Sunday, July 19, 2015
It's easy to admit that privilege exists, but admitting it exists in ourselves is a whole other beast, and it seems like the more privilege you have, the less you actually get the concept of privilege. Personal accountability is a bullet dodged far too often, and according to a study released this past week by the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, the reason why comes with a common misconception of what privilege actually looks like.
Accourding to a report by the Pacific Standard, during the study a group of 94 and 91 participants respectively were administered two different surveys: one covering racial inequality in America and the other childhood experiences. One group answered the survey straight away, while the other read a paragraph providing evidence of white privilege in multiple aspects of society. Researchers found that those who read the paragraph first were more likely to deny white privilege in their survey, but also more likely to claim harship in the other one.
They further predict that "...such evidence will be threatening and that people will claim hardships to manage this threat. These claims of hardship allow individuals to deny that they personally benefit from privilege, while still accepting that group-level inequity exists."
In other words, many fail to realize that a life with privilege is not a life without hardship, and just because one is oppressed in a single way, does not mean they do not benefit from privilege in any aspect at all. Tom Jacobs, author of the Pacific Standard article mentioned above, argues that we like to believe that in this country everything we gain is based off of our own merits, and when this idea is threatened, we feel offended, we feel like we're being told that we don't earn what we have. And yet, being accountable for one's personal privilege has nothing to do with denying their merits, but rather, admitting advantages. It takes a great degree of maturity to admit there is a difference between the two, but make no bones about it, a difference does exist.
Do you see individuals deny their privilege frequently? Do you agree with this study's explanation for this behavior? Express your thoughts below!
Accourding to a report by the Pacific Standard, during the study a group of 94 and 91 participants respectively were administered two different surveys: one covering racial inequality in America and the other childhood experiences. One group answered the survey straight away, while the other read a paragraph providing evidence of white privilege in multiple aspects of society. Researchers found that those who read the paragraph first were more likely to deny white privilege in their survey, but also more likely to claim harship in the other one.
They further predict that "...such evidence will be threatening and that people will claim hardships to manage this threat. These claims of hardship allow individuals to deny that they personally benefit from privilege, while still accepting that group-level inequity exists."
In other words, many fail to realize that a life with privilege is not a life without hardship, and just because one is oppressed in a single way, does not mean they do not benefit from privilege in any aspect at all. Tom Jacobs, author of the Pacific Standard article mentioned above, argues that we like to believe that in this country everything we gain is based off of our own merits, and when this idea is threatened, we feel offended, we feel like we're being told that we don't earn what we have. And yet, being accountable for one's personal privilege has nothing to do with denying their merits, but rather, admitting advantages. It takes a great degree of maturity to admit there is a difference between the two, but make no bones about it, a difference does exist.
Do you see individuals deny their privilege frequently? Do you agree with this study's explanation for this behavior? Express your thoughts below!
Sunday, July 5, 2015
We all know about white privilege, class privilege, even able-bodied privilege, but have you ever heard of something called neuro-typical privilege?
Up until this week, I hadn't. But then I came across this comic shared by Everyday Feminism.
This comic takes readers into a day in the life of a schizophrenic, and provides a simple list of need-to-knows and advice on socializing with those who have the mental illness. Not only was it informative, but it opens my eyes to a whole new kind of privilege that I've never noticed.
As the author, Crass, points out, dealing with the everyday challenges of your brain fighting against you isn't the only uphill battle that the mentally ill face. Because of the stigma media has branded to these people, primarily schizophrenics, many with mental illness have to pretend that there's nothing wrong with them in order to be accepted by their peers. This also shed light on a post I saw by a man with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosumon the blog Humans of New York who said:
I feel as if, from the outside, these assumptions seem so inhumane to cast upon people, yet we do it all the time. I dont know how many times I've tip-toed around people with mental illness just out of fear of not knowing what to do with them. But the reality is, these are people we're talking about, and it's heartbreaking to think that so many are trying to hide an illness because "coming out" as mentally ill brings so much isolation. You don't see that coming from cancer patients, or people who have physical (rather than mental) ailments. The true illness is not within these minds, but within our society. We have to reach a collective point of maturity to where we can strive to understand, embrace, and respect the mentally ill just like any other oppressed sub group of people.
However, in order to do that we must take the first crucial step first step in changing by being informed.
For more information on neuro-tyical privilege, take a look at this checklist here.
As well as this first account story on the harmful effects of neuro-typical privilege by a woman struggling with Autism.
And in case you missed it before, here's the full link to Crass's comic.
Up until this week, I hadn't. But then I came across this comic shared by Everyday Feminism.
This comic takes readers into a day in the life of a schizophrenic, and provides a simple list of need-to-knows and advice on socializing with those who have the mental illness. Not only was it informative, but it opens my eyes to a whole new kind of privilege that I've never noticed.
As the author, Crass, points out, dealing with the everyday challenges of your brain fighting against you isn't the only uphill battle that the mentally ill face. Because of the stigma media has branded to these people, primarily schizophrenics, many with mental illness have to pretend that there's nothing wrong with them in order to be accepted by their peers. This also shed light on a post I saw by a man with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosumon the blog Humans of New York who said:
“...when people know there is something wrong with your brain, they think you’re retarded...I’ve been labeled all my life. I’ve always been told that I’m learning disabled and I can’t do this and I’m not good enough to do that. And it’s hard to hear that stuff all the time without viewing yourself as a permanent victim and learning to be helpless. ...
Posted by Humans of New York on Thursday, July 2, 2015
I feel as if, from the outside, these assumptions seem so inhumane to cast upon people, yet we do it all the time. I dont know how many times I've tip-toed around people with mental illness just out of fear of not knowing what to do with them. But the reality is, these are people we're talking about, and it's heartbreaking to think that so many are trying to hide an illness because "coming out" as mentally ill brings so much isolation. You don't see that coming from cancer patients, or people who have physical (rather than mental) ailments. The true illness is not within these minds, but within our society. We have to reach a collective point of maturity to where we can strive to understand, embrace, and respect the mentally ill just like any other oppressed sub group of people.
However, in order to do that we must take the first crucial step first step in changing by being informed.
For more information on neuro-tyical privilege, take a look at this checklist here.
As well as this first account story on the harmful effects of neuro-typical privilege by a woman struggling with Autism.
And in case you missed it before, here's the full link to Crass's comic.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
It's no secret that women, particularly women in color, face the brunt of significant bias in their careers. But you'll be shocked to know the extent of it. According to a study by the Harvard Business Review, which included 557 surveys and 67 in-depth interviews from women in science, female scientists find that they constantly have to "prove" themselves to male co-workers. Prejudice fills these labs like a hot, sticky fog, causing women to struggle not only in maintaining respect, but preserving their passions.
According to this study, there are 5 types of Bias most women in STEM have in common.
1. Prove-It-Again:
People take Women's word for it when they insist that they are competent enough to do their jobs. Not only do they have to prove themselves over and over, but they often need more evidence to prove their points than male colleges.
2. The Gender-Role Tightrope:
Women can't act too feminine or they won't be respected, but at the same time, they can't be too masculine or they'll be considered "unlikable"
3. The Maternal Wall
Women are frequently questioned and expected to start families and, if they do, they are often pressured by co-workers to work less hours so that they can take care of their children.
4. Tug-of-War
While women generally support each other in the work place, others report that they feel as if they are competing for the "women's spot" in the workplace.
5. Isolation
This one is specific to women of color, who feel as if engaging with others socially takes away from their authority. In other cases, they find themselves being excluded from things because they think they'll be uncomfortable as the only minority in the group.
In addition to this, many women of color reported people being completely open and expectant to racial stereotypes, one black biologist reported being asked by an administrator if any of her family was "into drugs or in jail" while several Latinas claimed to overhear the stereotype of Hispanics being lazy. What's even worse, many of these minorities have reported to have been mistaken for janitorial or administrative staff.
This shows the sheer impact of bias. So many assume that making these assumptions is harmless, but the truth is, they hurt. And when people are faced with these comments and assumptions on a day-to-day basis, it goes from being a nuisance to a hostile workplace.Gender and Racial bias is driving women out of a field that we desperately need more people in. It's yet another reason why we must she'd our ignorance and put bias to an end.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Christian privilege is being able to practice your religion without any interference from society. This has been a long running issue for the Muslim community, however, it seems that one very small success has been made this past weekend. According to The Guardian the supreme court has overseen the case concerning Abercrombie and Fitch's firing of Muslim workers for wearing hijabs on the grounds of "breaking the dress code." The courts have ruled against Abercrombie in an 8-1 decision, under their the provision that her employer openly stated that she was not hired because of the religious accommodations the company would have to make for her, which is a direct violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
This is a victory not just for the Muslim community, but for our country as a whole. In an era of rampant Islamophobia in the United States, we need as many Muslim victories as we can possibly get. This supreme court case assures a single extra degree of equality for women in the workplace, and as small of a victory it is, I still feel that it is one to celebrate nonetheless.
See more information about the court case: here.
See more information about the court case: here.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
A couple of weeks ago, I mused on the implications of Caitlyn Jenner's coming out as transgendered. At this point, it seems silly to not to do the same for her debut as a woman on Vanity Fair. Aside from a couple of ignorant tweets, Caitlyn's reception has overall been very supportive. Many are calling this transition a turning point for trans acceptance in society, however, that isn't entirely true.
The media coverage of Jenner's journey definitely has given the trans community its biggest spotlight in history, but "visibility is a double edged sword," says Kel Kray, Everyday Feminism contributor. In a society where "fitting in" is synonymous with "assimilation," it's important to watch bouts of awareness such as these with a weary eye, and to make use of them by clearing up some misconceptions while the iron is still hot. Kray's article "10 Things Trans Activists and Allies Need to Remember That Have Nothing to Do With Caitlyn Jenner" attempts to do exactly this.
Definitely worth a read. Check it out here.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
It's often argued that success isn't about who you are, but how hard you work. While those coming from financially sound families do have an upper-leg, the less fortunate ones have the opportunity to reach this same level through hard work and a good education. After all, we aren't solely defined by our home life, and the differences it allows to our character is relatively small. The problem is, as this comic argues, "...over the years all these little differences, they start to add up, to build into something bigger."
"On a Plate" accurately and profoundly expresses the implications of privilege. Closing these disparities isn't a matter of socialism, it's a matter of rectifying the fact that "equal opportunity" doesn't exist in this society.
Check out the whole comic here.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Privilege isn't usually isolated, many times, certain kinds of privilege are connected to others. White privilege, for example, connects to class privilege in many cases.This article breaks down information from the US Census Bureau and provides six easy-to-understand charts that illustrate six different building blocks in the bridge between white and class privilege.
See the full story on Upworthy.com
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