Privilege is an advantage, benefit or right that a person or group of people have. Privileged people have the opportunity and/or power to access these benefits because of their “favourable” position. This position can include, but are not limited to a person’s skin colour, age, sex, gender or ability to do every day activities.
In what ways do you have privilege? In other words, what are ways that you are advantaged because of your privilege? What kinds of things do you not have to think about on a daily basis because of your privilege?
White Privilege
I have never been discriminated against because of my skin colour. Because of this, I do not fear that I will be denied an opportunity that could potentially benefit be specifically because of what colour my skin is.
When I am shopping for makeup, I can instantly find a range of shades that will suit me. I do not have to go through the trouble of buying multiple products to mix shades just to find the right colour for me. This issue is so prevalent, that some higher end makeup brands like Tarte Cosmetics only create products for lighter skinned individuals.
If I become the leader of a group and people do not take well to my leadership strategies, I can be sure that my race or skin colour is not the issue. I do not fear that anything I do will be judged, discredited, or questioned specifically because of my race or ethnicity.
Class Privilege
I have never had to worry about how I am going to afford my rent, because I don’t pay rent to my parents. This is an example of privilege because I am able to live a safe, warm and nurturing place to call home and will never have to worry about paying bills as long as I live there. I never have to worry about if or when money will be coming in because I have no expenses other than purchases I make for myself. I do not pay for gas, insurance, textbooks, food or tuition. In this sense I am extremely privileged. Having all of these resources available to me at no cost opens up many more doors for me that someone who has to worry about money would not have the same access to.
For example: I do not need to have a job to make it by. The time that I would spend working to pay off bills if I needed a job, is spent studying and bettering myself as a person.
In what ways do you NOT have privilege? Are there ways in which you may not experience privilege because of another identity marker (such as sex, sexual orientation, race, class, ability)?
Able-bodied Privilege
I have a spine condition where the curve of my spine is curved the wrong way in both the upper and lower back. I have been told that I should avoid participating in any activities where I could fall or hit something hard. A good example of this happens whenever I go on vacation I always want to do watersports, but I cant because even hitting the water too hard may damage my spine.
The last job I had was working at McDonalds, when I told my boss about my condition and how I can be limited by it. They told me if I couldn’t handle it I should go home. I wanted this job at the time so I brought them in legal documents from 2 different government websites saying they can not discriminate against me because I have this condition. In fact, they were legally required to support me when I needed it. When it comes to working, I am lucky in a sense that I was not required to tell my employer about my condition when applying. My doctor has told me I should stand for no longer than 2 hour and sit for no longer than 2 hours. I should not carry more than 20 pounds or go up more than 2 flights of stairs at a time if I am carrying something that heavy. All of this did not go over well at work, and eventually I just left because I was being treated so badly. I am convinced that if I told them about it when I applied they would have never hired me
I start my days by planning out how to limit my pain throughout the day. I come early to get a closer parking spot so I do not hurt my back carrying my book bags. When I see people looking for a parking spot close to the building when it is packed I just think that they don’t know how lucky they are to be able to walk that distance carrying all of their things and not hurting themselves.
The upper curve in my spine connects to my jaw and throws it offline. As a result, I have developed Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD). This gives me random severe migraines as well as locked jaw. I must avoid eating hard foods because of the pain and snapping of my jaw when it clunks down. Another issue that comes with it is the swelling and limited movement of my neck. Some people see my neck and think I have a double chin or that I look funny because my neck is so thick, but they don’t know that the only reason it looks like this is because it is so inflamed. Although my condition is not as visible as some others, it still requires me to modify my actions and behaviour throughout the day. I rely on elevators at school, as I cannot make it to the top floor on my own with all of my work.
Male Privilege
As a woman, when I am outspoken, or critical of something, people around me sometimes think I am being “bitchy”, or that I am on my period. They think that surely this is just a girl “acting” or “bitching” out because I am not happy, when this may not be the case at all. I may have been in a really good mood until this one thing upset me, yet some men dismiss this idea completely.
When I walk into a hardware store to purchase tools or materials for a project on my own, the male employees usually look at me with a confused look on their face. When I do have a question about a product, the majority of the time the employee trying to help me tries to dumb down his reply for me as though I do not know what he is talking about.
For example: I went to Canadian Tire this week to get a butane refill for my torch lighter. I asked the associate where the butane is and he replied, “What are you trying to light?” I was taken back by the fact he would even ask this. I asked for a specific product, and he replied trying to make sure I was looking for the right thing. I told him it was for a crème brûlée and only then did he look at me more understandingly, which did not make the situation better at all, it just confirmed my thought that he was treating me different because of gender-based norms.
I also noticed that there were only 2 females that I saw working in the store, and about 10 men. This leads me to believe that they do not provide equal opportunities for employment of both genders, which is a whole other issue.
Women are more likely to be interrupted when we speak. Studies of both sexes showed that both men and women interrupted women more than men (Johnson). This means that men generally have their voice and opinions heard a lot more than women do. It also means that people listen and care about what men are saying more than women.
When I turn down a date, sometimes I worry about being verbally attacked. There are so many men that think they are entitled to date you just because you are a woman. When they are turned down, some men get verbally or physically aggressive. I personally have never been physically assaulted because of this reason, but I have been threatened that I would be “slapped”. Some men think it is okay to participate in these types of behaviours because they are bigger, stronger and can physically overpower most women. They do not fear being fought back.
Describe a situation in your life where you became aware that you had privilege.
About a month ago, I was driving home from school in the fast lane at 110 km/hour. There was very little traffic on the road, but one driver just kept cutting in front of me, crossing over the line and slamming on their brakes. I was not sure what the situation was, they could be driving impaired or maybe just did not know the rules of the road. All I knew was that I did not want to be in this situation as it was dangerous.
I made the decision to try and pass them, because I thought if I got in front of them I will not be in harms way. I change 2 lanes over where there was only one other person far behind me. I sped up to around 120 when the driver that had been in front of me noticed and started to speed up to stop me from passing them. At this point I felt that I was about to be put in more danger as they changed lanes right beside me. I started getting anxiety and sped up to about 135 to take the next exit in order to get out of the situation. Then I see blue and red lights flashing behind me, the person way back behind me in that lane was a police officer.
When I pulled over, the officer immediately got out of his car and started yelling at me that I was speeding. I tried to explain the incident but he cut me off saying there was no reason I should have been driving at that speed. I got slapped with a ticket for almost $350 and 4 demerit points.
He walked away from my car and I called my father from the side of the road, crying because I thought I was going to have to pay the ticket that I did not have the money for because I myself do not have a job. My dad told me not to worry, and that we were lucky. I spent the rest of the ride home wondering what he was talking about by “lucky”. When I got home, my dad took the ticket and immediately started got on the phone. It turns out he hired a paralegal while I was driving home. The paralegal asked me a few questions, and then told me not to worry because the chances he would win the case were high, and he was right. It was agreed upon that I did what was necessary to get out of the dangerous situation that I was in, and just like that I was free of debt and demerit points.
It was then that I realized what class privilege really means. If someone from a lower class had been in the exact same situation as me, they would never have had the chance to have their case heard justly. Someone who cannot afford a ticket of that size would not be able hire an attorney. They would be very reluctant to do so if they could afford it, because of the off chance they lose the case and have to pay both the paralegal and the ticket. Without someone to represent them in court, their chances of winning the case decrease significantly. If it had happened to someone that was struggling to get by, they would have had a clear disadvantage.
McIntosh argues “describing one’s privilege makes one newly accountable” (McIntosh, 1989). What is your response to this claim?
When a person becomes aware of the privilege that they have, they are able to widen their perspective on societal issues related to it. Only after the privileged become aware of the dominance and benefits that they are provided with, they are able to act on and advocate for others that do not share the same privilege. Looking at it from another angle, if a person is completely unaware of privileges they have, they will not be able to see the full picture, and the invisible systems that unconsciously subject the privileged to be more dominant. I think that across all types of privilege, the idea of becoming accountable with knowledge remains constant. In this response I will give examples of how this idea connects to class and white privilege.
Knowledge is power. This idea is especially prevalent when it comes to privilege, as the privileged are the ones already holding the benefits in question, and the power to open up discussion on the issue. In the instance of class privilege, both knowledge and assets can act as power. Once a person is equipped with the knowledge of how privilege works in society, they become accountable on the issue because they are able to act on it by devoting some of their knowledge and material assets to the issue itself. Those with class privilege have the power to set up groups, connect with others, and create real change to educate and spread the knowledge. If this happens consistently, I think the trend will continue and eventually the people that do not possess the class privilege may have access to the resources to improve their position. I think the concept of knowledge turned power can be applied to all types of privilege.
White privilege is another phenomenon in society that puts one specific group at an advantage. Similar to Peggy McIntosh, growing up as a white person I had also been taught that racism was something that put others at a disadvantage. I only began to think of it the other way around as having an advantage when specific event occurred to my friend and I on the way home from the zoo.
I was driving my friend Shaq home after a day at the Toronto zoo when we got pulled over by a police officer for a “routine seatbelt check”. He came up to the passenger side of the vehicle where Shaq was sitting. He asked me for my license, but then also asked for Shaq’s license although he was not driving. Shaq went into his wallet to get it, but I realized that something was not right. Why would a police officer want to see his license when he was not even driving? Did this officer want to run a background check on him? Make sure his ID was valid? Even make sure he wasn’t wanted by any law enforcement? Did he think I was in danger? With all of these thoughts running through my head I put my hand over Shaq’s wallet to stop him from giving it to the officer.
I said, “My friend here is not driving. You said you pulled us over for a seatbelt check. We are both wearing our seatbelts, therefor you should not even be asking me for my license never mind his license.” I ended up giving him mine because I was driving, but told him that he has no right to ask for my friend’s.
What happened next disgusted me by confirming my suspicions. As I leaned over to the passenger side to check this officer’s badge number he saw me and asked me what I was doing. I said “I want to know your badge and plate number, you have no right to be asking him for his ID.” The officer glared at me and told me he was “looking out for my safety because that was his job”. I began to get defensive and called him out. “I feel safer with my friend Shaq here than I do around you in your uniform right now. This should not be happening, and I will be reporting you for this behaviour.” Still glaring at me, he gave me my license back without going back to his cruiser to check it and told me I was free to go.
I went home that night reflecting on what happened. Then began to think what would have even happened if I was not in the car at all? A police officer has the power through his position to be trusted by the law to act in the best interest of the law, but the law should be applied the same way to everyone. The officer clearly had an intention to pull me over because Shaq was in the car, as he asked for both of our licenses. When I realized his intention, I used my knowledge of the rules of the road combined with the knowledge I had of racism and the law. If Shaq was by himself in the car, the officer could have charged him with a crime he did not commit, said he was speeding, or said that he was not complying which could have lead to worse consequences. In this situation I felt that my friend would have been powerless against this racist police officer. It was by pure luck that I was there, but because I was, I was able to protect him in this situation. Just because someone has a darker skin colour does not mean they should be singled out or experience something like this. When I was in this situation, I felt accountable to do what I felt was right in order to preserve his right as a passenger in my car, and the right to be treated the same as any other passenger would be. It disgusts me that blatant acts of racism like this are still currently going on, and especially that it still plays a role in law enforcement since they are supposed to protect all citizens no matter what colour their skin is.
McIntosh suggests that within educational contexts, there is greater emphasis placed on discussing groups who experience oppression rather than discussing how groups with privilege contribute to sustaining oppression. In your opinion, is it beneficial to shift the focus of discussion to privilege, rather than oppression? Do you feel this will contribute to social change?
I agree with McIntosh that more emphasis is places on groups experiencing oppression. Since the privileged are the ones with the power, I feel that it is natural to look at the oppressed as a disadvantaged group rather than thinking of themselves as an advantaged group. Acknowledging that oppression is still currently happening in the world today is a step in the right direction, however, I do not feel that this is the best thing that can be done.
I think that spreading awareness that oppression is a two-way street will be the best solution to the issue. When people admit that others are disadvantaged but refuse to admit that they hold an advantage, the issue is not fully being addressed. By denying this, they are not allowing their advantages to be lessened or diminished in order to have a level playing field. How did the treatment of different groups become so segregated if there are not opposing powers? In order for one group to become disadvantaged there must be another group that does have an advantage.
If the focuses of our conversations shift to acknowledging both privilege and oppression, it will help open up the conversation more for all of us and contribute to social change. I think that because our society is systematic, if these behaviours of lessening the advantages consumed by privileged groups continue, the disadvantages carried by the oppressed will begin to dissolve through systematic acceptance.
What did you find interesting about McIntosh’s article? Refer to at least one point.
I think that it is interesting how certain beliefs and assumptions can subconsciously be passed down from generation to generation without being questioned or acknowledged by the ones transferring or receiving this information. White people experience so many effects of white privilege every day without thinking a second thought. McIntosh made a list of things that she could count on every day as a white person, and this made me start to think of these types of things myself. As I read through the list of conditions, I realized that I could relate to almost all of them. Before reading this article, I was trying to think of things that would provide to me an advantage, or provide a disadvantage to others, but after reading the article I realize that there are aspects everywhere that are very subtle. Everywhere I go, there are people of my race being represented on products, in commercials and in positions of power. I think this pays partisan to how most people with white privilege are unconsciously going along with this systematic acceptance of white privilege, when instead they should be contributing to the systematic acceptance of equality. This is why I feel that spreading awareness about how white people are affected by advantages can play a key role in diminishing racism and white privilege.
Works Cited
Johnson, J. Maisha. ‘160+ Examples of Male Privilege in All Areas of Life.’ Everyday Feminism, 25 Feb 2017.
McIntosh, P. (1990) White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. Independent School, 49(2), 31-36.
