Analyzing Racism and Privilege: McIntosh and Smith's Perspectives

This assignment analyzes the social problem of racism, focusing on Peggy McIntosh's concept of white privilege and its implications in contemporary American society. The paper addresses the existence of white privilege, supported by data and McIntosh's personal experiences, and suggests that both victims and perpetrators must recognize the issue to find a solution. It also extends the discussion to male privilege. The assignment further examines Danez Smith's poems, highlighting the influence of the Black Lives Matter movement and how the poems portray the treatment and worth of Black individuals. Smith's poems, "Not an Elegy for Mike Brown" and "Dinosaurs in the Hood," are analyzed for their themes of racial injustice and the need for fair representation of Black people, using direct quotes from the texts to support the arguments. The assignment concludes with a discussion of the ongoing relevance of these issues in modern America and includes proper MLA citations for all sources.

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Part 1
The social problem that is being addressed on the article is racism. Racism refers to
prejudice based on one’s skin color. McIntosh in the article, argues that the whites are entitled to
certain privileges that they certainly do not need to earn. These privileges come in different
forms and are both personalized and institutionalized.
The data given on the article suggests that white privilege indeed exists, and it is not an
ideology propagated by the racists. The author used her own case to justify her perspective on
the issue of racism. She lists so many privileges that she enjoys that are not available for people
from other races. She describes and analyzes her experiences in a manner that reveals that the
whites are granted so many favors which they are oblivious to. They even tend to think that
white privilege is a norm such that they do not even notice it (McIntosh 6).
If the issue of racism is to be solved, both the victims and perpetrators have to recognize
that it is happening. The two sides can then gang up and fight against the disadvantages directed
towards one race. The whites ought to view the privileges that they get in a more objective lens
and restrain from believing that they deserve all that they get, especially at the expense of others.

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Part 2
The ideas presented by McIntosh are still very applicable in modern American society. It
is tragic that despite the issue of racism gaining popularity in the past decades, it has not yet been
addressed. The blacks living in America still go on the streets protesting against various
injustices against the. The issue of white privilege can also be applied to male privilege. Men
tend to be so comfortable with their status and do not notice that women are disadvantaged in the
process of assigning them the privileges.
Part 3
Danez Smith, in the two poems, portrays an excessive influence of the Black Lives
Matter Movement. Smith brilliantly and craftily announces the portrayal of the blacks and how
they ought to be treated in the two poems which are dominant themes in the movement. In one
poem, Not an Elegy for Mike Brown, Smith presents just how the blacks are treated and their
worth depending on racist views. He says “his same old body. ordinary, black dead thing”
(Smith, Not an Elegy for Mike Brown 3-4). In the other poem, Dinosaur into the Hood, Smith
pronounces just how the blacks should be portrayed and treated. “There should be a scene where
a little black boy is playing with a toy dinosaur on the bus, then looks out the window & sees the
T. Rex, because there has to be a T. Rex” (Smith, Dinosaurs in the Hood 1). Smith by this
suggests that there ought to be no stereotypes against the black.

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Works Cited
McIntosh, Peggy. White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. 1990.
Smith, Danez. Dinosaurs in the Hood. n.d.
—. Not an Elegy for Mike Brown. n.d.