White Privilege and its impact

This paper analyses the concept of white supremacy and racism in the particular context of the Gilio-Whitaker’s essay “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack of Settler Privilege” and the 2011 movie “The Help”. The essay states that the concept of white privilege is coterminous with the process of racism and had been used by the white-skinned people of America to inflict uncalled for torture on the people related to other race and ethnicity. The movie “The Help” also focuses on the concept of white privilege and also the manner in which this adversely affected the lives of the African-Americans. The aim of this paper is to analyse the concept of white supremacy and racism in the particular context of the Gilio-Whitaker’s essay “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack of Settler Privilege” and the 2011 movie “The Help”.

Running head: ANALYSIS AND ARGUMENT
White Privilege and its impact
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1ANALYSIS AND ARGUMENT
As opined by Wallis, racism is one of the most important evils which still dominates
the society of the 21st century despite the advancements that the modern society had achieved
over the years. Carter and Murphy are of the viewpoint that the process of racism comes into
play when a particular community of people acquire ‘unearned racial privilege’ over the other
communities or people of the land. Thus, the racism that the African-Americans and other
groups of people face in the nation of America can be explained on the basis of the fact that
the white people of America miss-utilized the concept of “white privilege” to supress the
people of other race or ethnicity. The essay “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack of Settler
Privilege” (2018) of Dina Gilio-Whitaker and the movie “The Help” (2011) can be seen as
explorations of the concept of ‘unearned racial privilege’ upheld by the white-skinned people
in USA and also the manner in which it is affecting the 21st century society of USA. The aim
of this paper is to analyse the concept of white supremacy and racism in the particular context
of the Gilio-Whitaker’s essay “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack of Settler Privilege” and
the 2011 movie “The Help”.
The essay under discussion here states that the concept of white privilege is
coterminous with the process of racism and had been used by the white-skinned people of
America to inflict uncalled for torture on the people related to other race and ethnicity. Gilio-
Whitaker in this regard says “White privilege centers the concept of race….which has its
limitations for other people of color”. In this regard, it needs to be said that the movie “The
Help” also focuses on the concept of white privilege and also the manner in which this
adversely affected the lives of the African-Americans (Imbd.com). For example, the plight
faced by the black-skinned maid, Aibileen Clark, in the movie speaks volume regarding this
fact. Thus, it can be said that this concept not only had limited the number of opportunities
that are available to these people in USA but at the same time is a subversion of their free-

2ANALYSIS AND ARGUMENT
will as well. Therefore, it can be said that both the works argue the same point and try to
showcase the negative aspects of racism.
Hartman, Bradley and Bond are of the viewpoint that the concept of ‘white privilege’
used by the white skinned people actually helped in the creation of an effective society in the
nation of USA by helping to civilise the African-Americans and people related to other race
as well as ethnicity. In this regard, it needs to be mentioned that as per the concept of ‘white
man’s burden’ the white-skinned people are required to undertake initiatives for educating as
well as improving the quality or condition of the lives of people (Smedley). This as a matter
of fact is one of the major reasons which motivated the white-skinned people in America to
assume white supremacy and help in the civilisation of the people from other race and
ethnicities. However, this counter-argument is being refuted by the above given argument in
the context of the two works under discussion here
Gillio-Whitaker’s essay argues that the process of racism and its evil effects is not
limited only to the black-skinned people but all the people who are not white-skinned or hail
from different racial or ethnic backgrounds. In this regard, Gilio-Whitaker says that “Racism
is certainly not limited to African Americans; American Indian people have for centuries
been targeted in countless ways that are fundamentally genocidal in nature”. This statement
of the essay speak volume regarding the oppression as well as discrimination that the
different people in the nation of America had to face over the centuries because of their
ethnicity or race at the hands of the white-skinned people of the nation. Likewise, the movie
“The Help” also highlights this aspect of the American society wherein it is seen that not only
the African-Americans but at the same time the people who are although white-skinned yet
from different backgrounds are being called ‘trash-whites” and had to face the same kind of
treatment at the hands of the society (Imbd.com). The discrimination as well as the inhumane
treatment that these people received at the hands of the white-skinned people becomes

3ANALYSIS AND ARGUMENT
apparent in the lines of the movie “Ever morning, until you dead in the ground, you gone
have to make this decision. You gone have to ask yourself, "Am I gone believe what them
fools say about me today?” (Imbd.com). This clearly indicates the evil repercussions of the
process of racism and the impact that it has on the American society.
As opined by Higginbotham, the nation of America over the years had become one of
the most liberal as well as multicultural nations of the world although back in the 18th, 19th
and 20th century the evil of racism was a predominant one in the nation. More importantly, it
is seen that the evil of racism is no longer a predominant one in the nation and the people
from different race and ethnicities are seen to be intermingling with each other almost on a
daily basis (Jee-Lyn García and Sharif). Furthermore, the only limiting factor in the present
day society of America is the ability of the people and not the skin-colour or the race or
ethnicity. Thus, it can be said that the process of racism although once a driving as well as
active force within the nation of America is no longer an important factor within the nation.
However, the movie and the essay under discussion here by arguing the same points or
having the same ‘bone of contention’ clearly indicate that the process of racism had not only
affected the lives of the people but at the same time its society as well.
To conclude, racism is one of the most important evils which had been affecting
America since the 18th century. More importantly, it is seen that the black-skinned people are
not the sole victims of the process of racism but the native Indians and the people related to
other race and ethnicities as well. In addition to this, it is seen that the process of racism had
not only stunted the growth as well as development of these people but at the same time
limited the opportunities that are available to them. These aspects of the process of racism
and its impact on the society of America becomes apparent from the above analysis of the
essay “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack of Settler Privilege” (2018) of Dina Gilio-Whitaker
and the movie “The Help” (2011).

4ANALYSIS AND ARGUMENT

5ANALYSIS AND ARGUMENT
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