Reflecting on Our Own Privilege

We all have privilege of some kind, whether it's being cis-gendered or currently able-bodied or access to education and technology. By its nature, the people with a particular form of privilege are usually the ones least aware of its existence. 

Have you ever read a work of fiction based in the US or a European country where the race of most characters isn't specified, but a character who is Black is specifically identified as being Black? How often do you describe people as being able-bodied outside the context of discussions about ablism or disability? Cultural narratives form ideas about what is "normal" and what is "other", making the "normal" into the default. When it comes to many types of identities, part of having privilege means being the norm.

Things We Take For Granted

One of the most well known published inventories of privilege is Peggy McIntosh's reflection on the things she is able to take for granted as a White person because of her racial privilege, titled White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. If you are still relatively new to thinking about White Privilege, we recommend reading this list.

Some examples of everyday things which people with other forms of privilege often take for granted:

• People with the legs, strength, and range of motion to walk up stairs without assistance (Currently Able Bodied Privilege) don't have to worry about whether a building they enter has an elevator

• People whose Gender matches the sex they were Assigned at Birth (Cis-Gendered Privilege) don't have to worry about whether they can legally use a public restroom

• In work or school settings that provide vacation time, those who observe Christmas (Christian Privilege) automatically get the holiday off and don't have to ask for religious accommodations to be able to celebrate with family or friends

• People in a heterosexual relationship (Straight Privilege) traveling to a different country don't have to worry about whether their relationship is legal in that country

• People who have the resources to travel for fun (Class Privilege) often assume that others have that option

• US domestic students (Nationality Privilege) are often unaware of the extra steps required for their international student classmates to have an on campus job or travel home during the summer

• People with full vision (Sighted Privilege) have the physical ability to read this text without any assistive technology

Privilege is a Tool

As you are reflecting on your own privilege, you might find yourself remembering moments when you made assumptions about other people based on the things you yourself took for granted. Just as with all the other kinds of mistakes we've discussed in this course, what you do with those memories matters.

As we become more aware of our privilege, we often look back at things we said or did in the past and cringe. This isn't so different from any other learning process. Perhaps your family has a picture of you in which you are covered in your own food, still learning the coordination necessary to feed yourself. Or perhaps you were teased as a child for mispronouncing certain words. Or perhaps you got something wrong on a test that all of your friends had gotten right. Whether you felt embarrassed at the time, whether you feel embarrassed thinking about those experiences now, these all have the capacity to be points on a journey of learning and growth.

While no one's quality of life is improved when a person with some form of privilege wallows in guilt over their advantages, being aware of those advantages gives us an opportunity to better advocate for others.

Allyship

An ally is a person of one identity group (usually a dominant group) who stands up in support of members of another group (usually a targeted group). This can be anticipating a problem before it arises, speaking up in the moment, or helping to deal with the aftermath.

Allyship requires you to reflect on your own behavior and respond to the behavior of others. It is ongoing action rather than a statement of your personal values. Regardless of how you label yourself, people from a targeted group will only consider you an ally if they see you acting on their behalf.

Being an effective and valuable ally, especially when responding to a specific situation, requires that you remember two things we discussed in the section on Emotional Intelligence:

1. It's not about you

2. Support people the way they want to be supported

I'm worried I'll say the wrong thing...

The truth is, if you're actually trying to make a difference you will say the wrong thing at some point. It's inevitable. But something we keep coming back around to is that mistakes, once you own up to them, are opportunities to learn and grow. If you're not used to discussing identity, privilege, or systems of oppression, it's going to take some time and effort to get comfortable with those conversations. But you'll definitely never get there if you don't try.