hey guys,
sorry i forgot to post this last nite! since i'm late with the questions, you can have an extra day to post your responses (post your response no later than monday night @ 11:59pm). i will send your grades from the last week's blog and this week's blog before next thursday's section.
Q#1
Peggy McIntosh's White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, written over 20 years ago, still remains a staple reading text in many ethnic studies, education, women's studies, and other courses. Is her argument still relevant today? What, if anything, does McIntosh leave untouched, undertheorized or unexplored?
Q#2
Henry Louis Gates uses quotation marks around the term race in the title of his piece. Why does he do this? What goal or effect is he trying to achieve by his use of quotations marks?
1. The issues that Peggy McIntosh touches upon regarding the injustices that are solidified in the structure of society are undeniably still relevant today. It is true that racism is usually taught as "individual acts of meanness by members of [a] group," but "invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance" are left to exist indefinitely, and most often, unnoticed. Gender inequality is still a relevant issue today, because its practices are continuing to suppress women in numerous aspects of their lives, such as the workforce. Perhaps an even greater gap that still exists today is one of racial differences that are maintained by the dominant group's obliviousness about its position of dominance. McIntosh brings to light that this obliviousness is responsible for a dominant group's unconscious oppressiveness. Although she hints at what she believes to be the core problem in our fundamentally racist system, McIntosh doesn't really delve into possible solutions to amend these inequalities. It would be interesting to further discuss how to implement changes to the already existing system in order to create an equal playing field for all, from the very start.
ReplyDelete2. Gates claims that there is nothing "natural" about race --especially the way it is used in society as a fundamental demarcation of human differences. He uses quotation marks around "race" to emphasize his point that there are inscribed terms associated with race that are "arbitrary constructs, not reports of reality" (592). Thus, there is no fundamental truth underlying the differences of which race has been proposed to embody. His goal is to show that race is a social construct with "hidden relations of power and knowledge inherent in popular and academic usages" (591) and therefore, a tool of oppression. Gates wants the reader to recognize the metaphorical usages of race that have been implicated by Western writers to define the differences that place other "races" under subordination. His use of quotation marks is effective, because it acts as a constant reminder that the way race is used in society has more than just a literal meaning, and that there is an underlying sense of inequity in its usage.
-Joyce Park
1. McIntosh’s argument is still relevant today because although the individual facets of the knapsack of advantages may not still be present today, the redefinition of racism as invisible and inherited racial dominance is still pertinent. She begins the article with a re-evaluation of the racism that she had previously had. When thinking about her skin based privilege, she admits that she had “been conditioned into oblivion about its existence” (1 McIntosh) and that she did not have to justify or worry about whether leveraging it was racist because she had never known anything else. She admits that she did not see herself as a racist because she was taught that it was defined as “individual acts of meanness by members of my group” (2 McIntosh) and that performing small advantages of her kind were OK. This is the mainstream and adopted definition of racism – that it is only present when there is serious hatred, crime, or bullying taking place. This definition does not take into account the multitude of other parts of racism that can still marginalize and exert racial superiority such as the advantages and safety that whites are given that other ethnicities are. McIntosh refers to a redefining of racism as an “invisible system conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth” (2 McIntosh) which definitely still holds ground today.
ReplyDelete2. Gates refers to the term race in quotation marks because he is questioning the even existence of races as a means of social differentiation. He critiques that race consciousness means nearly nothing in a biological standpoint and also that it is simply a way for one group to systematically put down or discredit another. The narrative which focuses around a black slave being questioned for being able to write proper literature, emphasizes the point that the race had gone not only to physically but also mentally partition some races from others. It is the way to take a small physical feature and extrapolate it as a difference in humanity when it actually means very little other than appearance.
1. In her article and through her list of “daily effects of white privilege”, Peggy McIntosh highlights the idea of white people’s ignorance to “white supremacy” in order to underscore the idea that racism can exist even in the most unconscious ways. For example, she lists how she, as a white woman, can “be pretty sure that [her] neighbors…will be neutral or pleasant to” her to raise the question of whether or not a person of color can be expected to be treated the same way (428). Her article is still very relevant to the type of “racism” that still exists in today’s culture because the racism that exists in today’s culture is indirect and subtle and often unconscious, as she demonstrates in her article. Still today, certain races possess advantages over other races that they are “unaware” of; “obliviousness” about this indirect “oppression” still exists (433, 432, 427). And still, those enlightened are still trying to answer the question “what will we do with such knowledge?” (433). It’s still a confusing issue because our system is so set up to create an unbalance of equality between different groups of people.
ReplyDelete2. Henry Louis Gates titles his article “Race” as the Trope of the World in order to underscore his idea that “race” is a fabrication of the human mind; “race” is not an inherent, biological factor that people may believe it to be. Thus, if race is a “trope,” race is a “metaphor” used by man to create social and cultural divisions—and a means to justify such divisions. However, Gates uses the story of the black slave girl’s writings in order to demonstrate that people’s assumptions regarding race cannot be applied to a whole general populace, and thus, “race” cannot be used to define or determine anyone.
Peggy McIntosh brings up a very interesting argument that I believe is still relevant today. Although America is becoming more ethnically diverse, there are still many areas in which the white race dominates. When McIntosh says “as a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage”, I know what she means and agree with her. We have been taught in school how racism is only in individual acts of meanness not in invisible systems that produce racial dominance over others. In America, the invisible system is produced with the notion that the normal and ideal race is to be white. At the same time, I do believe our nation is becoming more multi-racial and because of this, white dominance will become less of an issue over time. For me personally, I have been taught by my family and my school to see and recognize the effects of white privilege in American society. McIntosh could have addressed the issue of Americas increasing diversity, or explored if white privilege is not as powerful as it once was. Still though, the author does a great job in addressing the issue of white dominance influencing invisible systems in America.
ReplyDeleteIn Gate’s article, I believe he places the quotation marks to emphasis the fact that there is no clear definition of the word race. People use the term race to describe an array of different subjects. He explains how race has become “very arbitrary in its application”. Gate’s may want to convey to the reader that he does not agree about how the word ‘race’ is used flippantly by people. The stress he places on race allows the reader to reflect on how they use this term, and to question their personally definition of the word. As for myself, I did reflect on how I used this term to describe and inscribe differences with those I interact with.
In her article, McIntosh redefines racism, not only to include individual acts of bigotry, but to include the “invisible systems” of our societal structure that inherently place dominance on white men and women. These “embedded forms” of racism are present in today’s society making McIntosh’s article relevant. Moreover, McIntosh states that while white people are taught that racism puts other racial groups at a disadvantage, white people are not taught that this disadvantage consequently places them at an obvious advantage. McIntosh explains that in order for other racial groups to gain advantages, white people must be willing to “give up some of their power”, as men had/have to in order to increase the privileges of women. She acknowledges that as a member of the white race she was never taught by our white dominant society to give up certain powers in order to create more racial equality. I believe McIntosh’s article would have increased effectiveness if it, in addition to identifying the problem, it presented present possible solutions to the issues of racial injustice, or examples of how the “invisible systems” of racism came into being. Additionally, I wish that the article had expanded upon gender inequalities in a greater way.
ReplyDeleteGates uses quotation marks around the term race to indicate that it a social construct, metaphor and trope rather than a biologically justified means of division. His use of quotation marks illustrates the fact that our white dominated society has used race as a way to justify a social and political system that inherently places certain groups of people at a disadvantage based on their skin color. Furthermore, Gate states that the construction of race has caused literacy to become the “emblem that links racial alienation with economic alienation” (592). He illustrates the ways in which race has unjustly become synonymous with mental capacity by including the story of Phillis Wheatley who became a published author only after acquiring a published “Attestation” following an oral examination to ensure readers that it was possible for her, as an African American woman, to produce such works.
1. I think that basically what most of McIntosh’s knapsack amounts to is the ability for white people to metaphorical “check out” on racial issues. As Melissa pointed out above me there is a certain amount of obliviousness that white people can easily afford on racial issues. I would agree with aspects of this, but on the whole, in part due to the elapse of time, race is something that we are all far more conscious off. Politically, race is unavoidable, further professionally, including in school, race is discussed and unavoidable in making or understanding the decisions of those in power. I also think that in McIntosh’s piece there is an element of condescension and self-loathing. Aspects of white privilege should be the baseline for all people (i.e. not fearing the IRS is auditing you due to your race (429)) and should not be thought of as privilege and aspects of her described white privilege are not privileges. Not thinking about something that affects you profoundly is not a privilege it’s a failing of imagination and thought.
ReplyDelete2. I am going to pose a different question: What does Gates mean by speaking of the writings of slaves as, “a commodity which they were forced to trade for their humanity”(594) and how does it impact our understanding of literacy? I believe that in discussing the comdification of slave writing we see literacy become a tool of defense and also of appeasement. The slaves and black people that Gates discuss use their literacy to prove their worth (as measured by the western standard of) and instead of being allowed to use their literacy as a form of agency they were forced to use their literacy to earn their agency. This exchange also figures in to the perception of salve writers as “slave” writers, as representatives of their race and their writings as being understood for their existence as the writings of black people or slaves rather than as writings worthy and powerful in their own right. Here too black literacy is made a communal commodity and oddity rather than a tool of the individual wielding it.
-Luke Edwards
Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” is relevant to this day because she is able to highlight how privilege is only experienced if someone is not privileged. The privilege of one group comes at the expense of another. McIntosh then provides examples of the everyday where this is evident. However, some of the examples of privilege she provides are intertwined with issues of class standing. Example number three reads, “If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I would want to live” (428). Though her example and argument speak to race, this example could not be applicable to someone whom is white but not affluent. Her example of being able to “...avoid spending time with people whom I was trained to mistrust” and to “not be followed or harassed” also serves to show how these restrictions are not limited to race but also class. Thus, the intertwinement between the two shows the intricacy of race and class in the present day.
ReplyDeleteHenry Louis Gates use of quotation marks around race serves to emphasize his stance of race being socially constructed and perceived as natural. He follows by saying that engaging in this naturalization of race is to engage in the “...pernicious act of language, one which exacerbates the complex problem of cultural ethnic difference rather than to assuage or redress it” (591). By putting race in quotation marks he invites the reader to think what it is that we mean when we use the term race. Bringing this into question highlights how defining people and attributing characteristics based on this can be oppressive. The danger of this is shown in his example of Phillis Wheatley. The need for “attestation” before the publishing of her poems shows that perceiving race as natural justifies acts like this.
Peggy McIntosh puts to light a hidden side of racism that she feels many white people fail to notice, but are greatly privileged by it. She calls it “white privilege” something that I feel does in fact occur today, despite the fact that McIntosh wrote this piece years ago. She continues with listing a number of ways that white people are privileged in everyday activities that even I was surprised to learn about, but also realize that she does speak the truth. While many of these privileges were honestly quite depressing to me, there are a couple that are slowly (very slowly) starting to become untrue, at least here in the Bay Area. For example, how she can easily buy many things that feature people of her race, like “posters, post-cards, and picture books.”(3) Nowadays, there are representations of different races in these types of objects, just not as easily available. We may be very far from making it an equal playing ground, but McIntosh’s writing is one step closer to help others realize the privileges that they have, and maybe we can really see changes in our life time.
ReplyDeleteFor the Gates piece, I will respond to Luke Edwards question on what Gates meant on his quote on page 594 (see above for his question). I agree with Edwards analysis that Gates meant to show how literacy was used as a tool by the slaves to show their worth, sort of how Fredrick Douglas did in his piece. But this was in contrast to how white people used literacy to show their voice of “reason” (594), especially since apparently they held a higher level of intelligence. Sadly, when some slaves did try to prove their human worth by writing, they were still categorized in a different sphere, apart from “white literacy” that can still be seen today. As Gates puts it “the inscription of the black voice in Western literatures have preserved those very cultural differences to be repeated, imitates, and revised in a separate Western literary tradition, a tradition of black difference.” (596)
McIntosh’s written piece of “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”, I realized that her argument may still be relevant today. Although she says that the “White privilege” is an unconscious attribute to her race, I believe that her race structured white privilege through time. When she says, “If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I would want to live.” She doesn’t note that because of racial segregation, whites structured to live exclusively together, which allows her to choose according to her color. This is a structural movement that whites have chosen to make, so it isn’t something “unconscious”. The other things on her list are still prevalent today, but some things have changed over time. Because of the ever-increasing number of races, there is more integration and representation of races in neighborhoods, media, schools, jobs, etc than in her time. I would like to hear her reaction to these changes, although the “white privilege” continues to be domineering.
ReplyDeleteHenry Louis Gates Jr. believes that when we talk about race, we mean it as a metaphor rather than a biological mean. The word race did not come out naturally; it was constructed to socially destruct other ethnicities, such as the story with the African American girl. It’s a word that obstructs people’s potential, which has become a cultural dilemma. Therefore, the reason for the quotes is that it is a social construct, where races are put upon a system that brands their level of potential. Not only this, but it reveals if their capacity to reason is enough to consider them as “humans”.
Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” still holds true in society today, as racism and inequalities are prevalent, even if not out rightly so. People still put a huge emphasis on an individual’s race, it often being the first thing someone notices or the defining trait one uses to describe another. White individuals are widely represented, as McIntosh points out, and having said heritage and skin color affords a person more tolerance and leniency. McIntosh also demonstrates that this White privilege means that such an individual never has to represent or speak for all people of the Caucasian race, whereas those of other races often are stereotyped and judged as a whole based off of a few people’s actions. I think that McIntosh leaves out the movement toward change that is or should be occurring so that these privileges, albeit a majority considered “invisible,” and assumptions are dispelled. McIntosh even states, “Disapproving of the system won’t be enough to change them” (432), though she doesn’t continue with that train of thought. While her work is commendable for bringing light to the issue of invisible White privilege, she stops there, pondering on what steps to take next, instead of initiating a change.
ReplyDeleteHenry Louis Gates uses quotation marks around the term race because he is trying to prove that people put so much emphasis on race as being an inherent, defining characteristic given biologically at birth, when, in fact, Gates believes it is nothing more than “a dangerous trope” (590). He claims that race is merely a mindset that has been created as a result of people perceiving differences in cultures, languages, and economic interests. He implements quotation marks to illustrate that race is merely a metaphor and not something that should be stressed as much as it is. Gates is trying to make people re-examine the use of the term and to realize the inequalities that come with race, which is something little more than a classification based off of appearance.
I definitely think that McIntosh’s argument is relevant today. While a lot has changed in twenty years, much of what she describes is still present in society today. There is undeniably still an inequality in power between those who are white and those who are not, and while not all of her points are still applicable today many of them still ring very true. When reading the article I was very interested in her view on privilege and how it is connected to unconscious oppression. While reading through her article I was a little put off by the idea, but toward the end she brings up the idea of “distinguishing between positive advantages… and negative types of advantage”(432 of the reader). I agree with many of the other comments that I would have likes to see her delve into possible solutions to the problem, or even just a simple start to how people can be made aware of this unearned privilege and how it is affect the world around them.
ReplyDeleteIn the title of his piece Gates puts the word race in quotation marks, which I think he could have done for a combination of different reasons. However I would like to focus the implicature that quotation marks can carry, namely that whatever is between them is being said almost sarcastically, or with a certain amount of irony. He wants to point out that he is not about to talk about race in the manner which most people use it. He then proceeds to talk about how there is no biological component to race, and how it is used more as a trope, a metaphorical use of the word. He discusses how race is “so very arbitrary in its application”(591) and that race is in no way an “objective term of classification”(590).
Peggy McIntosh’s argument that “white privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks” still holds true today with subtlety. With the current focus on cultural plurality, ethnic studies offered at Community Colleges and Universities, one may assume that racial inequality is inexistence but are mistaken. Just last summer, a White undergraduate student from the University of Colorado went on field trips with an Asian student during summer school. The Asian student didn’t notice anything peculiar until the White student left to go back to Colorado. Then, the Asian student realized that she is no longer acknowledged immediately as soon as she walks in a restaurant contrary to how it used to be when she was with the White girl; or those times when they walked in a woman’s clothing store and were offered a fitting room immediately. Of course, the student from Colorado is oblivious to the difference in treatment received by the Asian student but validates the fact that McIntosh claims still stands true.
ReplyDeleteHenry Louis Gates, Jr. uses quotation marks in the word “race” on the title to signify a figure of speech. As the title states, “Race” as the Trope of the World, wherein trope is defined as “a figure of speech using words in non- literal ways,” Gates argues that race has been used to represent not only cultural differences but some have claimed scientific differences as well in an attempt to maintain the superiority of the white race over other races. He cited Black writers and poets in the likes of Wheatley, Equiano, etc. who wrote to try to humanized themselves or gain financial stability to buy their freedom, unlike the White man who writes for the sake of art.
Firstly, I must say without using up too many of my 350 words, that I find everyone’s response to the second question in reference to Henry Gate’s ”Race” as the Trope of the World, fascinating in the sense the answers vary so!
ReplyDeleteIf Peggy McIntosh’s argument is “there [is] most likely a phenomenon of white privilege that [is] similarly denied and protected”, as she has observed and analyzed with male privilege, then yes I think her argument is still relevant today.
I thought the following passage from the (article?) was a bit ambiguous and a little inappropriate:
“I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assests that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was ‘meant’ to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks.”(427 in reader)
I agree, inferentially, with the statement, quite a bit in-fact. However, I think articulating white privilege as metaphor might not be making as strong as a statement as it can. I think using a metaphor can take away some of the reality of what is to be inferred by the metaphor. For example, what are the “maps” or “special provisions” indicated in the “invisible weightless knapsack” in reference to their placeholders in the arena of white privilege? I personally think a more profound and impacting statement can be made by straightforwardly indicating what they may be. I understand metaphors can be very useful in conveying a concept to a wide range of people, and in this case, I think it may actually limit the scope (real-life instances) we see the situation residing within.
I agree with Joyce, Chloe, Laura and many other students why Gates put quotes around the word “race” in his title. Joyce probably said most closely what I believe which is because there is “no clear definition of the race”. Most plainly, I think he quoted the word to imply (through the body of the article) the exploitation and flooding (by misplaced usage) of the meaning of the word.
I really enjoyed Gates’ piece and if anyone would like to talk more about it, I love that!
-Stacy Neale
1. Peggy McIntosh’s White Privilege piece is still very relevant today. She describes that social systems in society have entrenched “interlocking oppression.” These systems present today continue to project the “active” and “embedded” forms of oppression. Her account of Caucasians being unconscious of their races role of supremacy highlights the idea that these biases are present in levels within society so very subtly that even those privileging from them do not notice them. Her inclusion and discussion of women’s right is also still relevant as women continue to strive for equal pay in the workforce. I would argue that some of the “daily effects of white privilege” are outdated/vague. The statement regarding being alone and not being fallowed or harassed is inaccurate. Women of all races are subject to be harassed or fallowed; this is not something that white women are excluded from. However this is just one example, most of the statements I would agree with. Although she brings light to the inequality between races, she does not pose a solution. Individual action of “disapproving the system wont be enough to change them.” There is no easy fix to a problem of this magnitude. The act of brining a problem of this degree to the forefront is commendable itself.
ReplyDelete2. Gates strategically uses quotation marks to highlight that there is no concrete definition of race; rather it is a social construct, a “dangerous trope.” By using quotations he wants the reader to realize that “ it is so very arbitrary in its application” (591) He warns that using race in these concrete terms is a “ pernicious act of language, on which exacerbates the complex problem of cultural or ethnic differences” (591) The use of quotations around a word which people use so frequently strategically causes the reader to pause and contemplate why this specific word is being highlighted. I would agree with Laura’s statement, and connection McIntosh’s piece, that Phillis Wheatley story highlights how race differences have become embedded in a white dominated society and how race was used arbitrarily in this sense to group people.
Joyce Halabi
1. Peggy McIntosh pinpoints one of the key factors of injustice that is still witnessed today. White privilege is an ongoing problem that goes unrealized by most Americans. McIntosh lists a long sequence of advantages that she as a white woman can experience over any other race. These examples include acting rude without it being associated with her race and gender. She delineates and displays how white supremacy is still very much in today’s society as it was in the past. For most, it is an “oppression” that goes on unnoticed and is set that way so that whites can use the system to their advantage. It is a system in which children are taught that racism, as McIntosh puts it, is seen as putting someone at a disadvantage, but not the other way around; putting people at an advantage compared to others is another form of racism in itself. Although McIntosh provides an abundant of examples of white privilege, she leaves the problem unsolved. She never proposes any plans as to how to overcome this form of racism that has been around for centuries.
ReplyDelete2. Henry Louis Gates uses quotes around the word “Race” in his piece in order to demonstrate that “race” is something created by human beings. He uses the word race as a metaphor, as the word itself is not something biological, but rather fabricated by the human mind. Gates uses the example of Phillis Wheatley in order to show how people make assumptions of certain races; in this case, a black girl cannot possibly create such beautiful poetry on her own. However, at the same time, Phillis’ example also shows that these assumptions cannot be used to define or stereotype a particular individual.
Over twenty years ago, the article, White Privilege: unpacking the invisible knapsack by McIntosh. She had to point out of racism issues that still relevant today. Although, over society, many different ethnic groups are live in The Unite States. Since, I am an immigrant whom I agreed many things with her. White race dominates in any different areas that affect daily life, up to now. She emphasis racism as individual choice or behavior. She listed white privilege’s choice of structural movement. For example “If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I would want to live.” McIntosh stated, “Disapproving of the system won’t be enough to change them," that many people think a different level of racism, and it is the individual mindset that very hard to change. However, McIntosh made a statement, “I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group.” I taught that she uses the word, “my group” is racist, begin with. Even though, power and mean of racism are changing over time.
ReplyDeleteThe article of “Race” as the trope of the world by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. that he uses quotation marks around the term “race." I thought that he did not give a clear definition of the word; but he wants to emphasize the meaning of the word. Because the word “race” that many people indicate as only biological. However, he wants to indicate as social construct, dangerous trope and more. Moreover, he stresses on few groups of people, white, dominated society such as the social system, political system and more.
Although Peggy McIntosh’s White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack was written over 20 years ago, her argument that “white privilege” exists within a society that places disadvantages on racial minorities is still relevant. Many of the claims she makes in her work, for example #35 addressing affirmative action, remain highly controversial issues even today. McIntosh’s paper will continue to hold significance within our society as long as people continue to use racial profiling as a means of identification. Although I agree with McIntosh, I believe she overlooks the advantages and privileges minorities have within their own cultures as compared to an alienated majority figure. As the United States continues to address and increase diversity, people of different cultures will take pride in their individual traditions, ostracizing those who are not ‘one of their own.’ While this minority advantage is not to the same magnitude as McIntosh’s “white privilege,” I believe it is an issue that should not be unexplored.
ReplyDeleteHenry Louis Gates placed quotation marks around the term race in his title piece to identify that the word “race” is used as an umbrella term to differentiate people due to “cultural or ethnic differences” rather than skin color (Gates, 415). Additionally, Gates calls attention to the use of race as a means of labeling different peoples with underlying assumptions and stereotypes. For example, Gates presents a case in his piece where racial profiling is directly used to establish that person’s inferior intellectual capability (Gates, 417). As a result, Gates quotes the word “race” to identify that the biological meaning of “race” has been perverted by Western Culture to also denote socioeconomic differences.
In McIntosh's article, her argument that, one group's privileges is not recognized by a person who is in that group, (or the obliviousness of his/her dominance) is still relevant to today's life. Years after years, topics on racism, gender inequalities etc. seem never end, no matter politically or culturally. She points out that, as a white, she was taught in a way "to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative and average, and also ideal".(McIntosh) Such privileges lead them to oppress the other groups that are different from theirs, without her consciousness. However, I realized that those phenomena happen massively in a diverse nation like the U.S. People in the U.S. grow up in a environment where different skin-color people live. And many times, cultural, political, or even class conflicts often occur because the unbalance of power in different groups. And McIntosh's opinion pretty much based on her experience as a member in a privileged group. The term "invisible system" will only exist in people who are in privileged group in a unbalance society because the dominant group will unconsciously deny the fact that they gain advantages from the other groups' disadvantages.
ReplyDeleteGate put the quotation mark on the word race to emphasize his point in the article,"Race, in these usages, pretends to be an objective term of classification, when in fact it is a dangerous trope." (590)
Race, in different criteria, has different meanings. There is no clear meaning of it and it pretty much depends on how people want it to be meant something else. I think that's also why Gates put the quotation mark.
I believe that McIntosh’s idea and argument from the “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” is very relevant to today’s society. One of the major arguments that I believe is present in our daily lives is that the redefinition of racism as an invisible dominance. When she first talks about her experience with racism she tells the readers how natural it was for her to feel what she did. She never thought about the privileges and thought the ‘minor’ advantages were rather fine to have. She does admit throughout the essay that she had these advantages yet it wasn’t ‘racism’ because it was an idea that she was never taught to and rather adapted to. This brings up the point of the invisible knapsack and how people see racism into rather an extreme level and not to the level that we see every day in our lives. Many people aren’t taught what racism is and continue to live on with their lives due to how they were taught by their parents, teachers, and mentors.
ReplyDeleteI actually found the quotation over ‘race’ rather an effective way to show a bit of sarcasm. He is questioning the very idea of how race is used nowadays to create this human and skin differentiation with one another. He questions the reader of how we look at race today in our society and why that word is in use. Is it to put down one another? Is it to create a superior group? Is one group or race inferior to another? I believe Gates’s goal is to help his reader actually realize how we use and view the term ‘race’ and that it is a detrimental way to see it.
Peggy McIntosh’s argument is still relevant today. It may even more relevant since there seems to be less extreme acts of racism. I grew up in the suburbs of California and I related to everything she wrote about. I was taught to think of racism as the “individual acts of meanness” but never see how I have privileges that others don’t. I would never even give a second thought about most of the things she listed as unfair privileges that I have as being white. Even meeting people at Berkeley and seeing how grateful they are to be here and the work it took for them to be here. I don’t consider how much I have taken for granted the resources and just simple privileges I have. I think her article describes how a lot of Americans think that ignorance is bliss. We just never take a step back to look at how prevalent racism is at even the smallest levels. McIntosh seems leave the issue of how African Americans feel about this. How do African American students feel about these treatments? Do they notice how unaware people are of their privileges?
ReplyDeleteHenry Louis Gates uses quotation marks around the term race because he believes race is arbitrary. The definition of race has been lost and it is now used to describe differences in cultures, linguistic groups and belief systems. Race is a term too loosely used so it no longer has a concrete definition. Henry Louis Gates is trying show that we have lost what race really is and how it is seen today. The term has been tainted by so many other concepts.
-- Cassi Hoyt
Despite the fact that conditions for both ethnic minorities and women have definitely improved during the past 20 years, Peggy McIntosh’s belief that injustices to both ethnic groups and women are prevalent in society is still relevant today due to the fact that unconscious forms of racism that stems from ignorance is still very widespread today. One of the main reasons why I strongly believe that McIntosh’s paper is still a staple reading in today’s society is due to McIntosh’s argument that an invisible system promotes unsought racism from the dominant white American group from birth. Despite the fact that some may argue that other forms of racism are more direct and offensive when compared to the unconscious and oblivious racism that McIntosh discusses in her piece, I believe that any form of racism is a problem that must be dealt with whether it is indirect or direct. As far as topics that McIntosh might have left untouched, I believe that a section about her thoughts on steps that society could take to find a solution to this problem would have been very interesting. In addition, it would also be interesting if McIntosh would have written a follow up essay ten years after her original essay that discusses her thoughts on the changes society has made to fight racism during the past 10 years and the next steps society should take to continue making progress.
ReplyDeleteThe main argument that Henry Louis Gates is making is that the word race has a variety of applications that are all products of arbitrary thoughts that have come to be thought of as truth in today’s society. I believe that the reason why Gates uses quotation marks around the term race in the title of his piece was in order for Gates to further comment on the argument that the term “race” is a socially constructed term that is not supported by any scientific facts. By using quotations around the word race, Gates allows the reader to immediately focus on the question of why the word race is in quotations and then builds on that thought through his discussion of how race is a socially constructed term that has done more harm than good.