White Privilege

In reading the Frankenberg piece on the invisibility of whiteness, I thought of the correlation between the unmarked white category and the subsequent white privilege that is afforded to those who belong in the category. The article outlines several situations in which white people may become aware of their race and of the subjectivity/awareness of the other (the description of the slave on the auction block as both piteous and an observer of white buyers). It seems that for many white individuals, being white allows them to go through life (until they take a race/gender class) without thinking about their whiteness, in contrast to Black individuals who may go through life acutely aware of their race. The privilege of being privileged is that you don't have to know that you are, or know that others aren't.

As Stanford students, we pride ourselves on being intelligent, compassionate, and aware individuals, but I know of many students who until they came to campus were not aware of some of the power dynamics that structure our society or the privilege they were afforded growing up (whether it be related to race, gender, heterosexuality, class, nationality...). I've often wished that the required classes for freshman year included one on privilege and power, so that all students could become more socially aware and cognizant of the privilege they've been afforded.

Do you think that on campus there are a large number of students unaware of their privilege/power? (Leading question, I know) And if so then how would you begin changing the campus?