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I don't understand the purpose of bolding/italicizing that specific phrase. Privilege cannot exist without oppression -- a privilege is only a privilege if it benefits/applies to only a portion of the population, otherwise it would just be a right. Therefore, if I receive privilege somewhere, it can only be due to a system that denies that privilege to someone else.
Of course I have personal motives. Everyone does.
From a young age I was very conscious and aware of the different lifestyles/experiences of my parents, who divorced when I was four. Both white (whatever that means), and both privileged to a certain extent and in certain situations as a result, both intelligent, both hard working, etc., but because of other aspects of their iden y (gender, class, level of education, and so on) my mother was never given access to the same opportunities that my father was. As a result, I went back and forth between living quite comfortably with my dad during summers and struggling to get by with my mom during the school year. I would learn as I got older and more understanding of such things that there were other elements at play in their specific situations, but it was enough to make me aware that this country doesn't actually provide the even playing field that many people claim and to recognize that's pretty ed up.
Again, it's not an issue of guilt. I don't feel that I have done something wrong. I don't feel that the majority of people who live within our system of power/privilege/oppression have individually or intentionally done something wrong. I don't feel guilty for being "white." I don't feel guilty for receiving privilege, or even for using that privilege to my advantage in a few cir stances. I do feel, however, that my privileged status is the result of a flawed system (or, to be technical, several interlocking flawed systems) that needs to be changed.
I'm curious as to what items and how they are correlated. It's been about a year since I've read the article in full and remember it being the type I agreed with overall, but didn't necessarily agree with every word written.
In general, I think that everyone should be treated equally. And I realize that's a broad answer, but it's intentional. I think that as long as power/privilege/oppression dynamics are present within (or endorsed by) the big systems and ins utions that run this country, we will never see the end of prejudice on an individual scale. The two things operate together to continually reinforce one another, and will continue to do so until one of those things changes. My underlying reason is simply that treating someone differently, on either a large or small scale, based on any aspect of their iden y (race, class, gender, sexuality, weight, age, ability, etc.) is inherently wrong and inhuman.
All aspects of my iden y are always present and equally important, and all of them bring their own levels of privilege or oppression. Same with everyone else. I, for instance, am privileged for being young, white, thin, able bodied, having an education, for looking straight, etc. At the same time, I am at a disadvantage for being a woman, an atheist, , and so forth. Again, this is true for everyone -- a black man may be oppressed racially while still benefiting from male privilege, for example. Different aspects of one's iden y apply to different situations.
True, but not the point I was making. In TV and entertainment, white is normative. Everything else is assumed to have a niche market or a niche interest. "Friends" and "Seinfeld" are typically referred to as sitcoms, while "Living Single" or one of Tyler Perry's many shows would be prefaced/set aside as being specifically urban or ethnic, for example.
Consumers are skin colors in many situations. I've long since lost count of the friends who've been followed through stores to make sure they don't steal anything, even though I've shopped at the same store without anyone paying attention. Used to happen at my neighborhood grocery store when I was a kid/teenager all the time.
Again, privilege implies oppression. One cannot exist without the other.
Let me explain: you say we need to move past this , that whites shouldn't have privileges other races don't.. Okay, fair enough. But whites shouldn't be expected to move "backwards"; other races have instead, moved forward to accept these same "privileges" to where they actually are becoming rights.
