Peggy McIntosh’s article “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” was definitely an eye opener. My education on racism is in line with McIntosh’s in that I would define racism as visible acts of violence or suppression instead of the dominance acquired by invisible privileges. I think that white people in general do get to enjoy most of the advantages obtained from invisible privileges that McIntosh has listed. For example, I would agree with McIntosh’s second condition about how it is easier for a white person to move and find a new home than a black person, especially when I have heard comments such as “there goes the neighborhood” when a black person moves into a white neighborhood. This hostile comment comes with the understood meaning that the blacks will cause a decrease in property value and an increase in crime. Some of the conditions listed I had not even considered to be an advantage. For example, in number 26 McIntosh points out the fact that most bandages come in light skin tone colors rather than dark skin tone colors.

I think a prime example of the advantages obtained by the invisible privileges of whites in recent news is the Jena 6 incident, which coincides with 24 of McIntosh’s list. I will give a summary of the Jena 6 incident for those of you who haven’t heard (I just found out myself this past Friday). The whole thing started in December when some black students from Jena High School sat under a tree where white students usually hang out. Afterwards some white students hung nooses from a branch of the tree. Supposedly the white students who did this only received suspension. This of course caused a lot of racial tension which led to some fights, but there were never any reports of anyone being seriously injured. However, that same month, a group of 6 black male students beat a white boy with their shoes until he was unconscious. The white boy had to go to the hospital, but later that day he went to a party. The 6 teenage black students were expelled from school and were charged as adults with felony offenses including attempted murder. The charges, though, have been lowered to battery.

As we can see the white students have the unfair advantage of the law helping them and not working against them as stated in condition 24 of McIntosh’s list. It is especially unfortunate that it turns out that justice in our country is not blind, but instead views the accused with biased eyes when determining innocence or guilt.