Systems of power and oppression exist simultaneously within all (or at the very least, most) of us. Often when someone is told that they have a specific type of privilege, their first instinct is to deny said privilege due to the fact that they have experienced some sort of hardship in their life. However, that being said, it is important to recognize that simply having privilege does not imply a lack of struggle, but rather that you have not had to struggle through certain difficulties that other races, genders, classes, religions, sexual orientations or ability levels have had to deal with. The definition of privilege is an "advantage that is unearned, exclusive and socially conferred."
Most commonly, poorer white people will claim that they do not possess any privilege, because they have grown up poor. However, just because this person's socioeconomic status is lower than the average, that does not mean that this person, if they are white, does not hold immense privilege over people of color within our society. In case you are wondering if you are privileged, below is a list of some of the most common privileges occupied by the dominant groups within our society (a cis-hetero capitalist white-supremacist patriarchy). Hint: if you have never had to think about it affecting you, it is probably a privilege.
1. You have never experienced fear when interacting with a police officer or member of law enforcement.
2. You can hold your partner's hand without fear of ridicule or even violence.
3. You can wear clothes that make you feel empowered and that match the gender you are perceived as.
4. You have never experienced discrimination, either institutional or overt, based upon any of your identities (including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, religion, ability level, nationality, country of origin or marital status).
5. Access to healthcare is something that you can have on a daily basis, whenever needed.
6. You can go shopping and not be followed around for shopkeepers' fear that you will steal anything.
7. Your intelligence is not defined in opposition to your identity (i.e. smart "for a Black man," pretty "for a fat girl," etc.)
8. You can purchase "flesh"-colored products that match your skin tone and hair products that work for your hair.
9. Most people in power look, talk, think and act similarly to you.
10. You can walk along the sidewalk at night without fear of being sexually assaulted or harassed.
11. You can find positive representations of your gender, sexuality, race and ability level in the news and on television.
12. You will never/have never been ask(ed) to speak for the entirety of your gender, race, religion, sexuality or ability level.
For a (semi) complete list of privileges, please click here.
