Privilege - "White"

I'm not entirely buying into this privilege thing.  I think our culture relies on certain assumptions and expectations, and in some situations one group may do better than another, but I don't think it can be automatically attributed to white or male privilege.  I think there is more to it under the surface, especially now.

Consider this this link.  It's an excerpt from a 1988 working paper by Peggy McIntosh.  It is a list of things that the author experiences or can expect to experience by default, as a function of being white.  Now, I have no idea who this person is or what sort of academic background she has, but I thought this list was kind of ironic, and even a bit extreme.  Of course, I immediately felt like commenting on several points that stood out to me.

1. I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time
I choose my company based on how people behave and act, not on the color of their skin

6. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented
There are a lot of people of "my race" out there, but they are too busy catering to one group or another to actually step up and own it

8. I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their
race
Unfortunately, people of "my race" have been inaccurately romanticized as confused victims throughout history, literature, and culture.  The racial tensions that caused this in the first place have been passed down from generation to generation and still persist today for no good reason.

21. I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group
Too many people in my "racial group" are afraid to speak up and instead of accepting all of who they are, they are too busy trying to fit in with one group or another

23. I can criticize our government and talk about how much I fear its policies and behavior without
being seen as a cultural outsider
I wouldn't chalk this up to race; for me and those close to me (people of varying racial backgrounds), it is more a function of cohort.  My political opions often do not fit in with what is popular, or expected of someone my age, gender, etc.

35. I can take a job with an affirmative action employer without having my co-workers on the job suspect that I got it because of my race
Whether or not this happens reflects poorly on THEM, and time and time again, I can prove with my qualifications and background that this is NOT the case.  I am NOT a victim

44. I can easily find academic courses and institutions which give attention only to people of my race
45. I can expect figurative language and imagery in all of the arts to testify to experiences of my race
Again, people of mixed race are romanticized as confused, helpless victims. Occasionally I'm sure that I could find a literature or history course that touches upon that theme, but this is not a function of racism, it's a combination of expressing what actually happened, and not enough awareness of how different things are today. Too many mixed people are catering to one part of their heritage and adopting specific forms of speech, dress and general expression that screams "I'm ____(insert race here)!"

There were many other points on this list that I found were less a function of race and more a function of class and individual behavior...in other words, being a decent, upstanding member of society.  Is it possible that others have had a different experience.  Absolutely.  I am not speaking for all mixed people, women, people of color, or any other group.  I am only speaking for myself, and I personally have not been plagued with issues of race, nor have I (to my knowledge) been discriminated against due to the color of my skin.  Is it because I am something different (not African-American, not white, not Hispanic/Latino)?  Is it because "mixed" is the new hot thing?  Or is it because I don't allow others to define my race for me?  Is it simply a function of being a decent, upstanding, presentable member of society?  I believe it's a combination of the last two.
 
I find that I am not in disagreement with the majority of posts, however.  These are things that I either experience, perceive to experience, or expect to experience.  So I pose this question - Does this mean that I am I afflicted with this type of privilege?  Perhaps but I am racially ambiguous - so I do not think it is conferred as a result of my physical appearance.  Whether or not I am, and whether or not I am perceived to be, I am not going to apologize.  But I think this example clearly demonstrates that by automatically attributing those points solely to "white" privilege we are using an outdated framework through which to analyze privilge, and that this focus is much too narrow.