Week 2: Example of Privilege?

One obvious example of privilege I can think of is the advantage of white men in politics. During the past presidential election, there was more attention generated by the Democratic Nominees Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton than the other nominees in both parties. It was the prospect of getting either the very first black or woman president that causes much of the media attention. Most of these nominees were white men, but their presence in the race and their ability to lead weren’t criticized or questioned as much. Nobody was surprised that they were being considered, because people have been accustomed to white men holding position in the US government.

When John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States, people didn’t make a big of a deal that he’s white or that he’s a man. They concentrated on the fact that he was Catholic, worrying that his decisions may be too heavily influenced by the Pope or the Catholic Church. During that time, if it were a black woman who has Catholic beliefs that ran during the election, it probably would have been impossible for him to win. A white man has the privilege in the race because they just have always been seen that way in history.