Talk-to-Text
Read what some people have to say about privilege.
Responses by Najwa
Q. What is the first thing you think of when you hear privilege? What is privilege to you?
A. The first thing I think of when I hear privilege is how divisive the topic is. To me, privilege is an advantage an individual might have over another person.
Q. What type of privilege is there?
A. There are two types of privilege one based on an inherent characteristic like skin color, age, gender, disability etc. and one based on social aspects such as class, financial stability, education, religion etc.
Q. What are some things that privilege have a major effect on?
A. Your privilege can have a major effect on what you can achieve and what you can do. Having the privilege to get a higher education can ensure that you will have a job. Having certain privileges ensures you do not struggle in certain aspects of life. Having the privilege to afford opportunities and experiences can have a major effect on your life decisions.
Q. Should privilege be as big as an issue as it seems?
A. Yes, a lot of people have this idea that having privileges negates your struggles. It does not. Everyone's struggle is different, but having certain privileges allows you to navigate certain situations quite easily. It should be a big issue because people need to understand the privileges they have no matter how big or small.
Q. Do you believe you are privileged?
A. Yes, I am privileged. I am able to afford a college education and have a family that encourages me to pursue higher education and allows me to express myself and my opinions.
Q. Is being privileged a bad thing?
A. No, it is not. The only thing bad about being privileged is not knowing that you are privileged. Knowing that some of the opportunities and experiences you have are due to your privilege.
Q. What does privilege look like? Feel like? For different generation?
A. Privilege can be discriminatory, but most times it just allows the individual with an advantage over another person. Privilege can look different for different generations based on the era and the society each generation grew up in. The standards on what is a privilege change depending on the circumstances of the people as a whole.
Q. Is privilege the right word to describe the advantages a person has? If not, what other would be better?
A. Yes, I think privilege is the right word to describe the added advantage a person has.
Q. Is privilege something everyone has (can have)?
A. Yes, everyone has a privilege and those privileges can be impactful in many ways.
Q. Are you born into privilege or can privilege also be worked into?
A. Both. Privilege can come from your family lineage, but can also be something that you earn over the course of your life. Being born a certain social class can ensure that you do not have to worry about certain struggles. Getting an education and being able to afford one is a privilege you are working on actively.
Responses by Robert Benitez
Q. What is the first thing you think of when you hear privilege? What is privilege to you?
A. As an educator trained in anthropology, the first thing I think of is how difficult it is to teach this concept, especially to those that do not see their privilege.
I think of privilege in the context of power (and whiteness). For me, it's useful to contrast privilege with oppression. Privilege belongs to those in power. Those in power--in the US--(typically white, cis, hetero, male, able-bodied, financially stable, Christian, college-educated adults) decide what is "normal"; they are normal--the default setting. (If I were to ask you to visualize a CEO or president, what do you see?) Those that do not fall in the dominant group, are seen (but not necessarily labeled) as abnormal (e.g., black president, female doctor). People with privilege unknowingly (or knowingly) get advantages that they may not even see or think about (e.g., benefit of the doubt, representation, nude color band-aids). But that doesn't mean life is easy or that privileged people don't work hard.
And then there's intersectionality...do we have time for this?
Q. What types of privilege is there?
A. There are many kinds of privilege and interacting systems of power (e.g., race, class, gender, etc.).
Q.What is one specific example of privilege?
One that comes to mind is simply having your name pronounced correctly. (Think Starbucks cups.) When I was in elementary school, I had teachers that would just say "Robert B" at roll call. They wouldn't even try to learn how to say my last name (which isn't even difficult to pronounce). I have a lot of friends with names (first and last) that are always mispronounced, but they never correct it because it's just easier that way. I also have friends from Korea and China that have "American names." One of my best friends in college is named Kyung-taek. He would introduce himself as David. WTF. Think about that. People create brand new names to make it easier for everyone else. That's messed up. If you can say Zack Galifianakis, you can learn to say Mahershala Ali or Chiwetel Ejiofor or Lupita Nyong'o, right?
Q. What are some things that privilege have a major effect on?
A. Systemically, a lot--healthcare, education, housing, policing. But also: individuality. When the oppressed do something, anything, they often have to represent their entire group (e.g., a black person eating fried chicken). Those in power can be individuals, make mistakes as individuals, and more often than not are given the benefit of the doubt.
Q. Should privilege be as big as an issue as it seems?
A. Yes, understanding privilege is about understanding systemic injustices.
Q. Do you believe you are privileged?
A. In many ways, yes. I am an upper middle-class, educated, able-bodied, cis, hetero, male. I can't deny that these aspects of my identity have benefited me. But in many ways, I'm not. I am Filipino. I grew up in a small town with a .04% Asian population. People treated me and my family poorly because of how we were perceived (i.e., as other). It still happens occasionally...
Q. Is being privileged a bad thing?
A. No, but not understanding and addressing it is.
Q. Is privilege the right word to describe the advantages a person has?
A. Words mean different things to different people, right? So, for people that understand what privilege is, then maybe it is the right word...
Q. Are you born into privilege or can privilege also be worked into?
A. There are some systems of power that can be navigated. You can climb the socioeconomic ladder, but you can't change the color of your skin (that much).
Responses by Antonio
Q. What is the first thing you think of when you hear privilege? What is privilege to you?
A. Having an advantage over people in different circumstances.
Q. What type of privilege is there?
A. Racial, gender, being born in an advantageous country
Q. What are some things that privilege have a major effect on?
A. Job acceptance, college acceptance, work pay, court sentences, education.
Q. Should privilege be as big as an issue as it seems?
A. Yes
Q. Do you believe you are privileged?
A. Yes
Q. Is being privileged a bad thing?
A. Yes, it feels good to be privileged.
Q. What does privilege look like? Feel like? For different generation?
A. It looks like everything is going right and not having different types of problems. It feels good because you have much less to worry about. Different generations have different perceptions of privilege since it's usually in the US.
Q. Is privilege the right word to describe the advantages a person has?
A. Not at all times, but it's usually the case. People usually won't admit it's privilege.
Q. Is privilege something everyone has (can have)?
A. Not everyone, but most people.
Q. Are you born into privilege or can privilege also be worked into?
A. Both. Working into a higher wage caste is possible