Introduction
There are distinct kinds of privilege that exist at various levels in a person’s life. The privileged group is treated as the baseline against which comparison is done. This is done to compare those privileges (Johnson 16). In any case, just because a person is privileged in a certain way does not mean they are not privileged in another way. The perspective of privilege has continuously shaped people’s lives, for example, through certain issues like race, gender, sexuality, and disability. Personally, privilege has played a huge role in my life regarding how my perspective and understanding of those issues in various dimensions of life.
Race
Normally, in the past and modern West, racial privilege has always been equated with privilege since money, influence, and power are usually concentrated among only Caucasians in Western Europe and North America (Frankenburg 94-95). This involves institutionalized racism, which is a system that has a structure to privilege other people. In various media groups, race plays a role in determining character types and roles. This stereotypical issue has over the past influenced my perspective on racial privilege. This is because every person, regardless of race, has the ability to fit into different systems; therefore, in life, I have always treated people equally.
Sexuality
In the media, we seldom view leads that are old-identified unless their sexuality is pivotal (Johnson 8). It also includes sexual history and practices as the media associates a woman’s worth through history and also relates a girl’s worth to her chastity and practices of being sexually active. In my life, I have discovered that heterosexuals enact their sexuality often, for example, the presence of wedding rings and photos of children. Some things go unnoticed by the public, like, for example, discussions of a person’s spouse in various media groups, which are all indications of someone’s sexuality (Case & Hopkins 1-2).
Gender And Gender Identity
Gender
Over the years, male individuals have had a certain privilege over other people who have different genders. Authority continuously supersedes others as they become over-represented in various leadership roles. In my perspective of privilege, everyone is entitled to hold leadership positions regardless of their gender. Women have come up with different campaigns to support girl children and foresee their success in outdoing men in various activities such as education, work, and power (Case& Hopkins 5).
Gender identity involves the privilege that comes in handy with how one identifies and expresses in gender terms and is often associated with gender orientation. Gender identity basically conforms to societal and cultural expectations. In my life, I have constantly watched the media and viewed different films. Therefore, I have discovered in various films that there are rare instances of finding people whose identity doesn’t conform to cultural and societal expectations.
Disability
In the media, characters with disabilities find themselves passed up for roles by able-bodied characters without mental illness. My life perspective on this issue is that films should not use mentally disabled individuals as a justification for criminal behavior. I have witnessed people who are physically challenged rise up the ranks by using their determination to make a difference in their lives by succeeding in their careers. It is very clear that disability is not inability. It all depends on how one takes courage and how determined the disabled person is. There are so many occasions across the world whereby disabled people have top positions and play a major role in the community setup. In my sense, it does not matter what the disabled condition one is but how determined the person is.
Have you been aware of privilege in your life while growing up?
Yes, while growing up, I have been aware of privilege at various points in my life. Through properly examining my life, the most interesting thing is that I have been able to change my life experiences by constantly changing my perception of reality. I have been able to overcome depression, pain, and anxiety, which are barrier factors that often prevent individuals from changing their perspective of privilege. It is through privileged understanding that I have come to realize that one is supported on what is more important than just minor things, which can be seen as more important at the moment but, with time, becoming an urge challenge in life.
How privilege has shaped my opportunities, chances, and experiences
In various instances in my life, I have often viewed my personal hard work and experiences to have shaped my success in different situations in my life. However, I have focused on myself and what I have been doing, and in this way, I have been able to help underprivileged individuals. Some people do not focus on others as they occupy positions of privilege in areas such as race, gender, and sexuality. Therefore, I do reflect on specific ways my opportunities and experience have been affected by my privilege (Frankenburg 102). I have possessed the capacity to center around the positive side of my life, paying little respect to the test that I experience. I have possessed the capacity to center around the positive outcomes that may emerge when I am faced with a specific trouble; along these lines, I have had encounters and influenced answers for counter an issue and how I will have the capacity to act if looked by a test in future circumstances. I have to see mistreatment and privilege as two sides of the coin, and this has had a positive effect on my life.
I think a new understanding of privilege will change my actions and behavior in the future. It is evident that our thought defines our reality; therefore, I am able to change my persona by simply adjusting or based on my ideological thinking. My ways of thinking will always determine how I will live with other people and how I will take other people’s opinions. In my point of view, a new way of understanding privileges will have to change how my character and interaction with other people will be in the future. I have possessed the capacity to change my background by always showing signs of changing my view of reality. I have possessed the capacity to conquer gloom, agony, and tension which are hindrance factors that frequently keep people from changing their point of view of privilege. It is through privilege that I have come to understand that one is bolstered on what is more imperative than simply minor things, which can be seen as more vital right now yet, with time, turning into urge challenges throughout everyday life.
How do privilege and oppression interact in my life?
Oppression basically involves a prolonged unjust treatment of a person or exercise of authority. People are concerned about issues of justice and societal inequality. All over the world, certain groups of individuals are discriminated against and mistreated, while an equally significant aspect is also focusing on how other individual groups are advantaged, receive fair treatment and are privileged as a result of oppression (Young 56-57).
In my life, I have been able to focus on the positive side of my life regardless of the challenges that I encounter. I have been able to focus on the positive results that might arise when being faced with a certain difficulty, in this way I have had experiences and made solutions to counter a problem and how I will be able to behave if faced by a challenge in future situations. I have viewed oppression and privilege as two sides of the coin, and this has had a positive impact on my life.
Forms of privilege that are more visible to me than others
Racial privilege
It is clear that white privilege causes a lot of controversy among people. All white individuals benefit from white privilege. This is because white privilege does not simply mean always getting special treatment or taking things from another race just because a person is white (Ullucci & Kerri 533). The privileged group is treated as the baseline against which comparison is done. This is done to compare those privileges. In any case, just because a person is privileged in a certain way does not mean they are not privileged in another way. The perspective of privilege has continuously shaped people’s lives, for example, through certain issues like race, gender, sexuality, and disability. Personally, privilege has played a huge role in my life regarding how my perspective and understanding of those issues in various dimensions of life. We should be in a position to have social privilege ideas attached to certain groups of a certain race. It is very true that no one should be in the position of expecting some dominant groups that are privileged.
References
Case, Kim A., Jonathan Iuzzini, and Morgan Hopkins. “Systems of privilege: Intersections, awareness, and applications.” Journal of Social Issues 68.1 (2012): 1-10.
Frankenburg, Ruth. White women, race matters: The social construction of whiteness. Routledge, 1993. 93-134
Johnson, Allan G. “Privilege, power, and difference.” (2006). 6-78
McIntosh, Peggy. “White privilege and male privilege.” The teacher in American society: A critical anthology 121 (2010): 83-92.
Ullucci, Kerri. “Book Review: Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States.” Urban Education 41.5 (2006): 533-540.
Young, Iris Marion. “Five faces of oppression.” Geographic thought: A praxis perspective (2009): 55-71.
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