White Privilege Unpacking The Unseen Privilege Analysis

My understanding of privilege is best presented in a metaphor on the first page in Power and Privilege, “To walk or run with the same wind at your back is to float, to sail effortlessly, expending virtually no energy. You don’t feel the wind; it feels you”. (Kimmel .1) This metaphor resonates with me because I feel that it applies to me, the wind represents my unseen privilege and the rest of the metaphor represents my ignorance toward privilege. The part of the reading that stood out the most to me in this week’s assignments is Peggy McIntosh’s excerpt White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack and the object that gave the best example of privilege in relation to McIntosh’s excerpt is Gina Crosley internet article Explaining White Privilege

Crosley further explores unseen privilege and touches on the subcategory that McIntosh overlooks, class. Crosley points out how for the most part McIntosh’s list of unseen privilege is mostly correct, but unfortunately she only accounts for unseen privileges for white middle class female receives. Crosley says, “I demanded to know why this White Woman felt that my experiences were the same as hers when no, my family most certainly could not rent housing "in an area which we could afford and want to live." to highlight parts in McIntosh’s list of privileges that were inaccurate because lack of consideration for lower class families. An important idea that both authors allude to in their respective articles is that, “There are many different types of privilege, not just skin color privilege, that impact the way people can move through the world or are discriminated against.” The main message I received from both authors is that awareness is the most important factor in privilege because of how broad it is. Also that being aware allows people to understand privilege. To understand something gives people the power to change it and this is especially so in the case of