Reading the articles and video really made me sit and be aware of the privilege I do have and that I should absolutely be grateful. Not everyone has the same experiences as me. Privilege is earned not given (for some). I’ve faced oppression and mainly by my age and race. Both authors were very detailed and really pinned pointed all the facts of what’s really going on presently. Men and women face oppression daily and this is something that we need to fight for, equality. Authors like Frye and Peggy are true definitions of educating us and impacting us in hopes that one day this something that can make a huge difference. 

This weeks readings about different types of privilege really made me sit back and think of how lucky I am. Is the little things that to others are a lot. Like the water we drink or the water we bathe with. Many people aren’t as fortunate. I’ve worked with privileged people that their parents had to struggle to make sure their children make it and those are the same people that look down at us. It’s very interesting how that happens because you will think they wouldn’t be like that. The way Peggy describes that being born white you automatically are privileged because of the color of your skin is sad. It’s been like this forever. Both readings were relatable and gave me a better understanding of privilege and oppression.

I like the specification that what one can feel as oppression the other one can feel it as privilege. I think we all have experience oppression and privilege. Like in my case as a Puerto Rican we do not have to go to many of the migration people for other countries do and it do feels like a privilege being American from birth but how all that change once we come to this country and face all this oppression for not knowing English. Also, many people when they come to school, they get push back or many people with degree don’t be valid here. So many see this as a privilege but the one experiencing this feel it as an oppression. Now I feel define privilege as something granted to you, now oppression I will define it as an Un justify treat against a person.

After reading the articles and a video provided many things came to mind. Privilege can be earned (by working hard) or unearned for example, white privilege by just the color of the skin. Even though a lot has come to mind when thinking about privilege for some reason white people being born into wealth and poor people being able to have drinking water does not sit right with me. However, by reading the article I found out the simplest things can be considered privileges. Oppression is another word that was defined in the reading and again a lot came to mind. I have faced oppression in many ways such by age, color, and gender. I enjoyed that both authors, Marilyn Frye and Peggy McIntosh were able to connect with real life events and was able to present their knowledge on Privilege and Oppression. Both readings were relatable and provided detailed wordings that were simple to understand and relate. When it comes to privilege and oppression, women suffer the most and we need to stand and take control and demand equality in our society. Privilege and Oppression has affected each and every one in some kind of way and we all know the feeling of unwanted and the taste of disrespect. If we want this change, we all need to come to recognition that age, race, color, class, and ability do set us apart. Fortunately, we have people like Marilyn Frye and Peggy McIntosh who are willing to educate our communities of these aspects in our lives and form a chain to help change things someday.

Reading the two articles and watching the video really put a lot of things in perspective for me. Not only did I become aware of my own privilege, I also became more conscious about other people’s experiences. As humans, we have this inane need to feel relatable or connected to another person. I feel like this can sometimes, unintentionally, trivialize some sensitive topics. When another POC makes a comment about how people are racist towards them, I’ll say “yeah, me too”, forgetting how hate crimes against African Americans, Middle Eastern (and South Asian) Muslims and East Asians are different than some of the micro-aggressive comments I have faced. I’m not saying that experiences like mine are invalid but I think we need to listen and understand the context before trying to lump us all in the same group for the sake of relatability. I know this is such a weird thing to bring up, but considering that most of us are POCs I feel like we can talk about this. It’s unfortunate to think and I wish it wasn’t the case, but I feel like POC solidarity doesn’t exist. The only time we relate or come together is when we point out how white people have made things bad for us, which is true. But beyond that, there’s so much prejudice in our communities against each other that we fail to come together as a group. And guess who benefits by pitting us against each other? Calling some of us “model minorities” and trying to create a hierarchy among us? The same goes for women too, men pitting us against each other, calling some of us “pure and worthy” and others “easy and loose”, making us compete in a competition where the winning prize is still a loss. It’s honestly so frustrating how the people in power turn us into pawns that fight amongst ourselves for the worst seat, and then take all the best seats for themselves.

People with privilege are rarely aware that they are privileged. I myself take what i have for granted, like having access to healthy food or food in general. It takes external factors like the video assigned this week for me to realize. I also understand how I am oppressed. Being a minority and a women has caused setbacks in my life. Lack of respect has always faced me and I steadily think about how I’ll have the same problem in my career. Being in the law field is a male dominant career, so being a women calls for being “ dumbed down “ by men. As I was reading Mcintosh article, I became even more aware how my oppression can be led down to my children. I worry about how my kids may be discriminated against in schools or made fun of because of their hair. I know now that I have to work to become as privileged as i can for my life and my kids. Something that caught my interest from the reading is how women are put into double binds. Growing up, I couldn’t please anyone. If I dressed too feminine, it was innapropiate. If I was dressed as a tomboy, I wasn’t attractive. I’ve noticed these double binds all my life and had to understand that society won’t be pleased with whatever I choose to do. Men don’t have this problem, but they can’t see that because they don’t know what it is to always be in the wrong no matter what. Overall, both readings and the video show how privilege can benefit men and white people, and how oppression causes setbacks in many aspects of life.

This weeks readings have been a detailed and precise clarification of different types of privileges. All readings were wonderfully written to give some insight on privileges I know I will never be able to experience. The small reading of ‘ When privilege and oppression intersect ‘ gave some insight on how people possess multiple different identities that can shape their societal and cultural experience and how that would shape and form the privilege they will experience in their life. The reading does a fantastic job on explaining how intersectionality shows how we are all both privileged and face disadvantages at the same time and how those two different things can interact with each other on the daily basis and also be a conflict at the same time. In the reading “Oppression” by Marilyn Frye explains what oppression really is and not only the meaning behind it but also how it can affect anyone. However it does gives some insight on how when women explain how we are oppressed men tend to quickly dismiss what we are saying with explaining how they are oppressed instead of just listening. They don’t realize that them not listening to us in a way is also oppressive. Reading this has supported some of my ideas I already had beforehand of privilege of how many groups within our society might be oppressed in someways but how men as a whole are not oppressed for just simply being men like how women are. In the last reading of “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” written by Peggy McIntosh does a great job of explaining white privilege from a white persons perspective. This does a great job of teaching privilege first hand , a privilege I would never experience so reading this does open my eyes to a lot of things that I can relate to back to my personal life. Also explaining how some privileges are earned while others aren’t can play a big part in power.

The readings that were given this week on privilege and oppression were some of the best clear and concise readings on both topics that I have yet to come across. Both writers, Marilyn Frye and Peggy McIntosh did an excellent job at not only explaining the two, but also pointing out their differences, and making personal connections, that as a reader, made it very relatable and easy to understand. After completing the fourth discussion board, I began to think about whether I was right or wrong in stating that the neighborhood is a privilege. The reason I stated this is because I am currently moving into my first apartment which is located in “South Slope”, and how difficult it was for me to land one here. In the last few weeks, I have seen 4 apartments in Park Slope and was denied by every single one of them. I knew that I had more than enough in my savings and worked towards having good/excellent credit since I knew this day would come, and yet I kept getting turned down. After getting turned down, I would politely ask why, and they would say “The landlord simply went with another applicant.” After expressing my concerns to my parents and asking whether or not they had any trouble during the time of their move, they said they never had any issues, but mainly because many of the homes that were previously owned/rented, were owned/rented by Hispanic people. When I went to see the last apartment, which I thankfully landed, I explained to the realtor, who is also a minority, how exhausting it was to continuously get turned down for unknown reasons. He turned to me and said, “well for starters, you’re not white”. I appreciate writers such as McIntosh who allowed me to feel that although this kind of privilege was hidden, it doesn’t mean that people like me haven’t acknowledged or recognized the privilege that has been taking place in what I consider to be my home.