Module 10

Peggy McIntosh's piece on "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack of Privilege" was definitely thought-provoking. I had heard the concept of privilege as invisible before; as I mentioned in the Module 8 post, I went to see Dr. Michael Kimmel speak when he came to JMU in Spring 2008, and he gave a good illustration of how privilege is invisible. He recounted a story where he and some (mostly female) colleagues had gathered to discuss feminist issues, and a discussion arose between two women in the group. One of the women asked the other what she saw when looked in the mirror each morning, and she replied that she saw a woman. The woman who had posed the question responded that what she sees is a black woman. Race is visible to her, but not the white woman. And what does Kimmel - a white, middle-class man - see? A person! Privilege of race, class, gender, or other factors keeps these things invisible to those who have them.

I liked McIntosh's point that privilege is more than a "favored state," that it is actually a function of power; and that we are all affected by racism (and other forms of discrimination), whether we realize it or not. The corollary here is that we need to make ourselves conscious of the fact that society tries to hide: that not only does discrimination disadvantage some groups of people, but it simultaneously puts others at a distinct unearned advantage, broadening the gap of inequality.