Checking My Privilege: Character as the Basis of Privilege - a freshman perspective

[sally305]

<p>

Although I have actually never heard it said, it is my understanding that this is pretty much how it usually goes. Fortgang says something, others or the prof shout out “check your privilege” in response and move on, and his opinion is dismissed and voice is then silenced.

</p>

<p>Bay, since you haven’t actually seen this happen, how do you come by this understanding?</p>

[Flossy]

<p>Interestingly, K Durant credited his mom with doing all of the right things so that he could now enjoy some privilege.</p>

[Bay]

<p>

Bay, since you haven’t actually seen this happen, how do you come by this understanding?

</p>

<p>Because I have this nagging memory of having actually seen this on the screen somewhere. A video of a college course taught by a black female prof who did exactly that to her students, and it struck me then as incredibly offensive. Here on CC, it is unwise to claim something like that happened without others taking you to task to prove it by coming up with the source, so I was not forthcoming about it, and do not claim to actually know how it was used against Fortgang in context.</p>

[Flossy]

<p>Sally, it’s a shutdown comment. It’s not a discussion opener. That’s kinda obvious.</p>

[Hunt]

<p>

Although I have actually never heard it said, it is my understanding that this is pretty much how it usually goes. Fortgang says something, others or the prof shout out “check your privilege” in response and move on, and his opinion is dismissed and voice is then silenced.

This is what Fortgang wants you to believe, but I think it’s baloney. Which is why he doesn’t give any examples. He’s a Princeton student, with all his accomplishments and family values, etc., etc., and he lets a lame formulaic comment silence him? I don’t believe it for one second. I’ll bet he’s never silent. I think he just complains about being “silenced” because too many people keep calling him out on his insensitive statements.</p>

[ucbalumnus]

<p>

@Hunt

More likely, because Princeton is pretty liberal, this poor fellow has been on the minority side of a bunch of arguments, in the course of which it was pointed out to him that his views were colored by his privileged status.

</p>

<p>Apparently, Princeton is not left-leaning enough to prevent the conservative <a href=“http://www.collegeguide.org”>http://www.collegeguide.org</a> from calling it the #1 exceptional school:
<a href=“http://www.collegeguide.org/itemdetail.aspx?item=486fb85a-5d15-4d1f-a8f5-5ce2804c3129&page=3”>http://www.collegeguide.org/itemdetail.aspx?item=486fb85a-5d15-4d1f-a8f5-5ce2804c3129&page=3&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://www.collegeguide.org/itemdetail.aspx?item=486fb85a-5d15-4d1f-a8f5-5ce2804c3129&page=4”>http://www.collegeguide.org/itemdetail.aspx?item=486fb85a-5d15-4d1f-a8f5-5ce2804c3129&page=4&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[sally305]

<p>

Because I have this nagging memory of having actually seen this on the screen somewhere. A video of a college course taught by a black female prof who did exactly that to her students, and it struck me then as incredibly offensive.

</p>

<p>So you have one (vague) example, which leads you to “how it usually goes.” Because…“black female prof.”</p>

[Bay]

<p>Hunt,</p>

<p>The use of the phrase is not unique to Fortgang. It is common now. Here is another perspective addressing why it is a bad idea to use the phrase:</p>

<p>

The real problem with the phrase “check your privilege”—aside from the fact that it reduces people to the sum of their characteristics—is that it has become a handicapping device. White male? Then what could you possibly know about racism or sexism? Calling out privilege often isn’t intended to make someone consider his advantages in life so much as to dismiss his perspective.

</p>

<p><a href=“Princeton Essay on "Check Your Privilege" Raises Legitimate Gripes | The New Republic”>http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117665/princeton-essay-check-your-privilege-raises-legitimate-gripes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[Flossy]

<p>It is intended to be dismissive. That’s the point. There’s nothing vague about it. And it is primarily intended to dismiss white males. However, white girls get it, too. Race, gender, and income are the motivators but I doubt it’s said too often to high income minorities. Which is interesting. </p>

[Pizzagirl]

<p>"Having a campaign against, say, racial profiling by campus police is one thing. But when a bunch of students who are often themselves among the most privileged members of their group start making blanket, resentful claims that suggest that their campus is an often hostile place where the experience of minorities is a daily litany of “microaggressions” from friends, faculty, and classmates, yes, I do start to get tired of it - and start questioning how they are defining “hostile” and “microagression.” "</p>

<p>YES! Some of the “microaggressions” and “oppressions” are - oh, god, please, get a life already.</p>

<p>At my D’s LAC, a bunch of students stormed the president’s office and demanded separate housing for students of certain cultural backgrounds. Not “asked if it’s something that should be considered,” No, these girls, who are paying $1,500 for a $$60,000/year school, complained that it was too much for them to pay $1,500 and it should be free, and that they are oppressed because they don’t have special-snowflake housing. Sorry. Gag. And I’m liberal and sympathetic to most of this stuff, but at one point - stop with the victimhood and entitlement.</p>

[busdriver11]

<p>I’m not sure why anyone would be comfortable with people saying, “Check your privilege.” That’s obvious it means, “Shut up white guy,” or girl, less often. Why is it acceptable to just shut people up this way? It’s just like yelling, “racist,” or “sexist” or “haters”. It’s purely to put the person on the defensive and shut them up. Too bad people don’t feel their arguments are strong enough that they can do any better than just shutting people down.</p>

[Pizzagirl]

<p>I agree. </p>

<p>“I don’t know what it’s like to go for a run without being followed by the police, since I’m African-American and the police follow me in a way they don’t follow my white friend who runs” opens up dialogue, opens up the thinking of the white person who maybe-didn’t-realize.</p>

<p>“Check your privilege” doesn’t. It IS a snotty statement. It’s intended to be snotty and snarky. And hey, I love snarky comments, but I at least own when I’m trying to snark vs when I’m trying to engage in conversation.</p>

[alh]

<p>Are only those with privilege allowed to be snarky and snotty? “Snitty” is how I like to describe it. Are those who sometimes suffer from a non-level playing field obligated to point out the playing field isn’t level in a very calm and polite sort of manner? Why? I am okay with their righteous indignation. Seems kind of appropriate under the circumstances.</p>

<p>I have read arguments that polite conversation rarely facilitates major social change.</p>

[sally305]

<p>But which comes first, the snotty or the snarky? My guess is that few would say “check your privilege” to someone like the Columbia guy, who is already aware of his privilege and able to show empathy toward those who don’t have it. As someone said upthread, it’s likely that Fortgang comes through as entitled and insensitive more often than not—and thus is more likely to provoke such scolding than his more sensitive counterparts.</p>

[sorghum]

<p>I think retorting “Check your affirmative action” would be fairly equivalent in conveying rudeness and a lack of interest in actual debate.</p>

[sax]

<p>Agree with PG and BD views of this.</p>

<p>I find it interesting that “privilege” can mean such different things to different people. </p>

<p>Upon reading the phrase for the first time I thought privilege meant wealth and old money. I thought Downton Abbey. Who says “privilege.” but older adults. What 20 something talks like that? It’s pretentious. </p>

<p>Race never even entered my mind. Nationality never entered my mind. Religion never entered my mind. This certainly says something about me…I don’t know what though.</p>

<p>How about health as a privilege? How about having strong family ties as a privilege? Education?
How about beauty and good looks as a privilege?</p>

<p>Anyway, I’d tell someone to "check their attitude " if they ever uttered such nonsense towards me.</p>

[Bay]

<p>

Are only those with privilege allowed to be snarky and snotty?

</p>

<p>Everyone is “allowed” to be snarky and snotty. From your 3,747 posts here on CC, you should know how well that approach usually goes over in debate. The phrase is not used to spur understanding. Snark and snot is usually employed by people who have an intense dislike for the other speaker and what he stands for.</p>

[busdriver11]

<p>“I have read arguments that polite conversation rarely facilitates major social change.”</p>

<p>But telling people to sit down, shut up, and keep their feet off the seats does?</p>

<p>I think that just creates resentment and a predictable backlash.</p>

[Hunt]

<p>

I’m not sure why anyone would be comfortable with people saying, “Check your privilege.” That’s obvious it means, “Shut up white guy,” or girl, less often. Why is it acceptable to just shut people up this way? It’s just like yelling, “racist,” or “sexist” or “haters”. It’s purely to put the person on the defensive and shut them up. Too bad people don’t feel their arguments are strong enough that they can do any better than just shutting people down.

But here again, you’re buying into Fortgang’s entirely fanciful and unsupported claim that he was ever shut down or silenced by anybody. There’s this fantasy that the poor beleaguered conservative makes some sensible statement, and then is “shut down” by the utterance of this all-powerful phrase, presumably causing him to slink away in shame. I don’t believe it for one second. While I wouldn’t be surprised at all that a liberal student arguing with Fortgang might use this phrase, but I don’t believe that it would be the first thing or the last thing they would say. And it would be interesting to know if Fortgang ever uses dismissive terms, like “typical liberal drivel” and the like. As I say, he’s at Princeton, with the smart kids. He should man up a little.</p>

<p>Let me add to this that I also don’t believe that Fortgang’s real problem is with being shut down. Rather, I think his real objection is on the merits: he doesn’t like it pointed out that he has certain advantages and opportunities simply because he is a white male. Yeah, we know that those aren’t the ONLY advantages, and that they aren’t the ONLY thing that make white males successful and we know that SOME white males have it really tough in lots of ways (although not him, really). But they’re still white males, and that alone creates certain advantages. It’s obviously, palpably true, but for some reason, some people just don’t like to admit it.</p>

[Bay]

<p>I think he did, big time. </p>