White Privilege Research Paper

Words: 1618
Pages: 7

Kate Shoemaker Professor Salerno WS 405.02 1 March 2024 A Personal Exploration of Privilege As a senior in college looking back on my childhood, teenage years, and most recently my young adult years, I can’t help but acknowledge how privileged I have been and continue to be. But, that hasn’t always been the case. Growing up, I saw my family as typical because everyone around us was just like us. It wasn’t until my high school years that I started to understand the significant privileges that my family had. I haven’t faced any discrimination, prejudice, or bullying, and to be honest, not much adversity at all. I am a heterosexual, white person who grew up with an upper-middle-class family, an able body, and many other privileges I have taken …show more content…
Skin color is a privilege that is evident in my day-to-day life, manifesting itself in various ways. White people are met with social acceptance, representation, and safety. This is commonly known as white privilege, Arlin Cuncic says “White privilege is a concept that highlights the unfair societal advantages that white people have over non-white people” (Cuncic). The privileges that come with being white are something that I have taken for granted. There wasn’t much diversity in the small New Hampshire town that I grew up in, so the thought of being privileged for my skin color was something I never considered. Many people I grew up around even demonstrated White Fragility, which is defined as, “a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation” (DiAngelo). Robin DiAngelo explores the concept of white people being so comfortable in our society, which protects and insulates them from racial …show more content…
“The Privilege of Play: Hockey's racist and affluent culture still hasn't changed.” YouTube: Home, 29 Sep 2020, https://sports.yahoo.com/the-privilege-of-play-hockeys-racist-and-affluent-culture-still-hasnt-changed-140255916.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&gu Accessed 25 February 2024. Chappell, Bill. A. “10 Questions About Empathy In America, A Year After George Floyd's Death.” NPR, 25 May 2021, https://www.npr.org/2021/05/25/999791624/what-george-floyds-death-has-done-for-americans-ability-to-feel-empathy. Accessed 25 February 2024. Council, Arlin. “Understanding White Privilege.” Verywell Mind, 9 May 2023, https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-white-privilege-5070460. Accessed 25 February 2024. Desilver, Drew, et al. “Race and policing in America: 10 things we know.” Pew Research Center, 3 June 2020, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/06/03/10-things-we-know-about-race-and-policing-in-the-u-s/. Accessed 25 February 2024. DiAngelo, Robin. “White Fragility.” White Fragility, https://libjournal.uncg.edu/ijcp/article/viewFile/249/116. Accessed 25 February 2024. Lauzen, Martha M. “It's a Man's (Celluloid) World: Portrayals of Female Characters in the Top Grossing U.S. Films of 2022.” Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film, https://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2022-its-a-mans-celluloid-world-report-rev.pdf. Accessed 25 February 2024. Tatum, Erin. A. The “10 Examples That Prove