Understanding Today's “Privilege”
The 21st Century's Social Battleground
Ever since the mainstream appearance of the Black Lives Matter activities in 2014, a very interesting and charged term has come to the forefront of United States (and several Western countries abroad) identity politics – privilege: the concept that you are granted amnesty from societal obstacles simplly due to your appearance, sexuality, gender-identity, biological sex, ethnicity, and a number of other signifiers. Phrases like “check your privilege” or “you don't understand because of your privilege” have become identifiable slogans amongst not only BLM but also feminist groups, progressive organizations, and most recently in the last year transgender-rights activists. The word is simultaneously an idea, a label, an accusation, and somehow a defining identity.
I think this word is fascinating.
Fascinating for its level of use and application in today's progressive-leaning society. The term has almost been weaponized into a double-edged blade. It is both empowering and debilitating, liberating and confining. The term has abruptly warped the formation of social ties and built entire new domains of human interaction.
Source: Huffington Post
I've wanted to write a few posts on this topic because while in the US it mostly has to do with the issues of gender, race, and sexuality, the concepts of “privilege” are equally as impactful in the realms of religion and economy in other, more homogenous nations like South Korea. It links to some of the core societal controversies such as cultural hierarchy and social mobility. I think discussing the topic might provide opportunities to build up our weaknesses and open new opportunities when it seems that our lack of personal privilege is keeping us down.
Just to be 100% clear, I'm not taking a 'side,' simply using posts to deconstruct the use and purpose of the word and what exactly the consequences are in the everyday.
Structural Perception and Mental Health
Whether or not there is actual systematic oppression or a devious patriarchy or some nefarious thing keeping a certain group of people down, the last several years of global young politics has undeniably illustrated the heavy effects of even the concept of privilege in the modern world. The very idea is as powerful as any truth. In the battle for self-identity, being attacked and believing you are being attacked is one in the same.
Source: Youtube
Either way, there is obviously work to be done and discussions to be had. In what ways are groups actually oppressed? In what ways are we self-oppressed? How can we break out of both?
Dismantling Privilege
The best way to defeat the enemy, whether internal or external, is to know the enemy. With these posts concerning the active concept of 'privilege', I'll try to approach everything from multiple angles and question the process of identifying and dealing with privilege.
Source: Pinterest
Let me know what you think below. Does one person or group experience privilege more so than another? Is identifying forms of privilege a productive endeavor?
*Cover image sourced from Higher Perspective
Nice we also want the same topic from your side so keep it up I voted you and follow you please have a look on my post also thank you @hansikhouse
I think that there is no such thing as a social privilege, at least not in the way in which this political issue has been addressed in different countries, I think the issue of privileges and equality have more to do with the promotion of a political agenda what with any real problems that may exist.
When you write "there is no such thing as a social privilege," I interpret this as "there are no social groups that enjoy advantages merely because of their belonging to that social group." And as @hansikhouse wrote below, social privilege is a construct, which as you say is politically charged and differs between countries, but that does not mean it does not exist.
Race is a social construct (a way to categorize people neatly according to socio-political ideas invented by people) and also, racism exists. Racism is one example where social privilege manifests. These are historical advantages that are enabled after years of disenfranchisement (much of which was intentional) and still persist in our subconscious. We may not have the 3/5 compromise or apartheid, but racial/social/religious genocide is occurring around the world (currently the Rohingya in Myanmar), and in countries without genocide, we still have quantifiable systemic problems; if we assert that they are merely issues of political disagreement, then we risk perpetuating a status quo that is clearly inequitable, which is especially easy if we are the beneficiaries of the privileges/advantages. I'm from the USA, so here are some resources regarding racial inequality:
For a history of race-based police brutality in the USA: https://www.vox.com/michael-brown-shooting-ferguson-mo/2014/8/19/6031759/ferguson-history-riots-police-brutality-civil-rights
Data showing that privilege can be granted to minorities (Asians) as well as Whites in the USA: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/02/white-privilege-quantified/386102/
The Denial Effect - Why the privileged prefer to downplay privileges: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/why-whites-downplay-their-individual-racial-privileges
I apologize if I have misinterpreted your usage of "social privilege." What do you think the crux of your claim is? How do you reconcile an ongoing history of systemic privilege/disenfranchisement based on race, gender, class, etc. with the idea that these concepts are not "real problems"?
I mean that there is not an institutionalized mechanism, through organisms and laws to please specific groups, or not in the way the issue is debated in the political arena. That is, the unfounded arguments that say that there is work privilege or any other type. If there are privileges, it is outside the law and the institutions, that is, it is not systematic and deliberately organized. By the way, I do not consider race to be a social construction, it is something that has always existed, it is intrinsic to human nature, there are different races and it is easily noticeable, yes you go to a third world country where political correctness is scarce , you will see that extremely racist people are in fact those where citizens have the darkest skin, I think that the problem of racism must be treated from the point of view of racial discrimination, and not from the questioning of the existence of the race, because it is evident that it is not only the skin color, but morphological characteristics. the true social construction is racial superiority, not race in itself.
Fully agree and I'll be writing about this more in following posts. Social privilege, at least in my opinion, is a construct.
Thanks for sharing, enjoy the vote!
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Wow! According to the pyramid there are no people with roots in Americas.
In what ways are we self-oppressed?
How can we break out of both?
Reject political solutions that separate the population into aggrieved groups in order to gain political advantage. Rather than identity politics, strive to achieve this noble dream.
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