Conversations: Privelege, Power & Difference

The author of this text notes that his writing is a framework made up of both "Conceptual and Theoretical  and an everyday experience. Thus it allows us to see not only where the trouble comes from, but how we as individuals are connected to it, which is the only thing that gives us the potential to make a difference" (vii).

Introducing the Conceptual and Theoretical: When it comes to social justice topics, it's important to "change the way we think so that we can change the way we act (viii). The defensive posture we hold keeps individuals stuck in their ways and mindsets in ALL areas of life. If we take a step back and consider what is being said in general instead of taking it as a personal attack on who we are, we would be in a posture mentally and emotionally to receive and consider what is being said.  As a white female, I believe part of the reason for feeling uncomfortable or defensive during these "hot topics" is how it's being presented. If the posture or tone of the person giving the talk is accusatory instead of a spirit of teaching, naturally people will take a defensive posture when listening. However, it is our responsibility as an adult to choose to look beyond the possible tone and hear the message. 

"Can't we all just get along?" ~ Rodney King

Yeah! Why can't we? 

"Whether it's a matter of can't or won't, the truth is that we simply don't get along." As I read that, I thought about how I don't believe that to be true....at first......children get along very well across all systems and cultures. It is not until adults speak their perspective based on what's been handed down or experienced personally that children join the systems of thought.  I was happy to see that the author of this texted acknowledged that fact: "How we think about such things isn't something that we are born with We learn to do it like we learn to tie our shoes, talk and just about everything else" (pg 17).  Adults have to examine their posture about a topic before passing it down recklessly to those that are the most impressionable. Children may not be able to look beyond an accusatory tone based on their age, therefore it's extremely important that those placed in front of children to teach are properly equipped.  I have seen how introducing certain aspects of race too soon or in a flippant way negatively changed the atmosphere in a classroom because of how it was done.....friendships changed.  I liken it to the paragraph on page 8 of our reading when it says: 

I recommend Trevor Noah: Where was I on Netflix. I have captured some blurbs below. 

I loved that! They don't make the kids feel guilty, but they DO make them feel responsible for where they are going! 

Everyday Experience

Social Construction

"No one is white before he/she came to America......a "black woman" in Africa therefore, who has not experienced white racism, does not think of herself as black or experience herself as black, not do the people around her.....when she comes to the United States, however, where privilege is organized according to race, suddenly she becomes black because people assign her to a social category that bears that name, and treat her differently as a result" (pg 21). 

I remember when I realized I was white. I was hanging out with some Puerto Rican friends and we walked into a breakfast place in Philly. I felt the room shift from buzzing to silent as I sensed all eyes on me. I looked around and asked my friends what I was missing. They looked at me, "look around, meg." I did and didn't know what they were talking about.....after a few seconds, it hit me. I was the ONLY white person in the building. Other than a moment of discomfort from being stared at, the moment snapped back to people chatting as they ate. 

My Dominican husband recounts the moment he knew he wasn't white, after moving here from the Dominican Republic. We were in a breakfast place and he was the only person of color in the building. He said he was starred at the ENTIRE time as if he didn't belong and he was made to feel uncomfortable the entire time. 

"To be white in America mean not having to think about it" (pg 25).

I realized my privilege of being white on two different occasions (I notice it more now that I am aware of the topic so these are just the firsts). 

My husband and I just moved back to the States and I was walking way in front of him. I heard a woman tell her son to walk faster and sensed it was because of my husband but shook it off. My husband got in the car and confirmed my gut reaction. "Did you hear her tell her song to walk faster because I was coming? I even saw her hold tighter to her bags and cross the street. I'm not sure if she said/did this because he was a man or because of his culture (he also looks middle eastern) or both, but either way, he experienced something negative due to who he was. 

Additionally, I never considered what my cousin experiences based on where he is in the country. He is a black gay man and depending on what city or state he is in, he fears for his life based on who he is. 

Through NON-DEFENSIVELY listening to the stories of others, I have become aware of "the luxury of obliviousness" that my white privilege grants me (pg 24). 

On page 22, the author mentioned the example of the Irish were 'long considered by the dominate white Anglo-Saxon Protestants of England the the U.S to be members of a nonwhite "race", as were Italians, Jews, and people from a number of Eastern European countries.  So my question is WHEN and HOW did that shift and can that happen again now?

Another question I have about how privileges shifts, this time in the area of class, is if we continue to offer scholarships for certain race groups and not others, will that help certain groups to come up in power at a certain point? Will this help to shift power? 

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While I understand what is being said here on page 34, I wonder if that is really the intention NOW. It seems we use these descriptors in some cases to benefit from them. For example, if we see that a business is "Black Owned" or "Lain Owned" or "Woman Owned" we tend to want to shop there to support.  Being a business owner, I know that being Latin and Woman owned is a benefit for us, not a deficit. 

Can the Social arrangements discussed on page 36 be rearranged through labeling and scholarships? What more needs to be done to create a shift? Labels and scholarships feel insignificant when we consider the weight and depth of the systems in place.