Privileges are special, advantages or entitlement, that can use unearned since birth and inherited or earned when reaching certain financial stability or social class. This privilege can be used to one’s benefit or the detriment of others. Checking on my privileges has opened my eyes to other social inequality and its consequences on the population.
Privileges can change from one person to another, I feel that one’s environment, family and social culture can influence this perspective a lot.
I was talking to my husband about privileges and I found out that it can be a sensitive subject to quite a few people. What I can consider privilege can be a necessity for others. for example I consider making a decent income and being financially stable a privilege because of my job and my budgeting skills, but my other wealthy friend considers her wealth a necessity because she was brought up to live a certain way and without having to work for it.
Stating these privileges is about acknowledging and confronting societal and institutional discrimination, comparing all levels of social and financial classes, gender, and their consequences on each individual. Some of the privileges I have are :
White privilege, and work for a company that I rarely see any African American work for, even if I come from Morocco that’s considered a developing country I still have a chance to fit in and have a decent job because I’m considered as a person of intelligence and authority,
A privilege to go to school without getting a loan because my work reimburses me for school expenses as long as I get an A or B grade.
Even if education is a right to everyone, I consider it a privilege in my case. I can work and go to school at the same time. Back home it will be very hard to juggle work and school.either you have a full-time job or you go to school full time.
A privilege to have all my family in the United States while other immigrants are here by themselves.
A privilege to go food shopping and buy what I crave without fear of running low on money because I can budget myself properly.
A privilege to on vacation and enjoy my time with my family.
A privilege that I can speak and write fluently Arabic, French, English, and some Spanish. I have more chances to be invited and included in the executive’s meeting where my voice and my concerns as an employee are heard.
Micro-aggressions are present in our daily life no matter what we do to avoid them, they can be intentional or unintentional toward a certain gender, social class, minority, religion. I have experienced microaggressions as a woman, as an Arabic woman, and as a mother of two.
As an Arabic woman, where media advertise that Arabic women should wear, talk and act in certain ways, the opposite of who I’m as an independent woman who speaks her mind and try to help and support her coworkers in time of need in front of the boss.
As a mother of two, most people judge me and state that I should not be working full time, going to school, and taking care of my family because my children are missing out on their mother and that I’m neglecting them. I often get the question? why, are you doing all of this, don’t you have a husband to take of everything for you? I feel like I start going to PTA meeting at my kid’s school where most of the mother’s only job is to take co their kids to raise their awareness of their esteem and their intellectual level and financial independence that will give a positive impact on their boys and girls’ life.’
It’s ironic to see that most of the privileged group in the society earn more and more privileges and have the dominant side of the power system, because they hold the higher position either in politics or financial institutions, while the unprivileged one stays behind because of lack of self-esteem,education and or social support.
I tried to show my coworker the right way to budget themselves because I feel that a woman’s confidence will rise if she is financially independent and educated. reflect on what you can do differently to use your privilege in service of others, and reduce microaggressions. I also believe the simple act of caring and active listening is a powerful way to serve others while they are venting the releasing their stress and problem to find a way to resolve them and start fresh.
Your wealthy friends are wrong. Making a decent living is a privilege whether they recognize it or not. People don’t have to see their privilege in order for it to exist. SHOULD making a good income be a privilege? ABSOLUTELY NOT – it should be a right. However, the reality of our world (and the fact that your wealthy friends have a different perspective than many of us) shows that that is a privileged perspective. We have study upon study over the course of the last 50+ years showing wage inequality across race, gender, physical ability, and up until this week you could still be fired for being LGBTQ in many parts of this country and it was legal (Thank you to the Supreme Court for ruling otherwise on Monday). So being able to work and not fear losing your job because of who you are IS A PRIVILEGE!!! Many many many people will deny their privilege. It is a really hard thing to acknowledge – it’s often easier to see the ways in which we are oppressed than the ways in which we are privileged because admitting our privilege means that we have to acknowledge the ways we have benefitted from systemic inequality. It’s hard. It’s uncomfortable. It’s necessary. Great honest and open reflections!!!
Hi Firdawce, I enjoyed reading your post and I definitely agree that it is harder to see your “privilege” especially if you don’t see it as a privilege to begin with. And it is a discussion that needs to be had so that we can then begin to work on changing it.