An interview with Peggy McIntosh

[seaglass]

2. Thanks for posting this Gormy. I don't think I have ever read "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack"

before, though I have seen the list.

In 1989 she totally summed up what is experienced here on a centerish-left site, especially the bolded bit:

"Disapproving of the systems won’t be enough to change them. I was taught to
think that racism could end if white individuals changed their attitudes. [But] a “white”
skin in the United States opens many doors for whites whether or not we approve of the
way dominance has been conferred on us. Individual acts can palliate, but cannot end,
these problems.
To redesign social systems we need first to acknowledge their colossal unseen
dimensions. The silences and denials surrounding privilege are the key political tool
here. They keep the thinking about equality or equity incomplete, protecting unearned
advantage and conferred dominance by making these taboo subjects. "