White privilege consists of unearned daily assets invisible to those who hold them.

Evidence

Peggy McIntosh is among those who have tried to bring the experience of “whiteness” to light. She suggests that white privilege is “an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day … like an invisible knapsack of special provisions, codes, maps, passports” (McIntosh, 1998). Sometimes when we introduce this topic, some of our white students react defensively saying, “I’m not privileged! No one gave me special treatment! I’ve worked hard to get where I am!” And of course, they have worked hard. But, so have others who may still not have access to the same day-to-day assets or “cultural capital” those of us who are identified as white clearly enjoy. As we discussed in the chapter on class, meritocracy—the idea that hard work and talent get us where we belong—is a myth. — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education, 1249

Categorization

• DEFINE: Textbook introduction of McIntosh’s white privilege knapsack, the load-bearing definitional concept of this chapter.
• XREF: Builds on the meritocracy-as-myth claim and white privilege discussion paired with ch12 and ch20. — connects to: Unintentional racial microaggressions flow from well-meaning whites who deny their own bias. — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,…, 1254; Whites dismiss individual microaggressions because they cannot see the accumulated pattern. — Rebecca A. Martusewicz, Jeff Edmundson, and John Lupinacci, EcoJustice Education: Toward Diverse,…, 1262; Whiteness is invisible as a norm to insiders but visible to outsiders. (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Whiteness is invisible as a norm to insiders but visible to outsiders. #expands (0.95)
• Wealth advantages are rendered invisible by those who benefit from them #corroborates (0.88) — Dorothy A. Brown, The Whiteness of Wealth, 428
• White guilt stays low partly because privilege is hard to detect as an absence #corroborates (0.85) — Janet K. Swim and Deborah L. Miller, White Guilt, 134
• Citizenship is an invisible privilege felt keenly only when it is withheld. #exemplifies (0.80)
• Reparations would make currently invisible racial dynamics visible to white Americans #expands (0.80)
• Race functions as an invisible borderline mark of formal belonging and permissible speech. #expands (0.75) — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race, 909
• Social privilege blocks access to knowledge one is unequipped to understand. #corroborates (0.72) — Donna Landry and Gerald MacLean, The Spivak Reader, 37