6.06.2005

the existence of privilege

Privilege is defined (by your average dictionary) as a special advantage, immunity or benefit not enjoyed by all or a prerogative: a right reserved exclusively by a particular person or group (especially a hereditary or official right). There are many who believe that privilege does not exist in our society. There are even more who claim ‘we are all equal’. Then there are those few who believe that our differences do not matter. Some of the main reasons for these beliefs have been shoved down our throats since we entered kindergarten. As children during the holidays we all made Christmas trees with construction paper and glue or sang Christmas carols to show our holiday spirit. During Thanksgiving we dressed up as Indians and Puritans to show how well everyone liked each other while giving thanks for our many blessings. These examples are normal and non controversial in many classrooms across the nation. As we got older we leaned about history, where Christopher Columbus is a hero and slavery is non existent therefore racism does not exist anymore. We also learned about the constitution and the Bill of Rights. These are more examples of how equal and fair the United States is to everyone.

In every example I’ve given you there is some form of exclusion and portrayal of privilege, therefore I would like to argue that our differences do matter. Within the United States we are not all equal because privilege does exist. Peggy McIntosh, an author and researcher for Wellesley College has described privilege as: “…an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was "meant" to remain oblivious.” Privileges are unearned assets that are given to you because of the category you fit in. Those who receive privileges are most commonly those who dominate our society. The most obvious categories that receive privileges are individuals who are white, male, Christian, heterosexual, middle/upper class, first world nationality (i.e. American), young age, and the physically and mentally able. The more categories you fit in the more privileges you receive. Do not misunderstand me; receiving privileges does not make you a bad person or even a hateful person. You are merely a component within our society of privileges and underprivileged. It is important to see how and where you fit within this society, regardless if you wish to receive anything. The nature of privilege is to be given without consent or awareness which makes it invisible. Privilege and oppression go hand in hand. In order for someone to receive a privilege someone has to be oppressed. Peggy explains this with race: "They take both active forms, which we can see, and embedded forms, which as a member of the dominant group’s one is taught not to see. In my class and place, I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth."

Some examples of privilege are:

• I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed.
• When I am told about our national heritage or about "civilization," I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.
• I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.
• I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group.
• My children are given texts and classes which implicitly support our kind of family unit and do not turn them against my choice of domestic partnership.
• I have never had to worry about going hungry or finding a place to sleep at night
• I can or my parents can afford daily living expenses (food, water, electricity, clothes, personal hygiene, shelter, transportation, etc.)
• I can or my parents can afford health insurance
• I can or my parents can afford to send me to a private school, charter school, and/or a university.
• I can access buildings without delays, help, or being handicap accessible
• I can move around freely and perform daily tasks without problems or preventions or help (shower, eat, restroom, etc.)
• I can hold hands in public with the person I care about without stares, remarks, or feeling unsafe
• Religious holidays which I identify with are widely accepted and celebrated as a national holiday (i.e. Christmas)
• Schools and institutions can accommodate me for my religious practices and/or traditions without trouble or hesitation
• I can practice my beliefs without being judged, criticized or continuous attempts to be converted
• I can walk alone at night without fearing for my safety
• I can expect to be paid more then a women who holds the same position as I do
• I can expect my voice to be heard and respected without being called moody, PMSing, or a bitch.
It seems that the existence of advantage is kept strongly silenced in the United States so as to maintain the myth of meritocracy, the myth that democratic choice is equally available to all. This keeps most people unaware that freedom of choice and confident action is there for just specific groups of people. Through discussion and exposure it is possible to identify and understand privilege and oppression. In order to understand the system that produces the disadvantaged, oppressed, and underprivileged, it is important to also know how and who is benefiting from the same system.

Additional information by Peggy McIntosh
http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/~mcisaac/emc598ge/Unpacking.html

7 comments:

Ar said...

@jay: "The reason why i state that the democratic ideology in particular suffers from these symptoms, as opposed to other political doctrines, is because it lays the theoretical platform of equality"

I am not a political science student, but, isn't communism and socialism also based on the basis of equality, on a degree more than democracy/capitalism, so that serfdom is abolished and all have equal privileges?

As George Orwell put it:
"Capitalism leads to dole queues, the scramble for markets, and war. Collectivism leads to concentration camps, leader worship, and war. There is no way out of this unless a planned economy can somehow be combined with the freedom of the intellect, which can only happen if the concept of right and wrong is restored to politics."

Ar said...

@Outlightened: From your statements, "Democracy is based on the assumption that every man is made equal..." and "Capitalism and democracy could not coincide if democracy functioned on the idea of equality.", then,

1) Since, US is a capitalist country, is democracy at work here?
2) Are we trying to form a political system where capitalism works?

I am not against capitalism; in fact I feel, at present, it is the best system, but we shud not block our minds by saying that it is the only system.

Anonymous said...

Hi everyone, this is the first post I've made on this site, and it is a great site! I just thought that I'd point a couple things out. I do not believe that it is inherent human nature to want power. You may not know this, but there are several societies that exist in the world in which there is no government and no ruling body. Sounds impossible, but it's true. One example that comes to mind is the San in Africa. They form the political system of "band," or a small group of nomadic people. They typically do not have any personal possessions, and it is frowned upon in their society to have personal possessions or to be greedy. Granted, on a world scale, they don't have much power, but I feel that we cannot overlook the existence of these groups of people and write off the need for power as "human nature." The more complex the political system, the more privilege and need for power exists. This is generally explained to be because as population grows, the need to keep control and prevent chaos grows, gradually leading to an establishment of a ruling elite, government, etc. So, while I believe it is true in Western society that the need to succeed and gain power is innate in each of us, it is not an issue of human nature. It is simply our culture bearing down on us from the day we were born. Thanks for the posts, I love this blog!

Anonymous said...

Outlightened, I'd have to agree with you on your main points. I would say that the basic needs of food and shelter drive us to either selflessness or selfishness, depending on our situation. If I was living with 20 other people (in a band, say), it would be much more advantageous for me to work with the other people, share everything I have, and be selfless, because that small group of people could not possibly survive on its limited resources if each member wanted to be greedy and keep things for themselves. Conversely, a large group of people, such as the society we live in, would rather each of its members be greedy and want a piece of the pie for themselves because the amount of people is so great that if you aren't greedy with your share, you're bound to lose it. Here's where privilege plays a big role. Since our society has so many people, the need for a ruling elite, or government, is necessary. The rise of a class system ultimately results, meaning an uneven distribution of resources. The privileged, or higher class, get more of the available resources than the unprivileged. So, Outlightened, thanks for your post because you definitely made me rethink my argument. In short, I believe that the animal drive in each of us to survive leads us to adapt to our living situations in such as a way as to give us the best advantage in survival, be it selflessness or selfishness.

xanadian said...

This is a very interesting truth about privilege. Not everyone can be a leader; because then there'd be nobody to lead. That would result in equality, you say? But, everyone is different. Everyone has differing levels of intelligence, physical prowess, discipline, etc. With difference comes some division, and the stage is already set for inequality. For example, in the animal kingdom, it's all about survival of the fittest. Even those who are privileged today who did not earn it through prowess, etc., inherited it from someone who did earn it. Therefore, privilege comes to a person in two ways:

1. Inheritance.
2. Survivability skills (prowess, intelligence, etc).

There is no way anyone can be equal to everyone else, and I personally think that's the way it should be. I should also note that for those who gained privilege through inheritance, they retain it by using survivability skills, as well as by using the power inherent in privilege.

As far as society and government goes, having a class system is in the best interest of everyone. However, I feel that everyone should be allowed the opportunity to reach their full potential based on their survivability traits. Sometimes, this is denied to those in the lower classes because resources go elsewhere. I'm pretty sure that if a lot of these inner-city schools got the funding they needed, several future CEOs or astronauts could be coming from these areas. So, why not divert funding to education (for example)?

Because then you are potentially taking privilege from those who gained privilege from inheritance. Truly, there is only so much pie to go around, and those who inherited their privilege are unwilling to lose it.

Quote from above: “No man wants to be equal.” True. Not everyone wants to be a leader, though, either. As I said earlier, we all have different traits that we are born with. For many, just making enough to be comfortable is enough. There is nothing wrong with modifying the system so that those who only want this much can get this much. The only true threat to the status quo are those with high survivability skills that want the highest level of privilege. You give lower classes the resources they need to be just comfortable—fulfill their basic needs—and I guarantee that some of these people will seek more out of life (so says Maslow). Therefore, funding does NOT go to education or social reform, because those with privilege—both gained by inheritance or prowess—don’t want to lose what they have. I’m not sure how anyone can rectify that problem, but there you go. I personally think there’s nothing wrong with a little healthy competition; so the people with inherited privilege should start getting their game on and allow the survivalists in the lower classes a chance to at least rise to a level of tolerability and comfort.

Another quote from above: “There is no way out of this unless a planned economy can somehow be combined with the freedom of the intellect, which can only happen if the concept of right and wrong is restored to politics." How do you do that? The status quo is pretty well entrenched. Only one of three things (in my opinion) can change the status quo:

1. A major cataclysm takes place (meteor hitting Earth, nuclear war, etc).
2. A new society is formed on a distant planet, utilizing the knowledge and wisdom garnered through the ages.
3. Jesus returns in glory (the “Second Coming”) … for those who believe in that.

Essentially, some dramatic event is the only thing that will allow society to “press the reset button” (as it were). When that happens, there is little or no inherited privilege anymore. Only the strong and intelligent will gain privilege; and as long as society is tempered with the knowledge and wisdom it needs to ensure everyone is allowed to pursue self-actualization, then there will be a society that is just and compassionate while maintaining a necessary class system. I wonder how that society would look, exactly…

All right, I’m done rambling.

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