Privilege Progress Report: A Year in Review

This may very well be the last Breaking Bias post of 2014. I think this is why I feel a special obligation to take a leaf out of Facebook's book and write a "Year in Review." At first I thought of doing a timeline, but I felt like that would treat certain issues disproportionately. Then, I thought of writing a list of highlights for each form of privilege, but I didn't want one triumph (or failure) for an issue to look more important than any others, so I decided against that as well. At this moment, organizing a review seems nearly impossible. There are so many things that I could write about, so many things that I could argue were pivotal moments to those trying to get a better grasp of privilege I have so many different thoughts swimming through my mind right now. . But above anything else, I'm thinking that 2014 was a pretty big year.

Granted, I am young and growing more and more perceptive by the day. It's likely that 2014 was the same as any other year only I've barely begun to notice the important stuff. Or perhaps, I've only recently developed the skill to identify what the "important stuff" exactly is. Either way, I believe the best way to truly give this year justice is to simply present it for what it is. 

If I were to classify 2014 as any kind of year I'd say it would be a loud one. 

It seems like for the past couple of years, privilege has been  passed down like salad at Thanksgiving dinner: the topic is rarely put on our plate, and when it is, it takes up the smallest portion of it possible and even then it's pretty thoroughly ignored. However, as the years progress, connections are increasing, ideas are spreading and people are...acting. People are actually acting.Not only are they acting but are following through. This isn't just pertaining to Ferguson. This is happening with gender equality, body image, LGBTQ rights. Activists are becoming more active and  most importantly, people are becoming more willing to teach. Taking action is one thing but encouraging further participation by educating others is an invaluable asset to equality that 2014 has been generously provided. 

 The tenacity of the #BlackLivesMatter movement in particular is inspiring others to persevere in their causes, but what's really caused talks on privilege to pick up speed are the discussions constantly circling throughout the web. In 2014, the minorities of America and the ones fighting for them learned how to speak up.It is all very exciting. There is still so much to be done but now people are more willing to try to get it done. Because of this, I can't help but feel a sense of optimism at this year's close.

Maybe that's just me. I'm barely 18 years old and up to this year I've never really thought of what privilege is or how every day aspects of my life demonstrate the advantages that I have over other people.  Within this year it seems as if the world has gotten bigger. I can only hope that one day this blog will have the same effect on others. I hope that these posts will help expand the worlds of others too. I've been learning so much, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to have you readers learning with me. Thank you.

Until next year!

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When Christmas isn't a Holiday

"It's not about what you get, it's what you give." That's what my parents always told me. Growing up, that lesson was water off a duck's back; however, this phrase took on a whole new meaning for me this season. In one of my first posts, I mentioned that while I live in a low-income household, I have more than a couple of affluent relatives on the other side of my family.  This has given me the opportunity  to sample both sides of the social class spectrum. There are times,many of them, where the difference in our living styles is more obvious than others, but over the years I have found that this difference is more obvious during the holidays.

"It's not about what you get, it's what you give."

The harsh reality for many families is that they don't have anything to give. Some don't have anything to keep. With the copious amount toy drives, food drives, and bell-ringing Santas in front of Walmart that surface this time of year it's easy to claim that during this season, the poor are far from dismissed. But I feel like one common misconception of charity during the holidays is that the wealthy contributions to the poor "make" their Christmases. They don't. A Christmas tree with or without presents under it hurts just the same if you aren't the one putting those presents there. This is the season of giving. People living in poverty know that just as much as anyone else and when they can't give, it stings. It always stings. I have seen my mother drive herself in deeper debt because the idea of not getting her children Christmas presents filled her with a kind of sadness no paycheck could rectify. The past 18 years have consisted of profuse apologies on Christmas day and wounded glances at the gifts my father sent. I imagine that there are other low-income families who have had similar experiences.

Christmas is a celebration of prosperity. Those in the upper and middle class can afford to buy gifts for most members of their immediate relatives, various extended family members, and a single parent household that goes to their same church. Meanwhile, those in the lower class are either exhausted or exploited or both. This season is a spit in the face to all those who break their backs to make ends meet but don't get paid enough to buy anything other than what is necessary.

I'm not trying to be the Grinch here. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. But I recognize that what makes Christmas a positive season for me is the fact that this is a time of year that has always been funded for me. That doesn't mean Christmas is all about money. Family, kinship and goodwill are all virtues that make Christmas what it is, but these are parts of a whole. For many families there are parts of this whole missing. That's why I believe that if there's anything that we should give during these season, at the very least it should be thanks. Because so many of us have so much more than others.

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Mental Illness in the Media

A recent study conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) found that 18.2 percent of America's adult population endure some form of mental illness every year. That's just about one in five. Statistically speaking, you could have two or three co-workers suffering from a mental illness in your office. If all of my classmates were eighteen, up to five of my peers who I talk to on a daily basis could be mentally ill. These numbers, of course, are not evenly blanketed throughout the country, and probably not in my city either. While the 1-in-5 principle is likely, it is not certain.  I researched this statistic to introduce today;s topic, and what I found was entirely unexpected. I mean, yeah. I knew there was a fair number of Americans who suffered from depression, but 18.2 percent...well, that is a significant number. Am I the only one who is surprised? Maybe. This might be a old news or I may be a poorly informed individual. I wouldn't put it past myself, I am a high school student afterall, but for a moment let's assume that this is a marginally surprising figure to most American people (which could be true because most Americans are poorly informed individuals). Why is it surprising? I think it's because mental illness is something we expect to be easily noticed. To many, "mentally ill" is just a euphemism for "crazy," "psycho," or even "dangerous." Mental illness is stigmatized in a way that no other mental illness is. A significant factor of this is the way mental illness is portrayed to the American people. In the media, we see the mentally ill exploited and misrepresented for the sake of entertainment time and time again.

We've all seen the classic horror movie cliches. The ax murderer, the psychopath with the tragic backstory, the man with the "bad voices" in his head telling him to kill people. Whether it's through Alfred Hitchcock or Stephen King, mental illness has been a convenient backstory for bad guys throughout the ages. This applies to television as well. When it comes to prime-time shows, 73 percent of characters with mental illnesses are portrayed as violent, compared to the 40 percent of "normal" characters. Violent or criminal behavior is often times over sensationalized to better grasp an audience's attention. In the words of Robert Berger, Ph.D, former professional consultant for the 2009 TV drama Wonderland, "“People aren't interested in watching someone with a minor illness go to a self-help group.” As a thriller enthusiast who loves movies like Psycho and The Shining, I can whole heartedly agree to this, but that doesn't mean writers have an excuse to blow mental illness out of proportion, or only show viewers extreme cases. It is possible to be accurate and entertaining. A champion of balanced portrayals of mental illness in the media is the ongoing series Homeland which features a successful CIA agent with bipolar disorder whose characterization isn't centered around her disability. The problem is, being balanced requires more work. It's so much easier to slap the "crazy" label on a supporting character without feeling the need to do any research on the disorder that is being portrayed. Accuracy is also seen as a limiting factor in the creative process. Sometime fudging a couple of facts makes an episode that much more compelling. What writers and directors don't take into consideration is that people actually let these portrayals affect their perception of the mentally ill. Surveys show that 61 percent of Americans believe that people with schizophrenia are likely to commit violent actions against others. Mental illness has been proven to be connected with some cases of violence, but they do not go hand in hand. Mental illness is not a sure indicator of violent behavior later on in life. Psychiatry studies explicitly state that Other variables- for example substance abuse, history of violence, demographic variables (e.g., sex, age) and the presence of stressors all play a role in one's likelihood to commit violent acts. These contributing factors usually need to be paired together for something big to happen, but mental illness isn't always that factor. Any T.V. show or movie saying otherwise is just being unfair.

This isn't limited to the silver screen. Negative portrayals of the mentally ill also exist in reality. News reports emphasize the mental instabilities of criminals while tabloids feed off of the suffering of celebrities like Lindsay Lohan after serious breakdowns caused by mental illness. We like to find what's different in other people so that we can tell ourselves we can never become it. This kind of mentality is the very definition of prejudice, and it needs to stop.

As a society it's our job to look past the stereotypes we see in the media and make judgements on who individuals are for ourselves. This applies to the mentally ill just as much as anybody else. Being mentally ill doesn't make somebody a liability or dangerous or helpless in any way. There are ways to get better and most people do. They do not, however, turn into ax murderers. The mentally ill should not be shunned, but supported, not unstable but inspirational. Physical battles are one thing, but getting through seemingly insurmountable battles within the mind takes a special kind of courage that I admire more than anything else. I think that's where the headline belongs.

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Trivializing Privilege

Privilege is a tough subject to talk about, and not one that people understand fully. This Buzzfeed article shares the story of how one teacher tried to teach privilege to their students. It’s a very simplistic activity that involves throwing paper and fairness. But, as some people have pointed out, privilege isn't just throwing paper. Jeff Wang, the author of this article shared his opinion on the classroom activity. And it’s an important perspective to keep in mind.

When we talk about privilege we need to make sure that everyone can understand us. But we also need to ensure that we aren't trivializing the hardships that a lack of privilege causes. Equating privilege to throwing paper is helpful in understanding the concept, but not the consequences. We always have to keep in mind that a lack of privilege isn't a missed basket. It’s higher death rates, higher incarceration rates, higher odds of rape and assault, it’s the refusal of medical care, and then being blamed for it.

But we all have privilege. You have the technology (computer or phone) to read this blog post, and even the knowledge of the English language to read it. Class privilege and educational privilege at work. Keep note that privilege changes from culture to culture. Minorities are majorities elsewhere in the world. Knowing English is a privilege in the United States because it is so prevalent. Trying to exist in the US without knowing English is difficult, hence that knowledge being a privilege.

Are we just meant to feel bad for the privileges we have, and what do we do with it? Youtube content creator Mele, explains what to do with privilege very well in her latest video. She talks about using privilege to empower others. That privilege is not meant to shame people or guilt others. But when people are aware of their privilege they can truly work together with each other to achieve better environments for marginalized groups.

We all have our own identities and backgrounds, and from that we all have different privileges. And in order to truly work together we need to have empathy for those who don’t have what we do. And then once we are aware of our own personal privilege and bias, change can happen.

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Everything Wrong With the Boyega Controversy

Confession: I am a huge nerd. So, of course, when I heard there was going to be a new Star Wars movie, I just about ripped my hair out in excitement.Last week, the first trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released and with it came an explosion of questions, comments and concerns from the Star Wars fan base. Everything seemed to be going great and then...the bigots joined the party.Within minutes of the trailer's release outraged tweets from fans began to surface. Their biggest complaint : the casting of John Boyega, who is shown as a stormtrooper in the first 3 seconds of the clip. What was wrong with him? Well, he was black. Here are some quotes from a couple of gems I'd found:

" The new Star Wars trailer... I'm calm... "There has been an awakening, have you felt it..?" IT'S A BLACK GUY STORMTROOPER, OMFG Whaaaaaat?! "

"A black stormtrooper? THANKS, OBAMA"

AND

"How about the stormtrooper who just realized he became the third black guy in the galaxy?"

Most people were upset by the concept of a black stormtrooper because, in their opinion,  it interferes with the accuracy of the new movie. In the original trilogy, it has been stated that all stormtroopers are clones of Jango Fett, bounty hunter and father of Boba Fett. If that's the case, all the stormtroopers should be white, right? 

Well, no. Clone troopers were what made the original stormtrooper corps, By the time of the Second Imperial Civil War, well over a century since the fall of the original Empire, the vast majority of stormtroopers were composed primarily of enlisted soldiers. This opens the possibility of all kinds of diversity within the corps, not only in race, but species.

Secondly, the guy who plays Jango Fett, Temuera Morrison, isn't even white. As a recent article in The Atlantic points out, "he's a New Zealand born person of brown skin an Maori descent."

So, the argument that John Boyega doesn't belong on the cast of The Force Awakens is supported by no concrete evidence whatsoever.

It's just racist.

I feel that the Boyega controversy holds a couple of profound implications about society.

For example one of the main issues people said they had with the controversy was the media's reactions to the reactions of the star wars fan base. Many claimed that this scenario was just another example how people tend to jump the gun on calling things "racist."  I have heard more conservative friends of mine  make similar comments after similar stories hit the national radar. It's like we're searching for a problem, they say.

First of all, complaining about a cast member solely on the basis of their race is, by definition, racist. Nobody complained about the stormtrooper not looking like Jengo Fett, which just may have been a more reasonable complaint, they asked why he was black if the original face for the stormtroopers was white. Some even lamented that Boyega's casting was just another example of how Hollywood's newfound love for political correctness is ruining movies. This is not only incorrect (Hollywood is still extraordinarily white washed) but once again, racist. And yet, one week later, as I go through the comments on articles about the Boyega controversy,  I see people defending these comments as innocent concerns from a passionate fanbase. I see accusations of people failing to see the "bigger picture." Well, there definitely is a bigger picture to be seen here, but anybody who is making excuses for these comments is holding the picture upside down.

We like to say that by 2014 racism cannot possibly exist and therefore anybody accusing anybody of racist remarks is over-sensitive, too liberal or obsessed with political correctness. If the events and protests within the last couple of weeks have spelled anything out, it is that this is simply not true. When the public cries out over this breed of uproar, be it as shocking as Ferguson or a simple as a bigoted response to a movie trailer, and we as a society respond by saying that it's all just a big soap box over nothing we are sweeping the bigger issue under the rug.

This nonchalant response not only causes people to ignore these bigger issues, it causes them to normalize the behavior that  goes hand and hand with it. "Yes, some police officers are guilty of racial profiling. That doesn't mean we need to reform the system." "Yes, there are some racists online, but if we ignore them, their voice doesn't really matter." Simple statements like these may seem harmless, but in reality, they enable a kind of mentality that is toxic to our social ecosystem. Normalizing or dismissing bias allows for it to be embedded in our culture.

Since the trailer's release, John Boyega released a statement to the critics of his casting by telling them to "get used to it." A simple but powerful response; however, when it comes to racism in our own community we should defiantly not get used to it. We should speak out and make it clear that this kind of behavior is nowhere near acceptable.Awareness may not solve racism entirely, but it will prevent ourselves from making the problem any worse than it already is.

And really, that is the very least we can do.

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Bias Goes Beyond Race

Check this out.  Why?

It's another example of how society wants to define something that they don't get to define.  Yes, it may have been hard for her family to accept her the way she saw herself, but the reality is that "he" was a "she" and not amount of make-up or changes to hair can change that.

This article makes me think of babies who are born with two types of genitalia and the practice for several years was for doctor's to simply pick a gender and make the necessary assignments surgically.  The idea is that gender is only about body parts, that it has nothing to do with the soul or what "feels" right to us.  People who've been brave enough to challenge their own biology have made it clear that this thinking is flawed.

What's the take away? As a nation we shun things like arranged marriages because people should be able to choose to be with someone who they feel right about being with.  We don't have to defend why we don't want to marry one person, but do want to marry another.  However, what happens when someone feels something much, much stronger, like the sense that inside they're a female though their biology is make?  We try to discount those feelings because of our own discomfort.  

Bias is not just about race.  It's about so much more.

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