white privilege

1. Carlie McCoy
FYS-Blanco
MWF 12pm
22FEB16
White Privilege
There are various types of privilege: class privilege, ability privilege, gender
privilege, religious privilege, and most often recognized racial privilege. The origin of our
surname or the shade of our skin does not define who we are. It does not dictate our
values, actions, achievements, or failures, and it does not make us better or worse than
another person. It is our personal accomplishments and actions that truly define us
(Jurasinski). Jurasinski’s statement is one of the major reasons I do not believe in such
a thing as white privileges.
Many people tend to feel that members of the white race are treated better than
other humans, which is okay because that is their opinion. However, when you step
back and take a look at some of the special considerations other races and ethnic
groups receive that are not considered “privileges”, you might begin to understand why I
don’t feel white people have privileges. For example, many work places require a
diverse work force and you might not be considered for a job because you are not of the
ethnic descent they are needing to hire at the time. Another great example is when you
are applying for college scholarships, there are certain ones that you are only eligible for
if you are black, Hispanic, Latino or of Indian origin. I have yet to see any college
scholarships that are for whites only. If there was such a scholarship, people would be
complaining of racial discrimination. Since other races are granted these luxuries, I do
not want to hear them complaining over such small things as flesh colored Band-Aids
matching a white persons skin better than theirs.

2. Carlie McCoy
FYS-Blanco
MWF 12pm
22FEB16
I think that the idea of “privileges” starts at a young age. When children grow up
in a home hearing their parents talk about racial differences, they tend to side with their
elders and not even try and form their own opinions based on facts. The early stages of
this are considered stereotyping someone. According to stereotypes, white people
cannot represent diverse attitudes, perspectives, experiences, and economic
backgrounds, while a person of color can provide a unique intellectual contribution by
virtue of his race or ethnicity (Jurasinski).
White privileges, or privileges in general, may have existed in the past but
according to “White Privilege”: A Shield against Reason thirty-year-old and older studies
referenced to prove the existence of white privilege or embedded racism no longer
impress many of today’s students.
Hopefully, one day the world will have the same opinion as I do towards white
privilege or racism of all types. To begin making a process towards that, people need to
put skin color aside and start appreciating others by personality and their actions.

3. Carlie McCoy
FYS-Blanco
MWF 12pm
22FEB16
Works Cited
Jurasinski, Stefan. Ancient Privileges: Beowulf, Law and the Making of Germanic
Antiquity. 1st ed. 6;6.; Vol. Morgantown, W. Va: West Virginia University
Press, 2006. Web.
Campbell, Douglas G. ““White Privilege”: A Sheild against Reason.” Academis
Questions 23.4 (2010): 497-504. Web.