According to Peggy McIntosh, those who identify as white/caucasian carry an invisible knapsack filled with privileges that minorities do not have access to. She also makes a point to state that we are unaware that said privileges even exist. Women have fought and still fight to gain a true balance of power within the realm of gender, though men are often ignorant to their hidden privileges. Racism, though much harder to discuss, falls within this invisible knapsack.
Race affects many aspects of life, but the more sheltered you are the more likely you are to be unaware of it. Having spent the majority of my life in a town where 80% of the population was white, I never really thought much of it. I knew racism existed of course, but I never pondered it in this respect. The handful of black students weren't treated any differently than the rest of us, at least it didn't seem that way to me. The other 15-20% of the town were of Asian origin, and I never felt as if they received any less than the rest of us either. If they were good at sports, they got to play. If they were highly intelligent they were rewarded. If they behaved badly they went to the principal's office. Nothing the rest of us didn't experience. My junior year we had a series of bomb threats. The only person to be discovered and arrested was a white student. The religious makeup of the town was essentially Jewish, Roman Catholic, or Pizza Bagels; Little Brooklyn we called it (as many of our parents were originally from Brooklyn). I myself am Jewish but we'll get to that in just a bit. With regards to verbal stereotyping, no one was left out. Everyone "cracked jokes" about each other's background. I'd certainly been told things like "look it's a penny, aren't you gonna pick it up." My best friend of Trinidadian origin, was often called an oreo. People often asked my Taiwanese friend why she was in low math. The token Canadian was made fun of for being Canadian. If an Italian student's mother couldn't cook jokes were cracked. These small things didn't real affect me at all until I graduated and went to college. The only astonishing thing I do remember happening involved a theft. During my senior year, a teacher reported that his classroom computer went missing. The teacher was rather quick to point a finger at the only black student in the class. From what I remember, after the student was proven innocent of the theft, the teacher refused to apologize for generalizing not because he truly found the student guilty, but simply because he felt to ashamed to own up to his mistake.
When I first came to Montclair as an undergrad., one of its great appeals was diversity. I met students from all different racial backgrounds, different states, different countries, different religions, etc. Had I not spent my first eight years of life in a culturally diverse location (Edison), or been raised by a family that truly fostered diversity (mulatto cousins, cuban cousins, cousins with varying religious backgrounds, etc.) it might have been more of a culture shock to me. Living in Marlboro had not prepared me for what was to come for me however. I refer back to the fact that I was raised Jewish. I've encountered students who doubt the Holocaust's existence, as well as students who simply crack the same jokes I'd been used to, only these students meant it. I've been asked a million times if we believe in Jesus, celebrate Christmas, or even if I'm wonderful with money (sadly I am not). These are questions I was certainly not used to. My junior year I lived with four other girls. We liked to refer to ourselves as the United Nations, as the first was an African-American Muslim from Hillside, the second was a Puerto Rican Catholic from the Bronx, the third was a Trinidadian-American Christian from suburbia, the fourth was a Greek/Lithuanian/African-American Christian from Baltimore, and finally a white eastern European Jew from suburbia (me). The only time I ever felt the affects of this diversity were when I'd attempt to listen to music. They'd make fun of me for listening to "white girl music" aka rock. I've seen my fair share of racism on campus, which tells you how differently everyone's been brought up. Sometimes we simply don't realize when something truly is racist. Even if we know its wrong we simply never discuss it, which brings me back to the knapsack.
If we know something is wrong, why do we allow it to persist? Nothing can change if no words are said. I find it much harder to express how I feel verbally when it comes to this subject, than I do in writing. I believe many of us might feel the same. There is an elephant in the room that will likely always remain as we continue to disregard this issue. In the job market, in schools, in social circles, and especially in the media, we see this ray of invisibility begin to shine through. In disney's the Princess and the Frog, they decided it would be a good move to make the princess Hatian/Creole, and the prince Indian. The rich family she spent her time with was white though. If a white or asian male/female requires surgery on their nose, the bandages will show but not as prominently as someone with naturally tan-dark skin.
As for McIntosh's list, I do not feel as if I agree with every point, simply because if I felt strongly enough about my religion, I can guarantee that some of them would not effect me positively if I decided to mention it, or if they assumed based on my last name being Rubin. Though her focus is race, we know race is not the only bias taken into account in these situations. People often forget that Judaism is a religion, so if someone asks where I'm from and attempts to take a stab at it, I often get Italian, Latina, and Jewish. For that reason I consider it to be worth taking into account in McIntosh's situations. For example, I'm sure I'd face problems moving to certain areas. I'm fortunate enough to live in a coastal suburban-urban area, surrounding a diverse city. If I lived in Appalachia for instance, I'd certainly have issues.
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