Two Quick Measures of Privilege
Jan. 15th, 2015 11:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wingedbeastNobody likes to believe themselves privileged. You say someone's privileged and they think you mean that they've had an easy life. "Of course I haven't had an easy life, I work for a living."
But, that's not privilege, not the ease of your life, but the difficulties of other lives that you don't have to deal with. Short of actually getting to know each and every difficulty that you don't experience, there are a few ways to tell if, in a specific demographic dynamic, you have some privilege.
How readily can you forget other demographics exist?
How few descriptors does it take to make it clear that your demographic is the one being discussed?
These are two ways of looking at how easily you can view yourself as the "default human" and how easily other people can be identified, unintentionally, as the aberrations.
There are specifics to be considered. But, in the general, I think these two are helpful measures.
If I'm wrong, if you have better ones, please comment.
But, that's not privilege, not the ease of your life, but the difficulties of other lives that you don't have to deal with. Short of actually getting to know each and every difficulty that you don't experience, there are a few ways to tell if, in a specific demographic dynamic, you have some privilege.
How readily can you forget other demographics exist?
How few descriptors does it take to make it clear that your demographic is the one being discussed?
These are two ways of looking at how easily you can view yourself as the "default human" and how easily other people can be identified, unintentionally, as the aberrations.
There are specifics to be considered. But, in the general, I think these two are helpful measures.
If I'm wrong, if you have better ones, please comment.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-20 07:18 pm (UTC)But the key is that you have SOME idea. I, uhh...probably don't need to tell you, but a lot of your fellow white, male cishet brethren have ABSOLUTELY NO idea...and don't care to have any. It's unfortunately not uncommon. : /
no subject
Date: 2015-01-20 07:45 pm (UTC)But, one of the things about privilege is how comfortable it is. If there's an uncomfortable suggestion, then there's got to be some way to comfortably refute it.
Here are some little tests you can take. Oops, you *are* privileged, aren't you?
no subject
Date: 2015-01-20 07:58 pm (UTC)