After completing the readings and watching the video “What is Privilege” I sat back and thought about certain ways in which I experience privilege. The fact that I live in the United States alone is a privilege because I have more freedom compared to other countries; I have more opportunities to accomplish my goals and make a better life than I had. Living in the U.S. you have the ability to study in any type of field you want while pursuing other careers and following other dreams. Another privilege I have is the fact that I can see a doctor whenever I feel the need to; advanced medicine and technology is accessible to me therefore, I never really have to worry if I am sick because I know there are people, places, and medicines that can help me get better. A third way I experience privilege throughout my life is my very light skin color; although I am Puerto Rican and Colombian my mom’s skin complexion is white and I took on her complexion therefore, a lot of the times people mistake me as a white woman and I feel as though I get treated in a way better than others who do not have my skin color. I don’t get judged or stereotyped as often as other hispanic people with darker skin complexions or people with darker skin complexions in general. Lastly, another way I have experienced privilege in my life is the fact that I grew up with both my parents; even though they were split since before I was born, I’ve always had both my parents in my life along with my siblings. I grew up with a family that is supportive in ways which they believe in me, they care about my dreams, and they help me reach my goals and accomplishments in a supportive way. On the other hand, there are some ways I’ve experienced oppression throughout my life. Living with my mom my whole life, as she was the primary parent, she worked two jobs; this included weekends, holidays, and lots of days of overtime. Therefore, my mom was unable to spend a lot of time with us due to the fact that she had to work so hard to provide for us. Another way I’ve experienced oppression is due to the fact that I was diagnosed with anxiety; people have judged me and treated me differently just based on the reality that I have anxiety. People treat me as though I’m extremely fragile and in ways broken. I was also bullied through some years of high school based on the ways I would try to deal with my anxiety like severe finger nail biting. I would bite my nails till they bled; they always looked ugly and people were sure to make me aware of that. Lastly, another way I experience oppression is simply the fact that I am a woman; I’m unable to freely express myself through my clothing because I have to be worried about the unwanted attention it would bring me every day. I’m also constantly worried about any form of harassment I can encounter just going to work or going to school. I feel as though men specifically see me as an easy target because not only am I a woman but I’m also very petite so I’m not viewed as dangerous or a threat but more as a friend or a friendly individual. From watching the video and evaluating the readings; they have helped me view the concepts of oppression and privilege from a wider point of view and understand them on a deeper level. Before the readings I mostly viewed privilege as something specifically people of white race had over every other race; however, privilege is a concept that can relate to everyone in some sort of way based on what is a part of their identity. Intersectionality plays a big part in that idea because the theory sums up the exploration on how individuals can face multiple categories of disccrimination and overall oppression when they belong to more than one marginalized group. Before the readings I didn’t have a clear idea of oppression but after I reflected on the readings, I view oppression as the element in which something or someone is caught between or among forces and barriers which are so related to each other that together they restrain, restrict, and prevent something or someone’s motion or mobility. Oppression is made to mold, immobilize, and reduce someone down to something that society as a whole can deem acceptable.

The last couple of years were key to questioning our roles as members of this society and reevaluating our identities as we collectively learned and created awareness about social injustice. With the Black Lives Matter movement, the Covid-19 pandemic, and other huge events that made evident the inequality among the United States, a discussion about oppression and privilege started. This week’s reading allowed us to further our knowledge about oppression and privilege.

In the first reading, the author, Marilyn Frye, creates an interesting analogy between being oppressed and being a bird trapped in a cage. She explained that being oppressed is being repressed by systematically related barriers, just like the wires of a birdcage. These barriers immobilize the oppressed group, mold them and reduce their options in life. Women are oppressed because they are subject to multiple barriers that were created to benefit the oppressors, men. Frye explained the differences between being miserable and oppressed, one can be miserable without being oppressed. For example, a man can suffer because he is broke and his wife cheated on him multiple times, but that suffering is not because of his sex or gender. Also, one can be oppressed and have privileges at the same time. For example, a man of color can be oppressed but he’d still have privileges because he’s a man. An interesting point the author raised is the gallant gestures and how they actually mock women. These gestures seem to be a demonstration of kindness and respect toward women and plenty of women, especially the older, love a “gentleman” who opens the door for them, pays for their food, or carries their bags. These are actions that every woman who isn’t physically impaired can do by herself. In reality, the meaning of men doing these gestures for women is that they are not able to do it by themselves. I’ve never liked men doing this kind of stuff for me, it’s cringy and unnecessary. Oppression can be seen in multiple ways and the term can be misused very often. To know if someone is a victim of oppression, it is important to evaluate the context of the situation, and identify who is the oppressor and how the situation benefits them.

Privilege is a benefit one obtains without earning it. It gives you advantages that other people don’t have and they also deserve. White privilege is something we have seen throughout history, is very tragic how your skin color was used to define your value as a person, even though we are all equals. Peggy McIntosh digs deeper into white privilege, showing us her perspective on privilege as a white woman, how it benefits her, and why it is important that people are able to recognize their privilege and use it to help unprivileged people. The author reveals how white people don’t see themselves as oppressors or as fairly advantaged people. She describes privilege as an unearned entitlement and an unearned advantage. It is important that people are able to recognize their privilege in order to create equity among people.

In my opinion, it is very important that people recognize their privilege and use it for the better. Our society is very unfair, and it is sad to see how unequal everything is. Systematic racism keeps people of color oppressed, and even though racism is not as evident as 50 years ago there are still many barriers that keep them from succeeding as a lot of white people in the U.S. As a black queer latina immigrant, I definitely have a lot of stuff to deal with, and I experience a lot of injustice in different ways. As a woman, I am more likely to be harassed on the street than a man, as a bisexual, my sexual orientation can be used against me in my own family, as a black person, my skin color can make people believe that I’m loud or any other stereotype. Even though I am at a lot of disadvantage, I know that I have some privileges like being “cisgender”, not having a disability. Also, my parents being able to afford a good private school in my home country, that’s why I know English, and I’m writing this, and the privilege that my father was a U.S citizen. It is important to keep discussing these topics, so we can help everyone to succeed.

In this week’s readings, we can see what being privileged really is. In the article “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh, she talks about how many times we don’t see what being privileged really is, McIntosh focuses on the fact that women’s studies is based on power make women have their rights, but many criticize this fact of being able to seek the rights with which they are being over-privileged when, in itself, they are only looking for a method of equality. She talks about how in her time, the privileged were only white men who, according to her, were the only ones with the power to have rights in their entirety. Many times being privileged is also giving some oppression to certain types of people, which leads us to the same issue of hierarchies, where being privileged is based on the same hierarchies. In my own experiences, I feel that there have been certain things in which I feel privileged, but at the same time it makes me feel sad that not many people are in the same situation as me. I may be able to have food from day to day, every day, but there are people who don’t. Perhaps this type of privilege is not the same as the one discussed in the article, but it is something that gives a better vision of what being privileged can be.

Then we have the reading “Oppression” by Marilyn Frye, who only explains how despite being strong, this has a great meaning to be able to explain how because they are not a color, race or even not liking something in specific they believe with the right to be able to put pressure on anyone. Like what Frye comments, about the fact that from childhood they impose on us the rule that men do not cry and if they cry they already classify them as less masculine, but that is the oppression that exists within society and among those who do not have the same rhythm this. I remember, I’ve had this kind of oppression because I’m of dual race. Since there were times when my Chinese race called me “foreigner” for the simple fact of also being Venezuelan, I remember that this oppression was also present in the Venezuelan race, who called me “Chinese” for the very fact of being it too. The oppression that exists in society, the desire to be able to classify anyone for the simple fact of how the person is or how they behave, is something that has been seen in all these years and is also something that is very difficult to put an end to.

Finally, we have the video for “What is Privilege”, and it’s about everything that we’ve been talking about before, how many of those contestants at the beginning were joking about the type of questions, they laughed at the fact of how they were. But in the end, when they realized what it really was to be privileged and looked around them, they captured the true essence of what it is to be able to have your rights without being discriminated against. Many of them also experienced the same feeling of guilt, seeing how they took a step forward when compared to the situation of the question, and that behind there are many more completely different people, when they thought they were.

As a Mexican American, I experience privilege by the simple fact I was born in the United States. I had access to better education, healthcare, housing, and clothing. You don’t become self-aware of what you have until you take a step back see it all as a whole. Also, making a trip out to the ranch where my parents were born and learning about their struggles allowed me to know how lucky I was growing up. Even now, there are still so many struggling. They worked countless hours of hard labor to keep a roof over our heads. Acknowledging and always being grateful to your parents for all their hard work is a great way to show appreciation. Typically Mexican parents don’t want us to thank them because they did it for our future and their unconditional love.

I have experienced oppression is by not being able to hold a relationship and settling down. The comment usually comes from male family members and not from my immediate family. They come to think if you’re a certain age, you need to be married with two or three kids. If you’re not, something is wrong with you. When I was reading Marilyn Frye’s, Oppression, I felt her words when she said oppression of women is like a “bird in a cage.” You think you’re being set to act and accept what society asks of you; if not, you’re being defiant. They look at the women as objects used to procreate and listen to what they tell you to do. A life that I choose not to live. I can quickly settle, but I want more than that and a partner that truly understands the struggles of women and vice versa. No man should have the right to make you feel less or try to see everything in their perspective without allowing you to see it in yours.

Privilege is defined as a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group. I agree with this definition. I know I have the privilege to work and go to school in America, but I also see the privilege that white Americans receive. By being white, they can get away with a lot in America. You can earn a spot without working hard. I find it unfair because ethnic people have to work ten times harder to obtain a place. Many call it white privilege.

The readings were very interesting. There was a lot of information to take in and to analyze in my head. It woke up some of my feelings and thoughts on the readings.So regarding Oppression from Marilyn Frye the part that caught my eye was when she compares the oppression of women to the situation of a bird in a cage. This made me think that women can be oppressed due to so many things, it can be work, house hold, bills, treatment of others, how society portrays one. Women have always taken on the work of the house hold chores, cooking tending to their significant other whom ever they may be, the children schooling oh the list can go on. I felt like that Bird in a cage at one time in my life. When I was married I had a husband who felt like the women had to do it all in the home and tend to kids and chores in the house. I felt trapped behind those cage bars. He was controlling I. I thought that that cage had a cement lock on it. But then i remembered i had the privilege of waking up everyday and moving forward and that i could make it with out him with my three kids. Here i am cage free living my best life. Men can be oppressed also why is it that society makes it seem like men are not allowed to have feelings or feel any emotions so unfair. I know for sure that there are men that are oppressed themselves . I know someone who is an oppressed person but still goes about his business and just keeps pushing forward with this no feeling of an obligation at all. He does not act like he is oppressed but we have spoken. How he talks about his Job in which he travels to work and has to leave his wife and daughter for 3 weeks at a time. But he says who else going to do it. I didn’t see myself as being oppressed until I read these articles and it gave me the meaning of it so i could understand and have the knowledge of understanding the word.

Watching the video was just an eye opener. Answering the questions. In what ways do i experience privilege? I am privileged to wake up everyday. I am privileged because i can travel. I am privileged because i am knowledgeable. I am privileged to have three beautiful children i raised well. In what ways do you experience oppression? I can not say that i have experienced any oppression as of today. But I have experienced it when i was married, i was mentally abused my ex husband controlled me. I never thought of it as oppression until this oppression reading. How does watching the video, and doing the readings help you define the concepts of privilege and oppression, what are your current definitions? Privilege to me is like never having to do for oneself, getting things handed to oneself. Never understanding the hard work of real struggles. Always getting your way, getting a job due to your race, color, background or getting a helping hand. Oppression is racism, treat others without respect due to their color, race, religion, ethnicity. Unjust treatment. I can honestly say that before this reading i never associated the word oppression to these ways for me.

In my personal experience, I have been privileged in many things, one being the most obvious in having a roof over my head and being able to have food over my table. After watching the video, it is very eye opening to see that many might not be as privileged as yourself and in a way that exercise helps one acknowledge to be grateful for what you have. I think the education I have is an example of a privilege, being able to receive help with my tuition and having support from your school with housing or meals when a student needs it. A privilege many heterosexuals have is people do not constantly ask us why we made our choice to be public about our sexual orientation. I feel like the basic decency that everyone deserves is being able to be checked by a doctor and not have it based on whether they have health insurance or not. I for example feel like that is a privilege a lot of people do not have, the opportunity to be attended to by a doctor. Overall, it is hard to look at your own privileged and identify it until you hear that many do not have it.  

I rarely consider that I am oppressed or have even difficulty thinking of examples when it comes to sharing. I am Mexican- American and I feel like my nationally sometimes rub the people the wrong way, especially when it is whites. Before working as a medical assistant in my current office I used to work at an urgent care, and it was my first job out of school, so I was super excited to my distaste and was treated horribly by an administrator. It had me second guessing my career goal because during my time there I thought everyone was like that I did have a lot of conversation with other medical assistants there, so I was basing it on that. Later, after I quit because of her lack of respect I found out that it was because I was Mexican, this was the first time I had ever live through something like that. I thought back to the many discriminations my parents had to go through because they were immigrants and did not speak the language. Immigrants and many children of immigrants are oppressed because they belong to a group that labels them as illegal and aliens. 

After reading and watching the video, it helped me define the concepts of privilege and oppression because I was able to visualize it with the examples and exercise provided. Even though I knew most of the privileged a white person gets I focused so much on that, that I did not realize the I am privileged as well. Marilyn Frye definition of oppression added to my knowledge of what I already knew of oppression, in fact what she stated about how it is misused and sometimes not innocently is why she decided to clear that she did not want to undertake that woman are oppressed but that men are not but in fact wants to be clear about what is meant when we say women are oppressed (pg. 11). These readings and video did not change on what I know of oppression, but it did change my thoughts on what I considered to be privileged and being able to acknowledge it.  

This week’s readings strengthened and clarified the understanding of oppression and privilege I already had, while the video gave me a visual idea of the issues. I viewed oppression as humiliating and invalidating acts towards a certain group of people, but after reading Marilyn Frye’s article I learned that oppression is not necessarily is an act, but rather is a set of pressures that immobilize someone by reducing the options and making all of them result in penalty or deprivation. The explanation of the root of the word “oppression” gave me a clear idea of its definition. I now view it as two presses that squeeze something (read: someone) in between. After doing the second reading by Peggy McIntosh, as well as the video, I concluded that privilege is a phenomenon that gives one a benefit based on an aspect of their identity, resulting in dominance over other groups of people.

Being a white person who grew up in a country that is mainly populated by clear-cut white people, it was always hard for me to grasp the concept of white privilege. Upon moving to the US, I barely ever encountered a person of color and didn’t understand where and how it can undermine someone’s life. Neither did I know that I am privileged in some way. In fact, I felt quite the opposite as an immigrant in the first years after moving. After doing the reading, I realized how many things are available to me that may not be available to others. I can be viewed by people as a blank sheet of paper — neutral and without presumptions. I can be sure that my complexion will not affect the impression someone has about me. Neither it will affect my safety on the streets. I also have the privilege of having access to quality food, water, and being able to choose where to live. Being trilingual also gives me an employment privelege, especially in other states, where it is less common. Fortunately, I hardly notice any oppression as a female. Even if some of it existed in regards to my career or lifestyle choices, I let them pass by me to the point that I cannot remember such instances. The only thing I can think of is the societal pressure into having your body look a certain way or to be sexually active. When I mention to someone that I’m simply not interested in sex, I get labeled as a “broken” woman, who needs to see a doctor, or who doesn’t have her life together. Throughout my teen years, I have heard comments about me becoming too skinny, too chubby, having calve muscles larger than any male soccer player can have, wearing tops that accentuate breast too much, and wearing skirts that are “too long for your age.” These comments are in the past, however, and their double-sided nature helped me realize their insignificance early on. After reading the papers and analyzing my position in society, I became even more grateful for the things I have.

After reading the material assigned for this week and the Youtube video I have come to understand that we complain much about our daily lives. We dont acknowledge the amount of “simple” things we own. Having access to all these resources makes us more than privileged. There are many out there who have it very hard. As the girl mentioned in the video, there are some who have to walk miles to get water and we just have to open the water tap. We are all privileged in our own ways, but we all do not stand at the same level. After I watched the video I reconsidered the multiple times, I have extensively cried complaining why I have it so hard in life?. I tested my self as If I was in that group of people and I recall being more than fortunate to have the opportunity to recieve education and pursue a career. Many who come from immigrant familes are not able to do so, and yet here I am. My parents did not have that privilege because they were immigrants and spanish was their first language. This was not only a barrier for them to suceed, it also brought some other major problems. Overtime this had affected us as a family because we had to separate. I had to stay with my sibblings living in the U.S. After this all, I remain grateful because I have the privilege to recieve a better education. I am able to communicate in both spanish and english. I have access to multiple opportunities and economic resources. I run a better lifestyle than many others back in my native country. There are plenty other privileges I have I did not recall before.

As Marilyn Frye said in her reading, Opression “is a strong word. It repels and it attracts.”. She explains the correct use of the word “opression” or at least how it should be implied. Frye compares opression of women with a bird in a cage. In this comparison she states the opression women live in our society. She explains this is not avoidable, many lives are being shaped and reduced. In my personal experienece I have never experienced opression. I have seen others, like my friends and family experience this vividly. My friend worked at a restaurant, here she had male coworkers. She had told me there was a men that for several weeks had been making some awful comments to her. The man had been harrasing her, at any chance he had. At first he wanted her phone number, he then asked her out. After she told him she was not interested in him. He then proceeded to call her names and spread false rumors. Not this being the worse of all, the man got drunk and sexually harased her. She immediately had reported this to her manager and called the police. once the police got there they said there was not enough evidence to prove it was intentional. Her manager had told her It was her fault because she had giving him the opportunity to behave in this manner, to check up on how she was dressing and to take into cosideration that he was drunk. I felt so upset, I was so incapable of doing something and the authorities did nothing for her. It was unfair for her to be tagged as the guilty one. Just for being her, when she was the victim. It is crazy how can these two men join forces and mold this scenario in favor of the opressor.

In another quotation, ” Many of the restrictions and limitations we live with are more or less internalized and self monitored and are part of our adaptations to the requirements and expectations imposed by the needs, tastes and tyrranies of others”. Within this quote I have a better understanding of what oppresion and privilege is, we are living a life imposed by others, we continously live judged by the outsiders. Those who have the power to say, cover and project. It does not matter if we do or dont do something we will always requiere more or less.

I experience the privileges’ of being able to thrive in a place with a roof over my head running water. The privilege to cook what i want , voice my opinion about who and whatever i choose. Also prey to which ever higher power of my choice. I don’t feel its so much oppression ( i hate that word being used so freely, see my other discussions) as it is institutionalized racism. That is one thing that i have experienced in my life time quite a bit. As far as white privilege, wouldn’t that just fall under the umbrella of institutionalized racism ? I don’t think you have extra privilege because your white i think that the mind of people in places of power who happen to be your similar skin color has enabled you to progress faster then other would. I am also positive my grandmother could give you an example or two on what oppression feels like. When i think of the word oppression, i think of “these people eat off of a table and you eat the scraps off the floor” i am lucky enough where i never experienced anything as cruel as that . Watching the video basically was a gauge for how some people are more “oppressed” then others even ones you wouldn’t even consider. The Marilyn Frye gave me a view of “oppression” through the perspective of the oppressed .One such paragraph that stuck out to me was where she discussed acceptable behavior restraint from both parties. This intrigued me and lured me in because I am thinking she is about to unveil this masterful solution of how it could be done……NOPE!!! the men get thrown under the train. She states “the woman’s restraint is a part of a structure oppressive to woman, the mans restraint is a part of a structure oppressive to woman”. I was actually with her the first half until it became more of a finger pointing rally. It reminded me of the banter that went on between AL and Peg Bundy on married with children ( i am showing my age). Men do this!!, and then they do that, but then when you do this , they go and do that .For the video one thing that i found odd , I didn’t get why they said ” if you got time off from your religious holidays take one step forward’? in the context of privilege where did it fit?

When reading two of the readings and watching the video as a Hispanic woman with a learning disability, to me the word privilege means so many meanings. In ways, I have experienced privilege was being raised by a white Hispanic. When it comes to learning two languages and being Hispanic and white, people will only see you being white unless you were speaking Spanish to someone, and sometimes it’ll be surprised that people believe that you’re Hispanic. The article “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” This article talks about white privilege and how white people (especially white men) are more comfortable with their privilege whereas people of color like indigenous, Hispanics and African American people are uncomfortable with the privilege and the little privilege that they have. An example of that can be a white person going to rehab for drug abuse whereas a person of color can be sentenced to up to a few months or a year in prison for the same reason. This is something that has been going on for a while and it’s unfair for other people who aren’t right. Being a Hispanic can be sometimes scary because people of color along with Hispanics can get attacked and killed by the police. Sometimes going outside being Hispanic is terrifying, the reason why is because Hispanic and Latinos are being harassed on the street while they mind their business. This can lead to an oppression experience when it comes to being Hispanic. 

When reading the article “Oppression” by Marilyn Frye, the article talks about the harsh and stern treatment whether it’s gender or a person of color. Earlier as I explain in the last paragraph people like myself who are Hispanics comes in an oppression term, an example is from my oppression experience where my friend and I were having a conversation in Spanish and there was a guy that comes out of nowhere and begins to mock the way we talk and told us to speak Spanish. When watching the video “What is a privilege” There was an experiment that goes on in the video that they have to step back or one step forward answering the following questions. Some of the results were disappointing especially the woman who was way behind the rest, and it shows that sometimes you don’t always get that privilege that everyone has and it either makes you feel unsafe or you have to fight for the privilege you need.