acknowledged the favoritism our society has for men. One example of this â€Å"male privilege† is the current pay gap between men andShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of The Privilege Walk Activity Essay977 Words   |  4 PagesThe purpose of the Privilege Walk Activity is to learn to recognize how power and privilege can affect our lives even when we are not aware it is happening. The statements in this activity addresses privileges that are based on gender, race, ethnicity, class, or sexual orientation and divides participants similarly into different places privilege s place individuals in society. Privilege tends to be invisible to those who are privileged and the boosts in position that accumulates over time for thoseRead MoreExamination Questions On African Americans1239 Words   |  5 PagesIf the negative attitude that the whites hold against the African Americans does not change, then the demographic trends that place the African Americans at the bottom of the social class hierarchy will not change any time soon. The other thing that could reduce the segregation and the discrimination the African Americans in the United States face is increasing the currently scarce resources. This will enable the African Americans to rise to the middle class as the rest of the white population. TheRead MoreThe Advantages And Disadvantages Of White Privilege1287 Words   |  6 Pages In our world today, White privilege is an existing matter. White privilege can be defined as advantages that assist white individuals in flourishing and gaining success. Privilege is in and of itself a struggle to equality. The advantages in privilege display the inequality that is in our society towards those who are not white. We as a society usually do not see the inequality in the opportunity and quality of life amongst those of different races, and this results from the fact of wealthy whiteRead MoreThe Article Unpacking The Invisible Backpack 936 Words   |  4 Pagesstates â€Å"I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege† I think that statement is true since people can become a part of situations related to privilege unintentionally and cannot help how they were born. I believe McIntosh explore of white privilege is all about and how power is established in the everyday life of all people in America. She says White privilege is stated to consist of an invisible weightless knapsack ofRead MoreWhite Privilege And Black Privilege1593 Words   |  7 PagesWhite Privilege Dick Hebdige in â€Å"From Culture to Hegemony; Subculture: The Unnatural Break† states â€Å"All human societies reproduce themselves in this way through a process of ‘naturalization’. It is through this process- a kind of inevitable reflex of all social life- that particular sets of social relations, particular ways of organizing the world appear to us as if they were universal and timeless,† (142). Hebdige speaks to the fact that the way society is structured and the way people interactRead MoreThe Works Of Richard Robbins : Global Problem And The Culture Of Capitalism1268 Words   |  6 PagesRichard Robbins, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism, and Allan Johnson, Privilege, Power, and Difference, address privilege, inequality, and capitalism through sociological and historical references. Through reading and analyzing these works along with our class lectures it has become apparent that there is a clear relationship between these systems. Capitalism causes and enforces systems of inequality and privilege. Capitalism is able to do this through the construct of social reality, the matrixRead MoreWhite Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack920 Words   |  4 PagesIn the article, â€Å"White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack†, Peggy McIntosh talks about the various privileges white people receive. Her basic idea was to inform the readers that wh ites are taught to ignore the fact that they enjoy social privileges that people of color do not because we live in a society of white dominance. McIntosh lists some daily white privileges; a variety of daily instances where white dominance is clear. Her examples include privileges relating to education, careersRead MoreComplexity of Privilege and Domination1682 Words   |  7 PagesThe Complexity of Privilege and Domination Privilege always occurs at the expense of others. Allan Johnson states, â€Å"The trouble we’re in privileges some groups at the expense of others. It creates a yawning divide in levels of income, wealth, dignity, safety, health, and quality of life† (Johnson 7). Allan Johnson states this in Chapter 1 of his book Privilege, Power and Difference and it is one of the most powerful statements in the whole book. Privilege creates a great divide between peopleRead MoreThe Term ‘Race’ Can Articulate Various Connotations And1257 Words   |  6 Pagesimportance in the natural hierarchy which can be traced back in time. Race provides a connotation of negativity and it is something that was constructed by humans. While reading Constructing Race, Creating White Privilege, by Pem Davidson Buck, I interpreted how inequality was formed. African Americans and whites did not always analyze each other based on their physical differences. Buck describes how race was const ructed as a way to blame the lack of wealth Whites had. The poor and landless were essentiallyRead MoreWhite Privilege956 Words   |  4 PagesWhite Privilege 2 WHITE PRIVILEGE: Founded in Racial Preference What is white privilege? It is important that white privilege be defined because the majority of whites want to deny that it exists at all, especially in response to assertions of people of color that it exists unjustly and should be dismantled. The denial of its existence by whites is racialized. People of color say white people enjoy white privilege while white people deny, as often as possible, that they