Monday, February 23, 2009
Identity
I found it really interesting in class to hear everyone response to white privilege. I guess my whole life I knew it existed because I had been taught about it from living in America. My family if from Poland, so everyone in my family ,I think, is more unaware of what privileges they have. I guess that I never really put it into perspective that I had an unspoken privilege. Not to say I don't have it, because I am sure that I do, but I think that since I do not really realize that it exist that I can fully understand it. Sorry if that confuses anyone. I guess I never have been in a situation where I have realized that I was white. It sounds stupid, but I think coming from a family of immigrants, I have not thought really of this privilege. I just wonder if any of you have really had a defining moment or if you just knew all along of your whiteness?
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I think this unspoken white privilege is speaking about young women in college, middle to upper middle class women. I have German relatives, and, after studying abroad, I can safely claim that white privilege is most prevalent amongst American college girls. We pretty much have a lot more than most other white (European) girls, in terms of both wealth and ambitions. While I feel lucky to be of "white privilege," I also learned that I need to be more grateful because I was lucky to be born into it. Hope that helps!
ReplyDeletehey my family is from Poland too! Any ways I agree with you that sometimes it seems like the people around us take a lot of the privileges they have for granted. I disagree with Megan's comment though I don't think that the majority of white privilege is dispersed amongst American college women. Actually I would argue that it is fairly evenly distributed between men and women particularly of the baby boomer generation. The people who I believe receive, and are blind to their white privilege the most, are our parents and older relatives who were raised in an era when it was socially acceptable, to believe that the white race was the "right" race. That is were the bulk of white privilege lies in my opinion, especially because they are stubborn and set in their ways. I mean I understand that St. Marys is the poster child for white American female college students but couldn't you say the same about Sarah Lawrence college or any other all women's schools, I think Megan might just perceive it that way because this is where we live on a daily basis, inside this restricted bubble from the outside world. This doesn't mean that its where the bulk or excess of white privilege is.
ReplyDeleteWhile I had been familiar with the blatant racism fought against during the Civil Rights Movement, the first time I become aware of covert racism (i.e. the White flight, etc.) was in Introduction to Women’s Studies. Nevertheless, the first time I saw myself as White and the acknowledgement of White privilege actual stuck was in Critical Whiteness Studies (which I recommend everyone take next semester). I think this shows that many White people need to have long discussions (as opposed to once in a while) about White privilege for the reality of it to sink in. White people are so blind to White privilege that we need to be constantly reminded and shown that it exists or it becomes easy for most of us to ignore.
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