The Conditional Privilege of Whiteness
In Peggy McIntosh’s article she addresses the issue of White Privilege that precedes all people who live in a predominantly white area. Throughout my own life and my own experiences I have never felt as though I have been negatively racialized or singled out because of my culture or the colour of my skin; I have benefitted, unconsciously, from the privilege of white people. She says that this is the advantage of it; we do not have to think about the colour of our skin and the way it could affect our day-to-day experiences. She demonstrates this through the many examples that she gives including “I can go shopping alone most of the time, fairly well assured that I will not be followed or harassed by store detectives” and “I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their race” (p.2). The
idea of whiteness should not be an overly surprising one, yet it’s not something I have ever really thought about before, especially not in the terms of privilege within my race over any other race.
idea of whiteness should not be an overly surprising one, yet it’s not something I have ever really thought about before, especially not in the terms of privilege within my race over any other race.
Although Canada, especially provinces like Newfoundland, is perceived as having a predominantly white population, within this sphere it is quite multicultural. For another class I was required to read an article by a woman named Jennifer Delisle entitled “A Newfoundland Diaspora?: Moving through ethnicity and whiteness” and it also touched on the issue of whiteness that McIntosh brings up, except on the opposite end of the spectrum. She tries to demonstrate the idea of whiteness as a racialized concept, which does not support the people who inhabit it. She suggests that while the majority of the population of Canada feels allegiance and pride for their country, the people of Newfoundland attach their sense of self to the province from whence they came and when they migrate away from their original home they are isolated by both their attachment to their former homeland and their differences in cultural background. She says that despite their “whiteness” and “privilege” they suffer at the hands of other white Canadians in a racialized way. She uses whiteness as a tool that isolates the people of Newfoundland; despite their whiteness they are still different and thus treated as such, but more or less the issue she discusses is one of ethnicity.
Her use of the term whiteness really brought it into terms of exclusivity and reality. Not only does “whiteness” refer to the colour of a persons skin but also to ethnic similarities and cultural background. In contrast to McIntosh’s belief of whiteness as privilege to a group of people of the same racial background, Delisle suggests that whiteness is not a privilege that all white people experience without question. She believes it is a more elite group of individuals within the construct of a white population of people. Despite the Newfoundlanders distinction as white, outside of their province they may lack the certain criteria necessary to be considered “white” by the general population of Canada. Whiteness becomes an exclusive club to which you must belong to a certain cultural and racial background in order to be a member. You are not solely included because of your similar skin colour, but your origins, your language and the way of your speech will all be considered before you are admitted into the ranks of “whiteness”.
While McIntosh does an excellent job introducing the concept with her article, I feel the argument Delisle makes does the job better. Both exhibit the concept in completely different contexts but still are completely relatable. Whiteness does not just suggest the privilege that white people have over other races but it suggests a more elite group of people who share a culture and ethnicity.
I find it especially interesting how Chapelle talks about different forms of racism...it sort of reminds me of our discussion about racial liberalism or colour-blindness.
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