White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

Reading Check

1. McIntosh had witnessed men’s unwillingness or inability to see their privilege compared to women, and she realized that the same phenomenon might exist in the realm of race. (Paragraphs 1-2)

2. McIntosh describes white privilege as an “invisible package of unearned assets” that she and other white people can draw from whenever they need it. (Paragraph 3)

3. McIntosh lists 26 examples, including seeing people of her race represented on TV and in newspapers every day and having the ability to criticize the government without being labeled a “cultural outsider.” (Numbered list, items 5 and 17)

4. White people must not only disapprove of racist systems but acknowledge that these systems provide them with unearned privileges and commit to working for equity. (Paragraphs 19-22)

Short Answer

1. McIntosh describes how her study of male privilege led to her interest in white privilege and how, once she started thinking about it, she found more and more examples in her own life of how she benefits. She develops her list of examples by comparing her situation to that of her African American friends and colleagues. The list suggests that she thought about the issue over time, applying it to even small moments like going to a hairdresser and assuming they will be able to cut her hair. (Paragraphs 1-8; numbered list)

2. McIntosh argues that white privilege is often invisible to those who possess it because they are taught not to recognize it. She compares this to the way men are taught not to recognize male privilege. This invisibility is part of what allows white privilege to persist. (Paragraph 3)

3. McIntosh explains that some of the “privileges” are ones that everyone should have in a just society, such as being treated well by neighbors or being able to find a publisher to consider their work. Others are inherently harmful because they assume a hierarchy of power, like always being told that people of one’s own race are the ones who created civilization. (Paragraph 14)

4. In a meritocracy, people who have talent and who work hard are rewarded. A meritocracy assumes that every individual has an equal chance to succeed, and that success depends on individual virtue. However, white privilege means that the system is rigged in favor of white people, who are given advantages and rewards they have not earned because of their skin color. (Various paragraphs)