Acknowledging White Privilege

White privilege is a very complicated and weighted subject. Until recently I had a vague understanding of what white privilege meant. I thought that it simply meant white people had more opportunities than people of color. Throughout American history this has been true and although in the present day we're all supposed to be equal there are many obstacles still blocking the path toward true equality.

In White Privilege - Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, Peggy Mc Intosh made a list of privileges she experiences everyday due to her "whiteness" and most of them I could relate to. She refers to white privilege as unearned entitlement, which I agree is a more accurate title. Her list includes the fact that she never has to worry that her race played a role in negative situations and feels that her daily routine is much easier for her than people of color due to the fact that she is white. This article really forced me to view certain scenarios that I've witnessed in a new light.

A few years ago I was in a court room in Long Beach, California and witnessed several people being convicted of letting their dog out in public without a leash. None of them could afford to pay the fines associated with the charges and because of this they were all sentenced to three to six months in county jail. What I didn't notice then was the fact that they were all African American. I can't imagine that a fifty year old, white grandma with an unleashed miniature poodle would have been given the same poor treatment.

White privilege is not only about unearned entitlement, it's also about the things that I never have to worry about. Just as Peggy Mc Intosh states in her list, I never have to worry about my race playing a role in negative situations I may experience. Even if race is not the issue it's still something that people of color are constantly conscious of. If I'm not approved for a loan I'm pretty sure it's not because I'm white. If I'm followed by a clerk in the grocery store I'd never question if it has something to do with the color of my skin.

In Racism, Right-Wing Rage and the Politics of White Nostalgia, Tim Wise mentions that many people seem to want to forget that the history of this country is based on oppression. It's no wonder most people choose not to accept, or are at least ignorant to the fact that oppression still exists. While it is a fact that all Americans have a right to the same opportunities as their neighbor, the struggle and hardships of some might be greater than others because of their race. And the only way this can change is if White America steps out of oblivion and realises that creating equal rights was not the last step, we still need to make them obtainable.

A few weeks ago I was shopping for my friend's baby shower and was browsing through the registery list at Target. The items on the list included a blue Pooh Bear onesie, safari themed daiper bag, towels embroidered with dinosaurs, etc. It was obvious that the baby was going to be male. At the time I didn't think anything of it but after reading a chapter from Women, Men, and Society by Claire Renzetti and Daniel Curran about gender socialization I realized how much impact these toys are going to have on the social aspects of this child's life. I started to remember the toys I had as a child and wondered if they had a role in shaping who I am today.

From as far back as I can remember I had a wide range of toys and a lot of them were obviously not marketed for little girls. Although I had Barbies and babydolls I also had G.I. Joe, Micro-Machines, and transformers. I also had several gender neutral toys such as legos and play dough. I discussed this with my mom and asked her if she had felt troubled by this or if she encouraged my interest in these toys. She said that she had never really thought about it and added that when I was three my favorite toy was a huge, yellow Tonka truck. She said if there was a mud puddle anywhere in sight I was sure to be in it, splashing my yellow truck around and making loud engine sounds. Although this made me laugh it also started to raise a lot of questions in my head.

Growing up I guess you could say I was somewhat of a tomboy. I didn't like dresses, despised pink, and prefered to be outdoors. My lack of interest in these things hasn't changed much over the years. Although I do like pink on certain things and dressing up can be fun, I still prefer to be outside, in the mud. A few days ago one of my girlfriends even jokingly called me a "dude" because I apparently act more like a guy than a girl. Is this because I was free to choose between a doll or a truck?

My younger sister, however, had completely different interests growing up. She wore frilly dresses, had bedazzled purses full of plastic lipstick and compact mirrors, and loved to bake cakes with her Easy Bake Oven. My mom said she never had an interest in trucks or G.I. Joes, just "girly things." She too has not changed much since then. Is this because she was encouraged to play with more gender appropriate toys? Or does the fact that she was the second child, or "baby", have more to do with it than the fact that she is female?