I have always thought that privileged was only about people who could afford the expensive stuff. But then I went to Mexico to see my family for the first time. My parents made sure that I didn’t bring any nice things to Mexico. When my parent told me that, I wondered why my parents would say that. When I arrived, I noticed why my parents said that to me. My cousin was so happy about my coming to visit them. When I was looking around the house, I noticed things that didn’t have half of the things I had in my house. For instance, they didn’t have a lot of future or even doors for privacy. I also notice my cousin’s clothing. My clothing was from brand and didn’t have rips or dirt. My cousins were starting at what I was wearing, and they told me that they wished they had nice clothes like mine. I felt like when I was there, I noticed things that never crossed my mind. There I would be considered privileged, which made me think to be more appreciative of my things.

I’ve experienced oppression when it came to sex. my family has this thing that women can’t go anywhere unless a man goes with them if anything bad happens. Since I have an older brother, they make him go with me wherever I go. When it came to something, I wanted to be independent. My parents will tell me I can’t go anywhere unless he goes. I never understood that. Why do I, as women have to go with a man being either my brother or cousin to every place I go? that whole tradition my family has should be let go. They need to realize that women are capable of taking care of themselves. Another thing I experienced was when the men of the house expected the women to do the usual womanly stuff: cleaning, cooking, and listening to everything they had to say. That’s another tradition men need to let go of.

The reading and the video combined helpt me understand privilege in more depth. Anything that considers having something someone else doesn’t have is considered a privilege, and we need to realize that we are all privileged in many ways we think we aren’t. Reading Marilyn also helped me understand a word that I didn’t know, oppression. im glad that I had the chance to understand the reading and open my mind to think bigger.

Just the African women and the black male in the group are the ones that couldn’t make it forwards showing how society holds so much privilege that it is hard to get rid of. Privilege is a bunch of rights and advantages given to certain people by choice. What I mean by choice is that society will give you a right based on your race, skin color, and the area you came from. For example, In America, people will literally judge you based on your zip code. If you are coming from a white people area, you will probably get what you need. But If your zip code belongs to black people are, for example, you will get special treatment. It is a very sad truth that I wish we can wake up one day without these thoughts in our head. It seems like no matter how hard the black community tries to involved and engage in society, people of power will have new plans for them. I found privilege and racism are two terms that are very related to each other. When I think about white privilege, I automatically think about racism. In my opinion, parents play a huge role in this case because I’ve had a lot of white friends whose parents used to tell them to not worry about the future because they are from a white family. Meaning that if you are from a white family, you won’t find difficulties finding a job or getting into a good school. This is exactly why racism doesn’t want to end yet because the new generation also is so entitled to the “special advantage” they have in life. It should no such a thing as a preference or white privilege. People must treat equally no matter their race. The race won’t ever identify their kindness, maturity, or knowledge.

Oppression is a group of benefits and discrimination given by people of power. Reality is a big example of oppression. Let’s take for example gender, each gender has its own kind of oppression. Girls must look feminine and boys should look masculine. Women should show more emotions and cry every time they get the chance to, but men on the other hand must show 0 feelings because ” people will think that they have weak personalities”. I have always been pressed to be that stay homegirl that has no right to go out or discover the world. It was obviously not fair and I blame my culture for that. I feel like this word of oppression doesn’t deserve to be said because of how bad it makes us feel like women. We grew up thinking that we can’t do everything men can do, and it turned out that we were wrong all this time.

 In “Oppression”, Marylyn Frye argues how women are oppressed, all the limits that they have in society as that is growing every day. She makes a comparison with a cage so that we readers can see how women are imprisoned . That society wants a submissive woman and that she is always smiling when she shouldn’t be, because if you don’t feel good about yourself you can’t show something that you are not or that you don’t feel.  She visualizes how women put the burden on her since she was little that she should remain silent.  I think that oppression is seen faster than a privilege but for me both are situations created by the same society and ignorance. People when you are experiencing oppression or a moment of loneliness, often say that you should smile not show that weak side.  But for me personally I thought it was like that but it’s a lie, because it’s also good to have stormy days without seeing the sun because they are the ones that teach us to take advantage and fight for rainbow days.    

   In other ways, In Peggy article “White Privilege: Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack”.  She recounts how an unborn white person already has an advantage compared to someone with darker skin. As we know, racism and the privileged have existed for years.  For example, when a white person goes to the supermarket, none of the workers are aware of what the white man is going to buy, but if he is a black person, all the other shoppers are aware of whether they are going to steal something.  As for your color, you are classified as person grata or non grata. The text states “Whether I use checks, credit cards or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability ” (White Privilege Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack Peggy McIntosh). This evidence illustrates that with the power of white privilege certain groups of people rely on their skin color to help them in society.  This relates to certain events that have happened in our society where a person of color was wrongfully arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill which resulted in him dying. If it was a white person this event would be completely different because their skin tone gives them a level of protection that others don’t have. I disagree because the privilege is not always the white person knows that he is privileged or because he is doing the racism on other black people. Many of them are born into white families that do not teach their children about racism, about the correct way to treat others for having a darker color and that we are all human beings and have the same value. You are no more than me, just because you look different or come from a different family.

White privilege in this reading is like the unraveling of the truth behind the almost hidden notion that Caucasians have better liberty in their skin as compared to other races. The truth that many try to justify or even ignore or condemn is that white people in the United States are treated as the most superior of all races. Most of these individuals dare to disregard it. Peggy Mcintosh stated, “White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports”. In a way, I beg to differ with this statement. There is this proverb that goes, “let those with eyes see, and those with mouth speak”. White privilege is not “invisible”, definitely not in this century. It is as clear as day. There are moments where I think people chose to let go of some situations they go through, not because they are scared, but for how damaging and traumatizing keeping such memories in mind could be. Male privilege is something also similar to white privilege. In both situations, both groups tend to turn a blind eye to the fact that they receive some special accommodation and/ or treatment in countless circumstances. Men attain certain levels of seniority in the workplace that may be almost impossible for a female. You would barely see police officers or even anybody who proclaims themselves as good bay watching and patriotic citizens to stop a white person in a nice-looking car, or promptly searching a white person to be certain they are “clean”. Peggy Mcintosh, the author of this reading is a white person, and she states so much in a list of what she could or will have because of the power she has in her skin color. 

Oppression comes in so many ways and in so many different forms. There is no particular definition to ascribe the word oppression to, however it can be explained through some situations. Can we say the ongoing Islamophobia in so many Asian countries could be ascribed to oppression? Yes, we could. You are probably wondering what I am talking about. The country India, for example has banned Muslim girls from wearing their hijabs on University’s premises. They are not allowed to go to classes, and sometimes insulted or even suspended for doing what they have long being practicing and believing. In China, numerous Muslims have been placed in refugee camps against their wills and getting tortured or even killed. The examples I am giving may be out of contest from the reading, but they indeed explain the predicaments of oppression.

Hello everybody I hope everyone is doing well,

When it comes to privilege, I understand where I stand. I would consider myself a Privilege child. As others mentioned, I’m fortunate enough to be able to have and do certain things in life others don’t and wish they have. I have both my parents Mom and Dad, for the most part I’m not spoiled and rich, but the support was there. Being in America compared to Africa like some of my cousins. There my age trying to achieve great things and become someone but having to go through a different struggle due to where they are that I don’t have to go through making me understand my privileges. My father also reminds me of my benefits of being who I am and where I’m at in this point of my life. I have so much access to things to make life better and easier for me compared to other people in the world. I am So grateful for this Although further on we will talk about white Privilege, I also have Great Privileges. 

On To oppression. I have A couple experiences where I have felt Oppressed or been oppressed. I have an understanding of what oppression is, I’ve also seen others feel, be or get oppressed by somebody. I’ve felt Oppressed in school before When my Desk get corned out, when the teacher like to call your parent to just mess with the day, so you don’t watch cartoons peacefully or eat my favorite desserts and complain about simple things. I’ve felt oppressed when I was made fun of during the first few days of 5ths grade because my clothes fit a little too big. Another Scenario Where I’ve felt oppressed is By a Cop Even When they stop me or other people for stupid things and ask so many questions, I feel oppressed. When they harass other people, I could feel and see the oppression. I feel like Detectives / Undercover Cops Oppress and target the Minorities in certain communities too. 

The reading Marilyn Frye, “Oppression” I like how she breaks down what Oppression is. Oppression is prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control. Men and Women old or young black or white can be Oppressed There are many problems with Oppression. Oppression cause things like double binds, sexism, heterosexism, ableism, classism, ageism, and anti-Semitism are types of oppression that go in society. Another reading I read this week was Peggy McIntosh, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” the article is basically trying to Expose white privilege and inform readers White privilege is a thing. I think the problem is that White privilege is an unearned power, that is overlooked and overused or abused. I could see how it plays a role in society. In things like the Justice system, or in the working class.  Something that come to mind when I think about white privilege in the justice system is when a black man commits the same crime as a white man, but the black man will get more time in jail then the white men because of white privilege. McIntosh talked about some ways she is privileged. Giving readers like me an honest perspective on how privilege plays a role in her life for the good or the bad.  In conclusion, what should be done about white privilege is what I ask myself.

Discussion 4

Discussion board 4

In my belief having privileges means that you possess an unearned advantage in society through some aspect of your identity, in comparison to people who lack that concept. These dynamics tend to reflect larger power differentials in society as people who are members of a dominant group possess privilege over those whose identity and overlook them by comparing. Oppression happens when a person exercises authority or power in a forcing or controlling way. I experience oppression by being in a non-dominant group at my workplace. Oppression in the form of disapproval. They may even suffer abuse from individuals. This video helped me define the concept of privilege because the people in the video understood that there are other people out there that suffer to get what we already have or can get easily. Privilege is not only about the things you have in life or the things you have at home. Privilege can also be about skin color, race, or/and gender. Some of us believe that men are more privileged than women or that women are privileged than men. Colored people believe that in this country we live in they will never make it to the front or as we say the top. Now a white person can say with confidence that they will make it to the top.

I would say some of my main privileges lie in class. I am able to attend college. I’ve never had to worry about what or IF we would eat the next day. I live in a city where I have easy access to water and fresh food. My family (mother and sister) are supportive of me and my queer identity, which is one of the privileges I am most thankful for. I get very emotional and even feel “survivors guilt”, when I think about all of the LGBT people out there being physically, verbally, mentally abused by their parents/the world for their existence, and those still suffering in conversion camps. I am very lucky that there is something about me that prevents people from queer-bashing me on the street, or general street harassment. Every single LGBT person I know has experienced queerphobic harassment on the street, at least once, and many still deal with it on a regular basis, and it breaks my heart. Another privilege I hold is being able to be seen as a male in certain contexts, when I want or need to, for safety. 

My oppression comes from being parts of multiple communities: Asian-American, Latinx, Queer, Trans, Gender-non conforming, disabled, 2nd gen, etc. I go about my existence very aware of how I move, and how I look. I have to code switch in certain situations to make myself more “palatable” and likely to be accepted. Like dress more like a cis-male when I worked in an office. Being disabled, in New York City is a huge frustration as barely any of the train stations are accessible, making it a struggle for me to go places, as I also don’t drive.

The “What is Privilege” video is great because I think the visual aid makes it more impactful. I’ve experienced this exercise before and it leads to further conversation on difficult topics and is beneficial to everyone who participates. it is a very good idea to incorporate this kind of exercise in school. When you can physically, visually see how “far ahead” you are to someone in the line, it’s easier to quantify and understand the degree of your privilege. The exercise in the video touches on sexual orientation, jobs, poverty, health, religious holidays, supportive family etc. Even the people who participated in the video were very visibly emotionally moved. The Asian man said “It’s interesting being an Asian-American, you’re not really sure where you fall on the spectrum of privilege.” I relate to this as I notice that America is very White vs. Black focused racially. Even the “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” article, phrases it this way as the author prefaces her list as the things she is able to do with ease, that the African American people in her life cannot. The list can be informative and provoke self-reflection for other POC, and not just white people. We have varying levels of privilege, and many that are race specific.

No matter what kind of racial group or community you are part of you experience some degree of privilege. And that no oppression in one form negates whatever your overall privilege you may possess. I know someone who believed that because he is deaf it negates his white privilege. And the article “Unpacking the “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” was a resource I was able to show him to help expand and challenge his mindset, without having to use my knowledge as a person of color, to place the emotional burden on myself to explain big things like types of privilege.

To say someone has privilege, means that they are in a position of power. They are able to do certain things without giving it a second thought, like questioning their safety, and without experiencing discrimination for being a part of that group.

Someone being oppressed is being stripped of power. They are harmed or limited by others because of the community/racial group they belong to. There is a hierarchical structure to society and oppression would “set you back” like physically represented in the “What Is Privilege” video by people stepping backwards in the line. Oppression strips us of power. 

After watching the video “What is privilege?” I definitely became more aware of my own privileges. To start, my education is a massive privilege because when I graduated High School some years ago, I decided not to go to college, not because I couldn’t, but because I didn’t want to at the time. I am aware that choosing to pursue an education is a privilege many do not have. And now that I’m older and know what I would like to study, I’ve decided to enroll. I have a home/roof over my head, I am able to feed myself, and I have access to clean water. At the beginning of the video, the woman mentions families not having the privilege to simply walk to a sink and get water that way instead of having to walk miles. I was born in the U.S and am a cisgender woman who is able-bodied. 

“If your parents worked nights and weekends to support your family, take one step back.” I grew up in a household where I barely saw my mother because she was working so hard to support her children. Being bilingual is a privilege, but it wasn’t a choice when I was younger, as my mother couldn’t juggle working and learning English. I experience oppression as a queer Latinx woman, and I often feel unsafe. I work a job that barely helps me pay rent and live in a highly overpopulated area. As a woman of color, I have often found myself having to prove myself in work settings throughout my life. I’ve always felt like I wasn’t taken seriously. 

The readings and the video above have definitely helped me understand the meaning of oppression and privilege on a deeper level than before. My current definition of privilege is an advantage granted or available only to a particular person or group of people. In “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” Peggy McIntosh writes, “It seems to me that obliviousness about white advantage, like obliviousness about male advantage, is kept strongly inculturated in the United States so as to maintain the myth of meritocracy…” Denying such a thing as white privilege or male privilege is unbelievable, and yet it’s not uncommon. That in itself seems to be a privilege, to simply not care about something that affects the entire world. My current definition of oppression is the state of being subject to unjust treatment. In “Oppression,”Marilyn Frye writes, “You can’t win. You are caught in a bind, caught between systematically related pressures.” And that really is how it feels sometimes.

My mother always reminds me of my privileges, ever since I was little she would always say how I was lucky to have a roof over my head, food on the table, be able to go to school, have two loving parents and the list would go on depending on the lecture. She did this ofcourse because she wanted me to be aware and thankful for the things I had in life that I might have not taken a notice to, and remind me that not everyone experiences life the same. I’m privileged to have the level of education I do, to be able to pursue my dream, to live in America, and have a supportive family. I’m privileged to have access to clean water at any time of the day, be able to read, have an on the books job, own stuff I bought with my own earned money.

I experience oppression by being a young black woman in America, it’s dangerous to walk the streets alone at night, my voice isn’t always taken seriously when I express my opinion, I’m expected to take up less space, be polite, classy, never angry, always smile and be friendly, not look tired or annoyed, have the ever-changing trending body type of the year, abide to heteronormative standards that were set in place thousands of years ago. The list goes on and on and on to the point where even when I read articles in this class there are still some things I forget because I’m just so ‘used to.’

I don’t think the video necessarily helped me nearly as much as Frye’s and McIntosh’ amazing explanations on oppression and privilege did. Frye compares oppression with that of a bird who’s trapped in a cage, the restrictions not allowing them to do anything in the confined space. McIntosh on the other hand described privilege (more specifically white) as “an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks” (McIntosh 1). In this sense I can define privilege as a sort of tool that aids a specific person based on aspects they usually have no control over. While I would describe oppression as almost a wall, or blockade, it’s like being fenced in as if you were a zoo animal, but we all have different size cages. But, the video did put into a more visual perspective how everyone has some sort of privileges, we all don’t share the same ones and some we even had to work for, they weren’t just given to us at birth.

After fair analysis of both short readings alongside the video “What Is Privilege”, I’ve come to understand that  privilege is an unearned, exclusive, and socially conferred advantage. White privilege is a deep-seated power that exists regardless of income, class, or effort. So in my case of being a black woman, how does one explain a Black woman’s inherent power ? I can say that in our modern day society being a black woman can still become to feel like a burden in ways such as being easy targets fo sexual harrasment, or even just “easier targets” in general despite these things our society have taken into consideration many other groups such as LBTQ’s. With that being said, being a black woman sometimes puts an emphasis on the meaning of power, or even a broader perspective on how to stand for something you feel may be right and just no matter what it may be perceived as from outsiders. “Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare occur in the context of historic and current economic inequality, as well as evidence of persistent racial and ethnic discrimination in many sectors of American life.” Essentially, in America, Black privilege is synonymous with Black oppression. There is an opportunity to turn this version of privilege into a sham. For change to occur, massive amounts of action from all sectors of society are required. However, the first (and arguably most important) change must take place in the hearts of Americans. 

While these may be some great advantages that have now developed over the course of accepting other groups. Black women’s disadvantages still rank high in correlating circumstances. Black women are more ambitious and more likely than white women to say they want to advance in their companies in some ways, but they are less likely to find mentors to help them climb that same exact corporate ladder. Interacting with black people in their personal or professional circles may make them feel uncertain or uncomfortable. At times, this lack of mentoring is the result of intentional exclusion, in which leaders make a point of not including Black women in teams, as mentees, or on important projects. These patterns stymie Black women’s advancement in organizations, as well as their ability to realize their ambitions and secure leadership positions. And, as a result of occupational underrepresentation, Black women must work even harder to gain access to and advance in these fields. I can personally say that women of color are typically underrepresented in professional, high-level positions in law, medicine, academia, and business. When they achieve these coveted positions but are the only ones in an organization, they are more likely to question the company’s commitment to inclusion and equity and, as a result, are more likely to seek opportunities elsewhere. In the short story “Oppression” by Marilyn Frye, she states her meaning of oppression based on simple subjection. For example, “ The root of the word “oppression” is the element “press.” The press of the crowd; pressed into military service; to press a pair of pants; printing press; press the button. Presses are used to mold things or flatten them or reduce them in bulk, sometimes to reduce them by squeezing out the gasses or liquids in them. Something pressed is something caught between or among forces and barriers which are so related to each other that jointly they restrain, restrict, or prevent the thing’s motion or mobility. Mold. Immobilize. Reduce.” (This in a way emphasizes what some of these things simply implies as far as oppression yet while understanding these simple examples through the eyes of society, another perspective comes to light.