Kulah Love Massaquoi
Discussion #5
The word privilege is described in so many ways. According to the oxford dictionary privilege is a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group. While watching the video the word privilege is described to have advantages and disadvantages that identify each and every one. The video stated that some people have a privilege to be born with wealth, while others struggle to be better people in society. I know from the video that some people may not have full control over privilege. I believe people should always find a way to make it impossible to be possible.
I understand that privilege has had an impact on my life and I remember as a young child going through a lot of setbacks. For example, when I first entered this country people took advantage of me. I didn’t have the same upbringing and cultural understanding as my American counterparts. I have an accent that sounded different which at times made communicating a little difficult. There was a vast difference between me and the Americans I went to high school. I had to assimilate to the way things were done here. I didn’t get the slang so I was made to feel different. Aside from being born in Africa I had to deal with racist behavior from uninformed white people. I had to deal with a new system of certain opportunities that I was passed over. I am now starting to understand the line of disparity between rich, middle class, and poor. Opportunities I have worked hard for were belittled do to people speaking of “affirmative action”. This was when I understood that certain social privileges I thought I had I didn’t. What I now understand is I have to work 2x as hard to be given privileges that some people are not afforded and yet still it’s not a privilege. What I have gained on “privileges” is that the only privilege I have is moving to America to better my life. I believe I have to travel, educate, finance, and increase my experience as a Liberian American woman in order to understand what privileges I have to use and better my country. I always try my best to be independent and a better person. I put full effort into everything I do. I know that I don’t have privileges but I will take opportunities otherwise not given to me.
Learning about microaggressions helped me understand that it is in the daily actions of those who have privilege. It’s crazy how privilege and microaggressions coincide. Microaggressions are small behaviors or actions that people use to keep others down. It’s a learned behavior that sometimes is unintentional but is instilled in the subconscious. Microaggressions are based on stereotypes and ideas that have been placed on people and of mostly negative outlooks.” Microaggressions have been defined as brief and common daily verbal, behavioral, and environmental communications, whether intentional or unintentional, that transmit hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to a target person because they belong to a stigmatized group.” I’ve personally seen a white woman hold her purse close whenever I or another black person enters the elevator. I believe microaggressions promote the negative stereotypes, discriminatory, and sexist, trans-phobic in outward behavior towards those who don’t fit the social norms. It is ingrained and has been instilled in the very fabric of our culture. I believe that our society has to break that stigma and idea of subtle or subconscious patterns that separate us from each other. Difference shouldn’t be feared but respected.
