Entry: What is privilege? Friday, February 08, 2008



From Racialicious. Obviously an American perspective, but interesting and relevant. My privileges are bold.

When you were in college:

If your father went to college, take a step forward.
If your father finished college
If your mother went to college
If your mother finished college
If you have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
If you were the same or higher class than your high school teachers (I should say I am, now!)
If you had a computer at home
If you had your own computer at home
If you had more than 50 books at home
If you had more than 500 books at home
If were read children's books by a parent
If you ever had lessons of any kind
If you had more than two kinds of lessons (I don't know if cello counts, since it was financed by the Swedish school system, but I took riding lessons and had private tutoring in German  when we moved to Germany)
If the people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively (when I appear in the media, I'm depicted positively!)
If you had a credit card with your name on it
If you have less than $5000 in student loans
If you have no student loans
If you went to a private high school
If you went to summer camp
If you had a private tutor
If you have been to Europe (Born and bred in Europe! If that isn't privilege, I don't know what is!)
If your family vacations involved staying at hotels
If all of your clothing has been new and bought at the mall
If your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
If there was original art in your house (my mother's!)
If you had a phone in your room
If you lived in a single family house (sometimes)
If your parent own their own house or apartment (often)
If you had your own room (after age 14, yes)
If you participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
If you had your own cell phone in High School
If you had your own TV in your room in High School
If you opened a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
If you have ever flown anywhere on a commercial airline
If you ever went on a cruise with your family (I don't think they count the party ferries between Finland and Sweden)
If your parents took you to museums and art galleries
If you were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.

I can think of a bunch of other privileges that I enjoyed, such as having family members of a different species and living in different countries. Anyway, the point o this little thought exercise is not to feel bad about your privileges or feel insulted, it is to reflect over how the circumstances that we grow up in influence our worldview, our position in life and our possibilities to make choices.

EDIT: Good sum-up of the discussion at educationandclass.com
   2 comments

Ana
February 10, 2008   12:33 AM PST
 
I think your note on the privileged position of Swedes is very important. Being provided with free extra-curricular music lessons, having free access to nature, being able to drink the tap water, taking so many things for granted... It always surprises me when Scandinavian people BOTH know they're privileged ("On lottovoitto syntyä Suomeen!") and deny it by buying the usual pseudoliberal crap ("There's no such thing as a free lunch!").
Turukhtan
February 9, 2008   02:54 AM PST
 
Heh, apparently I'm a bit less privileged than you.

This thing is a bit confusing, because it says in the beginning "when you were in college", but then refers to many different stages of life, also after college.

"If you were the same or higher class than your high school teachers (I should say I am, now!)"
- Well, I'm assuming that my teachers were all academics with a degree. I don't even have a Bachelor's (I think?!). Still, I took six years of university level education, so that was my own choice - even if one could argue that class factors might have influenced my education choices ...
But then, we were upper middle class in Germany, and dad certainly had a much higher income than our teachers, so it depends a bit on how you rate the classes.

"If you had more than two kinds of lessons (I don't know if cello counts, since it was financed by the Swedish school system, but I took riding lessons and had private tutoring in German when we moved to Germany)"
- I didn't have more than riding and German. But you got your cello and flute classes from the Swedish school system, like everyone else in your school, so that shouldn't count as a class difference. Though didn't the parents have to pay something for the instruments? At least in the flute/mandolin class?

"If the people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively (when I appear in the media, I'm depicted positively!)"
- Hmm, young woman with dyed hair in keffiyeh ... Talking with a slight foreign accent ...? Naah, I could be portraid worse. I mean, I look aryan and all.

"If your parent own their own house or apartment (often)"
- I guess it also counts when it's the bank that actually owns most of the house, and they're still paying back the loan. That was the case in Gislaved and for mum now. It's also a form of housing that many lower class Swedes have (but that, of course, shows how privileged Swedes are in a global comparison). Besides that, I think we rented all our houses and apartments.

"If you were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family."
- From high school on (Hjällbo), I was aware of that.

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