Pros And Cons Of White America

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White America: Privilege and Superiority. White Americans, according to most recent updates from the U.S. Census Bureau, form the vast majority of the U.S. population. This influence in size in addition to many other advantages provide them with unique privileges and opportunities distinct to their particular race. There is nothing wrong with being white, however, there is the indisputable reality that if you are apart of the white community in America, you reap benefits that other American minorities do not. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with reaping these benefits because there is little anyone can to do to remove this privilege that has been molded into our society. The problem occurs when White Americans manipulate their advantage…show more content…
Ta-Nehisi Coates supports this argument in Between the World and Me when he says, “… the Dream rest on our backs, the bedding made from our bodies.” He is indicating that ‘the Dream’, the state in which White Americans live, is dependent on the struggles of African Americans in our society today. I would argue that African American struggle sustains the American ‘Dream’ in such that the lower we seem as a race, the higher they feel. James Baldwin is of the same opinion about struggle in his writing, A Letter to my Nephew, which he says to his nephew, “You were born where you were born and faced the future that you faced because you were black and for no other reason.” par. 6. White Americans have a constant advantage that they often overlook and ignore. Some instances are obvious, for example economically, but there are also other subtle and regular disadvantages that also occur. For instance, white privilege can be seen in societies reaction towards the same situation, but between different races. If a white man decides to wear a hoodie, he is most likely not seen as a threat, however, Trayvon Martian is a good example of how if a black man in America chooses to dress a certain way, he is seen as a dangerous…show more content…
Slavery in America began in 1619 and continued throughout the 17th and 18th centuries only coming to an end on January 1, 1862. It was during this time, according to The Gilder Lehman Institute of American History, that America’s economy boosted dramatically. They state that, “..slavery paid for a substantial share of the capital, iron, and manufactured goods that laid the basis for American economic growth.” This suggest that it is because of the struggle of our African ancestors brought to America that the society thrives economically today. However, White Americans of the past were our masters. They ruled over us with an iron fist while benefitting from our hard labour. Aspects of that dominance and monetary gain have been carried into our current society. Evidence of this is seen in the case of Michael Brown. Ta-Nehisi Coates describes it well in Between the World and Me when he says, “That was the week you learned that the killers of Michael Brown would go free. The men who left his body in the street like some awesome declaration of their invisible power would never be punished.” Page 11 par. 2 Many White Americans continue to take on this ‘master’ role within the community. This aspect of history has taught them that their place in America is above everyone else. On
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