In the days since Willie Burnley’s article “The Race Problem at Emerson” has been published, a lot of amazing conversation has been generated. However, in order to have a productive conversation about racism or any type of oppression, it is necessary to first understand and recognize the concept of privilege.
To borrow a definition from our friends at finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com, privilege “is a status that is conferred by society to certain groups, not seized by individuals.” Having privilege is being considered the “normal” in some aspect. The oppressed are constructed as the “other” to that normal.
Every single one of us has privilege to some extent. It’s not as simple as saying that one person has privilege and another doesn’t. It’s more complicated than that. For example, I’m a white, thin, upper middle class cis woman. I have white privilege, cis privilege, class privilege, and thin privilege. But as a woman, I am still oppressed by the existence of male privilege.
To have productive conversation about oppression, it is therefore important for each of us to check our privilege. Just because we have privilege doesn’t mean it’s our fault that the “other” is being oppressed. But recognizing the privileges we have is an important step to understanding what is unequal and wrong in our society and to starting a dialogue about fixing it.
Here are some brief descriptions of some prominent forms of privilege.
White Privilege: I know we would all love to think we live in a post-racial society where this isn’t real. But we’re not there yet. The truth of the matter is that if you’re white, you gain a number of privileges that were predetermined from the moment of your birth. White privilege is walking into a job interview and immediately having an advantage over a person of color. White privilege is not having to worry about racial profiling. White privilege is having your race be the default in major books, movies, and TV shows. White privilege is not having to overcome the stereotyped identity forced upon you. White privilege is any number of these privileges, all based on the fact that to be white is to be normal.
Just a disclaimer: White privilege has nothing to do with how much money your family makes. You could be the poorest white person in the world. If you and the poorest person of color in the world walk into the same job interview with a suit and tie on, you gain immediate privilege. Just because you’re not financially privileged does not mean your white privilege won’t come into play.
Male Privilege: Hey, anti-feminists, don’t roll your eyes! Male privilege is alive and thriving. Male privilege is having your own sex represented in every government entity. It is having your sex represented in most authority positions in general. It is not having to worry about being harassed when walking alone at night, or being sexually harassed by coworkers. It is the ability to have lots of sex without being slut-shamed. It is never having to be asked about your childrearing plans in a workplace setting. It is not having the expectation to give up your career for your children. It is not being considered a “bitch” if you use your power in an authoritative position.
Heterosexual Privilege: Here at Emerson, it may seem like we live inside this bubble of acceptance of the LGBTQIA community. But even inside this bubble, heterosexual privilege is still alive and well. Heterosexual privilege is never having to “come out.” It’s never having to live in fear of being fired for your sexual orientation. (It’s still legal to fire employees for being openly homosexual in 29 states!) It is the ability to be yourself without people assuming you fit into a personality type based on your sexual preferences. It is having your romantic relationship accepted by everyone, despite their religious or political views. It is as simple as walking down the street holding hands with your partner without receiving looks.
Cis Privilege: For those who don’t know, a “cis” person is someone whose given anatomy supposedly “matches” his or her gender identity. If you were born a female and identify as a woman or born a male and identify as a man, then congratulations. You have cis privilege. That means you’ll never have to stare at a form, figuring out which box to check off under “sex.” You’ll never wonder which bathroom you should go into or have to deal with explaining your anatomy to someone you are interested in dating. You’ll never have to answer offensive questions about what you “really” are. You’ll never have to worry that your insurance won’t cover a sex reassignment surgery.
Thin Privilege: This is a privilege that exists as a result of the fatphobia in our culture. It does not matter how the thin person became thin – whether he or she is genetically thin, dieted, or even had an eating disorder – this person will still have the advantages of being a thin person, whether or not they wanted these privileges. According to thisisthinprivilege.tumblr.com, “thin privilege systematically reduces each of us to our dress size, or hip measurement, or waist size; then grants favors, opportunities, or simple lack of punishment when the numbers are low enough.” However, thin privilege also carries over to men in that thin people are considered the “normal” in our media.
Class Privilege: This is the form of privilege you probably think of when you think of privilege. When you classify someone as “privileged,” you usually mean that the amount of wealth that individual has provides them with a multitude of opportunity. Higher class individuals might not have paid as close attention to tuition prices when they applied to college. They might not be taking out loans to pay for school. They might have attended prestigious private high schools. They might have money to fall back on if an investment fails or if they lose their job. They might have the money to buy fancier equipment than you for film class.
I could go on and on with examples of each of these forms of privilege for days. But the point is that these privileges make way for various forms of oppression: for example racism, sexism, heterosexism, homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia, and classism. Once we begin to recognize how these forms of privilege affect us as individuals, we can begin to combat the oppression inherent in our current society.
Maria DiPasquale is a freshman Writing, Literature, & Publishing major and Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Minor at Emerson College. She hails from a lovely, diverse, and liberal little town called Maplewood, New Jersey, a quick 30 minute train ride from New York City. As a result, a dialogue about race was ongoing throughout her childhood, shaping her current interest in equality. She is a feminist who aspires to write stories and novels that draw on equality issues. Her other interests include exploring cities, wandering around museums, buying more used boots than she could ever need, and making long lists of books she wants to read.