Watching the film Whitewashed in class was a truly educational experience for me, which I felt was enlightening and made me feel a certain weight on my shoulders as I walked out of the classroom. The film was about the topic of “whiteness,” which was a topic I previously thought I was very knowledgeable about. In just over thirty minutes, I was presented with questions I had never seriously considered before, a legacy I didn't know I was a part of, and a desire to leave a different legacy behind for future generations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay As a woman, I have always faced certain prejudices or mistreatment. Some of these I noticed when I was very young, such as being “cat-called” while walking to a friend's house at just thirteen years old. Some of these biases are much broader in scope, such as the wage gap. However, Whitewashed showed me that despite facing a certain amount of prejudice in my life as a woman, I was still a white woman. And because of that I would always have privilege that women of color wouldn't have, which was very disheartening to learn. As the film progressed, I noticed that I was on the same journey as many of the participants. They were asked questions like “what is it like to be white?” and I found myself surprised. I hadn't thought about it before, just as many of the white people in the film hadn't thought about it either. I believe it is truly a privilege not to reflect on the color of your skin and how it will affect you throughout your life; how the color of your skin can also mean life or death. I believe that with this privilege comes a responsibility: the responsibility to demolish certain privileges afforded to one race and not others when you have done nothing to earn that privilege, to ensure that one race is not held in higher regard than another, and protect all races from injustices due to their race. Unfortunately, it's still something I don't have a full understanding of yet. I don't fully understand how white people came to gain this privilege and why we still have it years and years after slavery was abolished. I don't know why we, as a society, culture and country, allow injustices to happen to people just because of the pigment of their skin. It saddens me that in my twenty years of life I have not stopped to consider the concessions I have been granted just because of the color of my skin. I'm even more saddened by the fact that while I want to take certain actions to ensure this doesn't happen to future generations, I'm not sure how I can help facilitate change. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay On some level, I believe the first step to making changes in our society is recognizing its flaws, something this film opened my eyes to. I can only hope that this course continues to bring these issues to light and, furthermore, aids me in my desire to help all races be considered equal in the near future.