Stretching Our Thinking

The thing that resonated with me was that if you are white you were born with privilege.  I have always heard that phrase but never really understood it which was very naive of me! The fact that oppression is the opposite of privileged also stood out to me.  All of the negativity that makes life difficult for people that fit into certain social groups can make them feel oppressed.  Privileged people are usually the ones in high power roles.  The CEO's of the world, which in turn gives them power over the oppressed group. "Privilege and oppression intersect — but they don’t negate one another" Being privileged doesn't mean that you will always have it easy but, I does mean that you will have it easier than someone that isn't privileged.  It doesn't mean that you don't work hard for what you have but, it does mean that you didn't have to work as hard as someone that isn't privileged.  

It can be difficult to talk about privelage as we identify with several groups. Some of these groups may be privilaged such as white or male and others might not be privilaged. These identities combine to form intersection.  Everyone should be treated equally and fairly, but this does not happen. People wrongly think that people who have privilage don't work hard and have an easy life. This is not true. I like the cycling anology that is used. We have different routes we take and some might be harder, but we all still need to work hard to reach our destination.

I chose to complete Option 2 and take the quiz "How Privileged Are You? I was actually quite surprised at my result after taking the quiz. I got that I am quite privileged. I wouldn't consider that to necessarily be the case. I have worked hard all of my life. As a child, I came from a home  that included myself, my three siblings and my mother and father. My mother worked a steady and consistent factory job and my father worked various construction-type jobs until he got hurt. I knew my parents struggled with money, but they never made it known to us children when we were younger. It wasn't until my parents divorced when I was 12 that I began to understand the dynamics and issues faced that ultimately led to their divorce. My grandparents had a very generous hand in making sure that we were taken care. I will never be ashamed of my circumstances. I feel that we have all struggled, faced adversity, and been a victim of discrimination in some manner. Yes, I am white. I am also a woman who has blonde hair. I have most likely heard every blonde joke in existence and looked at as the "dumb blonde." That couldn't be farther from the truth. I am proud of who I am. I am highly educated and yet although I may have never really expressed my dismay or irritation over the "dumb blonde" association, I took it as a way to just prove how amazing of a person that I am. We must be able to adapt, conquer and overcome when we are faced with situations that make us uncomfortable. I believe that this is where true growth happens. We are not a product of our circumstance, we are a product of our own action.

I chose Option 2 and completed the quiz on identifying your own privilege by way of checklist. I scored 17% on the quiz and the results suggest that I am not privileged even though I am white. I came from a middle class family but raised in working class neighborhood. My parents were raised working class and held off from doting on us kids because they didn't want us to be spoiled but what they didn't realize was that the mental disorders of my two siblings had became a very difficult burden for my family, and that that would cause my brothers to be co-dependent and a tremendous burden on my parents. I would go out of state to get a very inexpensive state college education and work full time so as to not rack up student loans. Sometimes I acknowledge my privileged moments in my upbringing but as a young adult learned that in some instances I was not privileged.

I took the Social Class Privilege Checklist.  Just reading the questions made me realize that my children and I are privileged.  I do not have to worry about where I live, where my kids go to school, where I work and where I shop.  I also do not have to worry about people that I interact with and who interact with me.  If my family needed medical help or needed supports I would know how to get it and would have the ability to get the supports needed.  I had the privilege of getting a higher education and had the supports in place to be able to attain it.  My children also have things in place for them to have that opportunity.  With my education I was able to get a job that pays well and provides resources for me to continue to maintain a positive lifestyle.  I have health insurance.  These are all things that I do not think about on a daily basis.  It just is the way I live my life.  If I did not have one or many of these things I can see where life would be very stressful.  If I didn't have insurance or transportation then getting medical treatment for my children would be a major stress.  This is something I don't have to worry about.  If I needed to take days off from work to care for my kids I would and still get paid.  I do feel grateful that I have these opportunities.  I do recognize how hard things are for many people.  

I chose Option 2 and completed the quiz on identifying your own privilege by way of checklist. I scored 17% on the quiz and the results suggest that I am not privileged even though I am white. I came from a middle class family but raised in working class neighborhood. My parents were raised working class and held off from doting on us kids because they didn't want us to be spoiled but what they didn't realize was that the mental disorders of my two siblings had became a very difficult burden for my family, and that that would cause my brothers to be co-dependent and a tremendous burden on my parents. I would go out of state to get a very inexpensive state college education and work full time so as to not rack up student loans. Sometimes I acknowledge my privileged moments in my upbringing but as a young adult learned that in some instances I was not privileged.

 No surprise that I am "Quite Privileged" and I have been aware not because of this activity. The questions are thought provoking.  There are no questions about school beyond college.  I only rely on a car because I live in a rural community.  I have only used public transportation in previous living situations and able to rely on it without any feelings of insecurity.  I realize I am privileged because I would be happier to not have a car and have better access to public transportation, not because I need it, but because I prefer it (privileged thinking!). My lower-middle-class upbringing brought me many opportunities. My parents instilled a confidence in me.  I am white.  Now what?
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I took the Buzz Feed quiz, How Privileged Are You? and was not shocked to see that I am "quite privileged". I became very aware of just how privileged I am when I made the decision 6 years ago to move back to New York state just so my daughter could attend a better education. Three things were already in place for me to do this. First, I did not have major financial burdens that can prevent many people from moving forward with their lives. Secondly, My mother insisted we move in with her until I found a place of our own. This now provided my daughter and me with a sturdy roof over our heads, warmth, and privacy as we both had our own rooms. I insisted on giving my mom money each month, but she also provided us with meals, internet and the ability to do our laundry whenever we needed to. Lastly, I moved with the knowledge that I could easily find work ( which I did). I found a teaching job in NY given my years experience and advanced degrees. These privileges came from being white, growing up in a stable 2 parent home, and the gift of advanced education. This privilege also extends to my daughter as she was able to leave a rural and underfunded school district in West Virginia and attend high school in an affluent suburb of Syracuse ( Skaneateles) that gave her not only advanced core classes but an outstanding choir and theater experience. So privilege can be passed on as she just got and acceptance letter to attend SUNY FIT in South Korea. I don't take my privilege for granted and I will remind my daughter of this as well. I chose a career of service as a way to give back and show my gratitude to my parents for all they have done for me. Acknowledging our privileges is important but giving back is our duty. 

I took the quiz "How Privileged Are You?"  I check 61/100 of the options.  The description states "You're quite privileged.  You've had a few struggles, but overall your life has been far easier than most.  This is not a bad thing, nor is it something to be ashamed of.  But you should be aware of your advantages and work to help others who don't have them."  As I have gone through the different stages of life it has become more and more apparent that because of the family I was born into, and the choices my parents made for me growing up, that I was definitely at an advantage in some areas of life.  The part of this quiz that resonated with me the most was the part where it says that is not something to be ashamed of.  I do think there are several times in my life where I felt guilty for not struggling to get to where I was.  The transition from growing up in an affluent community to a large university was very eye opening to me in this regard.  I think the difference is what you do with that privilege, and I work every day to help those who have to work for things that were just inherently part of my life.  

In reading Privilege 101: A Quick and Dirty Guide something that stood out to me, or impacted me was the statement Privilege doesn't mean that your life is easy, but rather it's easier than others.  Perception is key here.  Some people whom someone sees as disadvantaged may be seen as privileged by another person.  Other information that stood out to me is the paragraph regarding the statement, "Privilege doesn't mean you didn't work hard."  In general I believe that most people think if you are privileged you are "given" everything.  This is not the case in most circumstances.  Most of the time people whom we view as privileged have worked very hard to be in those circumstances.

I also took the Buzzfeed quiz, along with three of the others. It was interesting to me, because the result that I got was that I wasn't privileged, but I really am in so many ways. I have a complicated intersectional identity that devalues me because I am femme, bi, trans, fat, and have been desperately poor, but I am also white, mostly able-bodied, educated, and in a decent place financially now. I also took three more specific checklists, and those were illuminating because they highlighted some things that people can take for granted, like being sure that almost any house/apartment I look at I will be able to move through without issue. I am grateful for the privileges that I have, and I really want to work towards a society where those privileges are available to all.