Expanding and Clarifying Concepts

Many of you pointed out that privilege and oppression interact. For example, you may be very proud of an aspect of your identity and yet experience oppression because of that same aspect. What feels like a privilege in one space may change in a different context. When one experiences privilege, someone else often experiences oppression. And when one experiences oppression, it is because there is a privilege that they don’t have access to.

A lot of you pointed out that access to water and shelter in some parts of the world is limited. I think it is important to note here that there are many places in this country, even in this city where people don’t have access to these things. This can be because they are unhoused or because their housing is not maintained. The city of Flint, MI has had contaminated water for years. Many indigenous people living on tribal lands that are now part of the US, don’t have access to clean running water either (see link).

Some of you noted that you didn’t realize some things were privileges, like waking up in the morning and opening your eyes. Many people complain about growing older, but aging is actually a privilege determined by many social factors including access to healthcare (health is a privilege), exposure to environmental hazards, violence in a community, etc. At the same time, age is a social factor in privilege and oppression. Children aren’t believed because of their age. Senior Citizens are often seen as a burden because they might move at a different pace. We value youth in this society, as evidenced by all of the ads for creams and tonics that can make you look ten years younger! While we value the wisdom of age, we value youthful non-disabled bodies as a society. It’s complicated.

This all brings me to levels of oppression. Depending on where you look, you will find different definitions/labels. They all get at the same thing and that is that oppression operates in various ways which all influence one another. Week five readings get more deeply into and provide examples without naming them. But, they are:

• Personal – Feelings, thoughts, beliefs about others and attitudes about differences (conscious and intentional or unconscious and unintentional).
• Interpersonal – Language, action, and behaviors.
• Institutional – Rules, policies practices and procedures, both written and unwritten, that an organization has that function to intentionally or unintentionally, advantage some individuals and disadvantage others.
• Cultural/Structural – What is considered “true,” “right,” “normal,” and “beautiful.”

General Reminders

• DO NOT USE “CATEGORY STICKY” on any of your posts. There should be nothing selected in this area. You should select the proper category from the “Categories” area, but ignore the “Category Sticky” area.
• When you are using text directly from the readings YOU MUST CITE IT. That means putting it in quotation marks and attributing it to the author. Please see this helpful guide from the BMCC library for more information.
• A lot of you write sentences like “I agree with privilege because…”. Privilege isn’t something you agree or disagree with. It is a concept. You can find the concept useful, helpful, problematic. You can experience privilege. But agree/disagree doesn’t really work in this context. Consider this with all concepts we explore this semester.
• Pay attention to publication dates. If something was written in the 1980s it will read differently than something written in the 2020s.