1/30 Response to Racial Privilege

Because of the focus on the black (and recently Latino) and white paradigm, often times Asians are left behind in any forms of benefit. In Peggy McIntosh’s article, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Napsack, she seems to emphasize on the fact that many of the whites’ privileges comprise of social benefits, which result from being the dominant race and culture in America. She states, “I could freely disparage, fear, neglect, or be oblivious to anything outside of the dominant cultural forms. Being of the main culture, I could also criticize it fairly freely.” Although there are privileges for the whites, there are also privileges for the underrepresented, blacks and Latinos. These privileges are a result of America’s compensation to these underrepresented populations. An example of a privilege is affirmative action in universities as well as the work place. However, Asians benefit from neither the social comfort and dominance of white culture or the attempts of America to create an equal society by serving the underrepresented.

The reason for such a lack of representation of Asians in America’s focus may be a result of the lack of representation of Asians in American government. Unlike, other communities, the Asian community lacks a voice in politics. As a result, recent Asian immigrants suffer from many social injustices such as those in regards to an access to proper healthcare. For example, many members of the Korean community suffer from the lack of health insurance. Expensive prices for health insurance, undocumented immigrants’ fear, and the fact that many business-owning Koreans do not qualify for health insurance cause the lack of health insurance. As a result of not having health insurance, many Korean Americans do not have regular visits to a doctor, regular screenings, and follow-up care.