Can we talk about what it means to be “privileged” without it devolving into a contentious debate that the mods feel needs to be shut down? I’m hoping we can. This youtube video is somewhat thought-provoking, in that it examines all sorts of ways in which privilege exists. I, for one, am feeling pretty darned privileged, despite being able to innumerate many, many ways in which others are more advantageously positioned. Please watch and share your thoughts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD5f8GuNuGQ
Very thoughtful video. Thank you for posting. I’d say the “result” of privilege is a lot of choice. But as the video seems to imply, it’s easier to say what privilege isn’t than what it actually is.
Interesting video, and interesting measures. It’s a tough topic. I am thankful for much every day, and recognize that life could be much worse.
A lot of times, when people talk about privilege, they get trapped into thinking it’s all about either money, or some aspect of social advantage. Some people have a lot of both, or one, and not much of another. But privilege can be very situational, and thereby, extremely fluid. It very much depends upon the nature of the privilege. Most of us here are privileged to be citizens of first world countries, whereby we’re not often concerned about a dependably clean water supply, or readily available electricity. Living in a country with excellent infrastructure is a tremendous privilege in and of itself. When I think of that, I feel extremely blessed.
It is not having an obstacle that someone else has.
Compared to the world, everyone in the U.S. is loaded with privilege.
GMTspouse & I grew up poor, so we think our kids are privileged.
I said:
Having said that, however, I’m growing more and more concerned about the quality of our infrastructure here in the US. No country can remain a first world country with crumbling infrastructure. I want to retain the privilege of living in a first world country, and I want that for my children, and their children too.
I was born to a very young mother, and grew up poor. My kids have had it much easier any many regards than i did. I worry sometimes about an “entitled” attitude, not only with my own kids, but others in our middle to upper middle class area.
I feel privileged because I was always a cute little girl and because, to quote the poem, I had a mother who read to me. I feel deficient because I don’t have an education. My family is comfortably off due to the privileges of good health and opportunity. However, I work among the 1% and sometimes the .01%, so I see what unimaginable privilege looks like. Thankfully I am only envious when it comes to beagles, so I have great friends who are among those wealthy and influential people. My husband and I are blue collar, but my D is having an experience this summer that is so special that hubby and I can point to it as evidence that we have succeeded in boosting our daughter to the next level. She is now, I think, privileged.
I think there are different kinds of privilege. Sometimes who you are born to is a privilege. Sometimes it is a special talent or ability, sometimes it is a personal quality. I definitely think some people are hindered and others are more fortunate. I think on balance, being white in many parts of the world is an enormous privilege. But not 100% of the time.
Things like race and looks are also privileges. As a good-looking white male, I never stopped to think about how good I have it compared to other people who weren’t born the same way.
Here is the list of questions (from U. Michigan website):
If your ancestors came to the United States by force, take one step back.
If there were more than 50 books in your house growing up, take one step forward.
If you ever felt unsafe because of your sexual orientation, take one step back.
If you believe that you were denied employment because of your race, gender, or ethnicity, take 1 step back.
If you believe that you were paid less because of your race, gender, or ethnicity, take one step back.
If you were ever stopped or questioned by the police because of your race, take one step back.
If you have ever felt uncomfortable about a joke directed at your gender, take one step back.
If you can show affection for your romantic partner in public without fear of ridicule or violence, please take one step forward.
If you were embarrassed about your clothes or house while growing up, take one step back.
If your parents or guardians attended college, take one step forward.
If you were raised in an area with crime and drug activity, take one step back.
If you have tried to change your speech or mannerisms to gain credibility, take one step back.
If you are able to move through the world without fear of sexual assault, take one step forward.
If you can legally marry the person you love, take one step forward.
If you were sexually active with several people and it would improve your social reputation in other people’s eyes, take 1 step forward.
If you are reasonably sure that you will not be denied access to jobs or political resources because of your gender, take one step forward.
If you are able to be drive carelessly without someone attributing it to your gender, take one step forward.
If you are relatively sure you can enter a store without being followed, take one step forward.
If you are reasonably sure you would be hired based on your ability and qualifications, take one step forward.
If your family automatically expected you to attend college, take one step forward.
If you have ever traveled outside the United States, take one step forward.
If your parents worked nights and weekends to support your family, take one step backward.
If you can buy new clothes or go out to dinner when you want to, take one step forward.
If you get time off for your religious holidays, take one step forward.
If you have a foreign accent, take one step backward.
If you can walk alone at any time of day or night in Saratoga without thinking about safety, take one step forward.
If you went to galleries, museums, and plays with your family, take one step forward.
If you attended private school or summer camp, take one step forward.
If you were raised in a single-parent household, take one step backward.
If you studied the culture of your ancestors in elementary school, take one step forward.
If members of your gender are portrayed on TV in degrading roles, take one step backward.
If you have been a victim of sexual harassment, take one step backward.
If you have been a victim of violence because of your race, gender, class, or sexual orientation, take one step back.
If you ever went on a family vacation, take one step forward.
If you have ever had a maid, gardener, or cleaning service, take one step forward.
If you can walk past a construction site without being looked up and down or catcalled at, take one step forward.
@atomom, you should start a thread with those questions. Like a forum game where people say how many steps forward they took and how many back.
Well, we could do it here since these are the questions that go with the video.
I ended about +2 fwiw. Actually not as privileged as I thought. But there could be a lot of different questions, too.
4 steps backward and 10 forward.
My kids were born in USA, that’s privilege. They also born in California. That’s double privilege.
That’s a very interesting set of questions, @atomom. I know it’s not that serious a survey, but the problem is everything is one step up or back. Being cat-called at a construction site isn’t really on a par with not getting promoted because of your gender. And having a foreign accent might warrant a step back if it’s certain accents, but I don’t see why an English or French accent hinders a person.
15 steps forward, only 2 steps back. One was unsure but I count that as forward step.
-1 and +13. Much more privileged than I would have expected, in comparison to many peers.
I think I was +4 while I would estimate my son at +21. The gender questions definitely give an advantage to males and he had q few other advantages that I didn’t have before I married.
I have a first cousin who exhibited bizarre behavior and frightening bouts of rage from an early age (like 8yrs old). He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in his mid-teens, and has been in and out of mental institutions all his adult life. My best friend’s brother received the same diagnosis at age 16, and has never been able to live independently. He lived with his parents when they were both alive, then with his younger brother and family, and now with his elderly mother. My BFF is worried about how her brother will fare should he outlive his mother. Another one of my first cousins has a daughter who has severe bi-polar disorder, which has resulted in extremely poor impulse control, and other manic behaviors, interspersed, of course, with debilitating bouts of clinical depression. The fact that they are all black presents an additional challenge, because it’s been my observation that many people attribute their undesirable behaviors to race, and never entertain the idea that they might suffer from a mental illness.
If you suffer from a mental illness, take one step back.
If you are black and suffer from mental illness, take another step back.