Privilege is the “special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to one person or group of people”. Privilege has narratives that caused struggles in history because of the rules of society. This means classification of people becomes obtained by certain kinds individuals and they become influenced by the constructed norm. Once you become aware of privilege, it becomes difficult to eliminate.
In ‘Letter From Birmingham Jail' by Martin Luther King Jr., addresses privilege throughout his speech and says “privileged groups'' have hardly ever let up their privileges voluntarily throughout history. The oppressing group (Negros) do not give up the small amount of privilege they hold without pressure, and individuals might change, King says, but groups tend to bend a lot more. The White people do not suffer discrimination and cry, “Wait,” which the Negros have come to understand means “Never'' or no. The white people in power decide on direct action for change to come about at the worst possible times. Martin Luther King Jr. insists that the Negros have already waited “over 340 years” for their “constitutional and God-given rights”. Martin then describes how other countries move towards a more diverse country while Negros in the US continue to undergo pain under segregationists who push that they “Wait”.
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There's no doubt that race has played a major part in the word privilege. For centuries Whites have had the advantage of not having to worry about leaving a place because of their skin tone. Unfortunately Negros did not have that luxury, during the 1900s a lot of policies and laws became about because Negros decided to fight back. One of the policies issued the name was “separate but equal” which instates that whites and Negros be separated at all times but share equal rights. This doctrine “ensured” that all races would be treated equally, however this did not agree with the US Constitution's 14th amendment. Privilege plays a part in this issue because it allowed the white people to hold all the power in making the doctrine. Even though it meant to allow racial segregation, it practically did the opposite because all facilities and building became separated from the whites and maintained poorly because the doctrine did not discuss the quality of the buildings. The buildings were poorly maintained, and the Negros became embarrassed because they still could not use the same bathroom as the White people.
In summary, the white privilege and racism only grew and became more powerful with time. The white race defines mainstream American culture and is seen as superior/better. Minority and oppressed groups, such as Negros created intersection within each other. White people who hold a position of minority groups still hold a significant amount of privilege over their counterparts who remain people of color, whose culture is too often seen as inferior and abnormal. Despite the color of our skin, the people of the US should not try to take from each other, but help each other to end the advantages of privilege.
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American Modern Society Needs to Eliminate White Privilege.
(2022, August 25). Edubirdie. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/american-modern-society-needs-to-eliminate-white-privilege/
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2022 Aug 25 [cited 2024 Nov 21].
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