There are many cultural issues that we face here in America each and every day. One issue that exist is white privilege. This issue is not one that is highly discussed in our society and it is often overlooked. We have many cultural issues that are recognized and talked about in America. I find it interesting that this an issue that is rarely thought of and I feel that people should be aware of a problem like this one. The story of Bitch Planet has several scenes that help emphasize the issue of white privilege. This story also helps to give a better understanding of white privilege as it is seen through the eyes of the authors of different articles.  The problem of white privilege can be seen throughout the views of different people within their articles and inside of a text; this is important because America needs to be conscious of this issue so we can make a legitimate effort to fix it.

In the year of 2007, there was an incident between the Rutgers women’s basketball team and The Imus in the Morning Show. The radio hosts on this show blatantly disrespected the women on the team. According to Emmett L. Gill Jr., the author of this article, Imus and his crew stated that the girls were “rough, hard-core hos, and nappy-headed hos.” Gill also told how he felt about white privilege. He believes that white privilege is “behavior that makes one group comfortable while making another group feel uncomfortable.” His view of white privilege is proven to be correct based on the incident. Imus and his crew’s words caused the Rutgers women to become uncomfortable while they felt good about what they were doing at the time. What these people did was not right and the Rutgers women should not have been talked about in such an explicit manner. Gill also feels that those who are privileged get to slide by when it comes to them making racial slurs towards others. Gill also felt that Imus’s white privilege allowed him to be protected financially. According to Gill, “The day Don Imus was fired, his show was allowed to conduct a radiothon for his charities and the event raised $1.3 million in less than 24 hr (Associated Press, 2007). Four months later, Imus’ protected status was again apparent in his ability to negotiate a $20 million settlement with CBS to preempt a $120 million defamation lawsuit (Associated Press, 2007).” Imus’s white privilege allowed him to prevent being sued. In fact, it appears as Imus was rewarded after the incident. Gill’s article states, “Then, despite Imus’ firing eight months earlier, he was hired by an ABC affiliate and back on the radio by December 3, 2007 (Associated Press, 2007). One of the intermediate benefits of White protection from sanctions is that the absence of deterrents helps them to maintain and strengthen white privilege (McIntosh, 2003).” Imus was given another job after being fired by CBS. The problem is that it appears as if he was rewarded for doing something wrong. He was able to get another job on the radio just like he had before. ABC let Don Imus off the hook. Imus said what he wanted to say. The consequence of him getting fired is not effective if he was rewarded with the same exact job that he was fired for. Imus’s advantage of being white also allowed him to help his co-workers who were bashful to the women. Gill writes, “Furthermore, when Don Imus returned to the airwaves so did Bernard McGuirk, Charles McCord and some of his sponsors including Bigelow Tea, Sirius Satellite Radio and the Mohegan Sun Casino (Associated Press, 2007; Farhi, 2007). That is not how the situation should work. This situation not only affects Imus but could also affect others as well. Those who decide to make a decision like Imus may feel that they can continue to do wrong because the outcome will not have a negative effect. Those who are on the other side may feel scared because there is no real consequence for people who are in the wrong. This could potentially cause serious problems.

Tim Krueger is the author of the article “Affected by Injustice.” Krueger makes valid points within his article about having white privilege. Krueger believes that his white privilege hurts him. Krueger states, “I learned that as white male, I had the privilege of being unaffected by others’ pain, experiences, or perspectives.” Krueger found out that his advantage of being white hurt others. His privilege was the fact that he could not relate to others problems who were non-whites, so it had no effect on him. On the flipside, because he is white, everything that he did affected others all the time. As a society, we should think deeply about things like Krueger did himself. He never noticed the advantage that he had. When we see an advantage like this one, I feel we should act on it. White privilege can be another way to create inequality in this nation. America is supposed to be a place of equality and everyone should be allowed to have the same privileges. If non-whites do not have the privileges whites have, then it is only fair that they be taken away.

Nocana Pewewardy and Margaret Severson created an article to let readers see their views on white privilege. Pewewardy and Severson believe that white privilege has evolved in the United States. They know that white privilege exists but has a tendency to be ignored. According to the two authors, “In the United States, racism is typically identified through its negative impact on people of color rather than through a broader conceptualization that emphasizes the essential links between domination, subordination, and the resulting privilege (Wildman, 1996). This narrow view allows the inequalities in our society to be dysconsciously recast in such a way that White privilege can be ignored (Rains, 1998).” The authors believe that since whites have always had authority when establishing things, they are blind to their white privilege. They state “The power and privilege of Whiteness is rooted in colonization, and the colonizing process of deculturalization renders White privilege invisible to White people.” Pewewardy and Severson also believe that white privilege is not undeserved. They state, “White privilege is a system of unearned advantages and assets guaranteed to White citizens in the United States through subtle and overt acts of racism that perpetuate a system of social stratification and result in oppressive conditions (McIntosh, 1988).” Whites get an advantage when it comes to things such as federal housing, highway projects, and environmental laws. Pewewardy and Severson say that, “Whiteness and privilege are inextricably tied together in these kinds of regulatory and legislative actions because benefits accrue to those who actually live their privilege, not to those living in inner-city housing projects, who do not own cars, and/or who must live in industrial communities where pollutants merge.” Those who are less fortunate should be the ones to receive the privileges that the fortunate people get. The fortunate ones should be willing to help those that need it. 

The final article in which I have discovered that shows how white privilege is effective in our society was written by Evelyn M. Simien. She discussed the effect that a female with white privilege has on African American women. According to Simien, “African American women are status deprived because they face discrimination on the basis of both race and gender.” Simien believes that being an African American woman is a disadvantage because of race and gender. Rather than believing that whites get a privilege, Simien believes that being white is a privilege in itself for white females because they do not face the challenges that black women face. Simien also talks about how surveys put into play for women favor the white women over black women. Simien says, “Relying heavily on data from the National Election Studies, this research often fails to recognize how the use of specific survey items does not capture unique aspects of black family life, the everyday experiences of African American women, collective action strategies, and issue priorities as they differ between black and white women. None of these surveys tap attitudes toward issues that disproportionately affect black women (for example, protection from sterilization abuse).” Simien’s article shows the bias within surveys. White women also had an advantage when it came to women’s rights. According to Simien, “At the same time, she contends that many African American women rejected the women's movement because of its failure to address issues relevant to all women.” The Libertarian Movement did not help black women in any way. Simien writes, “For decades, the women's liberation movement reflected white, middleclass bias in its objectives and aims. Its membership and leadership treated the interests of black women as secondary to their own by excluding them from the movement's agenda.” Black women had to struggle to gain equality because of their race. African American women even had to struggle to participate in the fight that white women were in because it was not set up to be helpful to them. They do not allow insight into what the African American woman goes through. 

The story of “Bitch Planet” showed many usages of white privilege. Penelope is the girl in the story who was taken from her grandmother by the state at a young age and basically has been held as a prisoner since that day. It is easy to notice the use of white privilege being shown in this story from the very beginning. The two men that bring her into the room while she is handcuffed are white males. There are several men who are behind a television screen who appear to be her “fathers”, or the men who are in charge of her. The next recognizable and possibly biggest thing to notice about white privilege is that all of those men that sit behind the screen are white men. It makes readers believe that since these men are white, they automatically get the privilege of being the leaders. Another example of white privilege is shown through a white lady named Mother Siebertling. Mother Siebertling appears to be the principal at Penelope’s school. Penelope got in trouble for fighting in school, she had to go to this lady. The story again puts a white person in charge of a group of people. 

There are different scenarios in this story that can relate to each article that was written that I have found. In the article by Tim Krueger, he talked about how his white privilege as a male affected him as well as others. Krueger states that “I wasn’t accustomed to women standing up to me and never wearing down. Male privilege had taught me that women would eventually come around to my view, or at least give in to stop arguing.” Krueger believed that because he was a white male he could say what he wanted and he would always be right. He did not think that anyone should defend themselves against him, especially not a woman. This is similar to a situation that happened in the story of Bitch Planet. Penelope has a flashback during the story where she is working in a bakery. There is a man at a table talking. He says, “SKINS, THEY LIKE EM BIG LIKE THAT. IT’S IN THEIR ANIMAL NATURE BIG ASSES, BIG LIPS. YOU EVER FUCK A SKIN? WILD” (DeConnick, 194). Penelope comes and says, “GET OOOOOUTTT!” (DeConnick, 196). Penelope hit the man with a wooden roller and he eventually left. This thought that he could say what he wanted and get away with it, just like Krueger felt in arguments. The man did not think that even if Penelope did hear him that she would even say one word to him. Since he underestimated her, it left him dumbfounded when she stood up for herself to him. He seemed as if he also was not used a woman being strong within herself. Krueger felt the same way until his wife made him realize that was not how things worked. 

“Bitch Planet” is also successful in helping understand white privilege in the article by Gill on the situation between Don Imus and the Rutgers women’s basketball team. Gill explains how he feels white privilege is when one group of people puts down another group of people to help themselves feel better. There is a part in the book that shows an example of this being done perfectly. Penelope’s “fathers” want her to look into a mirror. The mirror will show how she really views herself. One man says , “VISUALIZATION IS KEY TO ACHIEVING OUR OBJECTIVE” (DeConnick, 198). Penelope then responds and says, “NO” (DeConnick, 198). Penelope is already uncomfortable with going forth with this idea when she tells them no. The men did not have a problem with doing this although Penelope did not like it. They felt fine about the idea even though it made Penelope feel uncomfortable which is the same as Gill’s view towards white privilege. After Don Imus made his comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team, he eventually came back and apologized and it left him stunned. Penelope looked into the mirror and saw herself exactly how she is. One of the “fathers” said, “THAT’S HER IDEAL VERSION OF HERSELF? THERE’S GOT TO BE A MISTAKE. IS THE WIRE FRIED?” (DeConnick, 199). His reaction is similar to Imus’s reaction. It appeared to be good when they made the decision to try to hurt someone else in the moment. Their final results also ended up being the same because they could not believe what they have really done nor could they believe the outcome of their decisions that were made.

“Bitch Planet” and the article by Pewewardy and Severson also have many similarities. This article actually shows how “Bitch Planet” has stereotypes. According to Pewewardy and Severson, “Minority women have also experienced a dramatic increase in incarceration in recent years. From 1980 to 1995, the number of women in prison increased by 418%, and Black women are incarcerated at a rate seven times that of White women (Mauer, 1999a).” Penelope is a black woman who is in prison in this story. If we think deeply as readers, we will notice that “Bitch Planet” chose an African American woman to be the prisoner since they are more likely to be put in prison than white women. White women have an advantage when it comes to the justice system. If the numbers are that high, white women do not have to worry as black women do. Black women have a disadvantage in the justice system because of their race and it is not fair because they are not able to control the way they were born. 

“Bitch Planet” can also help understand the beliefs that are talked about in Simien’s article. Simien says, “African American women are more likely than are white women to be heads of households; historically, their labor participation rate has exceeded that of white women, and they usually possess more decision-making authority in their parental and conjugal roles than do white women.” Penelope’s grandmother, who is African American, is the head of their family. She was a parent to Penelope and she had to do all of the work around the house. “Bitch Planet” emphasizes points made by Simien about black women being leaders in the household, being parents, and working. 

White privilege plays a bigger role in our society than what we think. It is an issue that does exists. We often see issues such as racism, immigration, homelessness, violence, and poverty. Certain issues such as the ones that are listed are seen are thought of to be more important. White privilege should not be a problem that is continued to be taken lightly. People know that white privilege is here and alive. The story of “Bitch Planet” even helps show that it exists. It is possible that we all see this every day. For those of us who do not notice, I feel we need to raise our awareness level. Those of us who see it happening should start speaking up and letting others hear our voice. We need make an extra effort to create a state of equality in America. We should start practicing what we preach. It will take us all to make a change. 
