Research Paper on:
White Privilege by Paula Rothenberg

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
and also a feature that is characteristic of Paula S. Rothenbergs White Privilege is that the essays that Rothenberg has collected in this volume explore the other side of racism,  i.e. the individuals or groups that benefit from maintaining racial bias. This anthology, focuses on the privileges that are automatically allocated to those individuals who are judged to be a  part of mainstream culture. In other words, this series of straightforward, expertly-written essays investigates the nature and substance of what places people deemed to be "white" at the top of  the cultural hierarchy, and then, as an added feature, it offers suggestions for how this privilege can be utilized to combat racism. In her introduction, Rothenberg points out that  both whites and minority members feel uncomfortable discussing white privilege. Whites resent this because they feel that they are being taken to task for privileges that they hardly notice, while  minority members often feel that such discussions, once more, divert public attention away from racism and make white people, once again, the center of attention (1). Rather then look on  these feelings as reasons for not talking about white privilege, Rothenberg argues that these concerns are precisely why this topic deserves attention -- "Nine out of ten times, when  talking about something makes us uncomfortable thats a good reason to continue the conservation" (Rothenberg 1). Rather then deflect attention away from racism, Rothenberg feels that by choosing to  examine the parameters of white privilege, mainstream culture can begin to understand who benefits from racism and how; and that only through such understanding can society begin the process of  dismantling it on a personal and institutional level (1). With this goal in mind, the first section of the book serves to define such concepts as "racism" and