Those which did not, and which, as a consequence, did not ban Jews from playing, were accordingly ‘insulted’ by the opposing team.

Just saying it in so many words during a history lesson would spark a new  awareness of the terrible power of discrimination in young minds. I know I never figured it out when I was a kid- for a long time I just thought boys really were smarter than girls. All the evidence pointed to the fact.

Although the sad results of racism and being a minority are often the same,  I feel it’s important to recognise the difference, simply because it helps us figure out the correct approach to each issue. The sensitivity required to deal with a minority is NOT the same sensitivity required to deal with an oppressed individual. Not on a personal level. 

For me this means, for example, that while I have to assume that my minority neighbours suffer from racist acts against them, I cannot let that be the sole prism I view them through- it immediately builds a wall between us, a wall on top of which I sit, pitying, privileged, and unable to make real human contact. On the other hand, the knowledge that they are a minority, far from home, with limited options of socialising, and with a skin colour that makes them stand out like sore thumbs is a useful guideline for sensitivity- it makes me better aware of this ‘knapsack’ mentioned in the original article. 

Most importantly,  realising that I have certain privileges because I am in a majority disallows me to claim that since I am not racist, my behaviour towards minorities is always adequately sensitive to their situation. 

That’s the point of the original article, and the last paragraph in Maggie’s post, isn’t it- that we should recognise what our privileges are, where they come from,  be conscious of the fact that people living alongside us do not have them, and instead of merely accepting it and moving on, make it part of our life to fight for equality, especially in those areas where we, as a majority, tend to overlook inequality.

You got pulled over when driving because of your poor white trash looks. If you were black, you would have been more likely to have been arrested, or received a beating.

Someone looked at you and thought “poor white trash”. Then he thought again, “at least he’s white.”

I’m a grown woman and a feminist, and yet I still  catch myself unwittingly relying on men to help me in certain situations where I do not need anyone’s help, simply because they are men. Yes, really. This drives me crazy. I work hard to shed this ugly habit that society has taught me through generations of stories about damsels in distress, the weakness of the ‘fair sex’, and the superiority of men in brains and brawn both. But sometimes I still do it. I hate myself for it when I realise it later. Because I never realise it at the moment when it happens. It’s automatic.

And men do the same thing. Thoughtful, reasonable, kind men, even feminist men, still sometimes belittle women without even realising they are doing it.

Which, funnily enough, is exactly what the article linked is about. The privileges we don’t realise we have, and which we don’t realise others do not posess. Why don’t you read it again.

Normally these are synonyms but in this context privilege means something more specific.

Privilege is a benefit that you receive for being a member of a group that holds more power in your society.  You get the benefit because someone who is in some way like yourself (however superficially) affected the society at a higher level.

In some situations you may receive a benefit from being in an unprivileged group but this is because someone at a higher level who is unlike yourself made a decision that affected you.  It still emphasizes you lower position.

If members of your group are considered less intelligent or in control of your emotions you may not be held to the same high standards as the privileged group. There are going to be cases where this really does save your ass but it’s still an insult and will still usually hold you back.

Personally I get allowances for being female that I need b/c I’ve got problems with social anxiety.  Most of the time, however it’s clear that people are cutting me slack because I’m female, not because I have a valid psychological problem.

It is not hard for a man to break into a female dominated field b/c women wield power in that field.  It’s hard because the field has been devalued for being a female field and both women and men in a patriarchy might attack someone for “lowering” themselves and not behaving like they are expected to.  The unprivileged group might also hold up the status quo, but again this is not asserting power it’s holding up the status quo set by the power group.

I’ve always sympathized with the fact that men are much more restricted in what they wear, but again it’s not fair to call it female privileged.  Women did not set those standards from some power position.  It’s still more controlled by patriarchal tendencies.  Women’s clothing is considered more frivolous and less important by the society.  That just happens to result in a bit more freedom.  Although dressing nice for a man still cost much less than for a women.  The restrictiveness comes with some price fixing, making it easier for the privileged group to get ahead.

Women getting the kids in court and getting to stay home is always the funniest one to bring up though.  That is a direct result of a women’s place is in the home thinking.  Yes women benefit from it sometimes but it does not come from their power by a long shot.

And yes ciswomen are privileged with respect to trans women.  But that is cis privilege not female privilege.  Likewise a gay man may still have some male privilege but will not be treated as well as a straight man because of hetero privilege.  I have certainly seen my gay male friends benefit from male privilege though.  It’s not totally negated.  Just like women can receive racial privilege and still face gender prejudice.

She might get away with it. Provided she’s still hot enough to meet the macho criteria. 

I’m not. In consequence, people think something’s wrong with me. And that’s just the beginning of the trouble just being myself causes me.

Besides, back to the closet comment again, take a look at the way the lesbian issue is tackled by media and society as opposed to the gay issue. I would argue that tolerance for gays is much, much higher than it is for lesbians. And, no, men who watch girl-on-girl porn and like it don’t count as tolerant.

Understand that while men can be very badly oppressed, too, and this is horrible, they are in a much better position than women to fight back.

Asserting that racism is really classicsm only works on other white people fanatically devoted to denying reality. When are you and the rest of your well meaning but ignorant friends going to pay attention to things that actually happen to black people every day?

Well a woman (1 in 4)  is more likely to be raped than a man (1 in 17,) but you allege that since a woman stands a better chance of being believed, that’s a * privilege?*

Really?

Okay.

…oh.

Even in this county I have experienced prejudice as a white person, but not by minorities. I was living in Colorado in the 80′s and at the time I was in a rock band. I was used to wearing my hair very long and wearing kind of raggety leather and denim. In short I was sporting a look that screamed poor white trash and I was frequently called that to my face by other white people. Now, decades later I wear much more expensive and upscale clothes. I am not talking Armani suites but I typically wear suites that are in the hundreds of dollars. When I am dressed for business I have never experienced the same kind of negative reaction that I did when I was dress like I was poor.

Now when I was singing in the rock band in the 80′s, I felt that I was unfairly being discriminated against because of my style of dress, in fact I was frequently pulled over by police officers because of the way I dressed. Are there people in this country who are racist? Absolutely. Are they themselves of all races? Absolutely. However, there is no effective remedy for it. If I am discriminated against because of my form of dress or the fact that I am male or white then that seems to be ok because my gender and my race are in the majority. I don’t buy that prejudice is invisible to me because of my gender or race. I am an individual and I judge others as individuals. Am I prejudicial? Yes many times I am, but my prejudices are not based on race or gender. If fact all people are prejudicial in one form or another, we just don’t recognize those prejudices as being a problem like racism or sexism.

Why?

Also, “false dichotomy” doesn’t mean what you think it means.

No, it’s bigotry + power.

Fair isn’t an equal concept, and that must be acknowledged. Saying “life isn’t fair” is not an acknowledgment that life is more fair for you in many ways.

Victim blaming/shaming is awesome.

These are not thoughtful, reasonable men.

Privilege is necessarily exclusive. You’re talking about economic status and class, to make this society more egalitarian, you have to first acknowledge and address privilege.

“Which form of “equality” is most ultimately more preferable?”False dichotomy, obviously.

Edit: Maggie, thank you for sharing the “Invisible Knapsack” paper. Although I don’t agree with everything in it, I do agree that it’s well worth reading. I should not have made my first comment without mentioning this – sorry!

That’s certainly one way, but it’s a rather pessimistic and “glass-half-empty” approach.  I understand what you’re saying (and linking) though it gives the vibe that equal human rights is a zero-sum-game and that for someone to gain someone else has to lose.

Remember that the concept of “privilege” is relative:  is lack of discrimination a form a privilege, or is the lack of privilege a form of discrimination?

Since “human rights” is not a finite quantity I would prefer instead to raise everyone up to my standard of “white privilege” (where sustainable): we could achieve a modicum of “equality” by, say, having everyone regardless of ethnicity be harassed by the police without cause or we could raise the standard that no one will be unduly harassed because of trait X. Which form of “equality” is most ultimately more preferable?

The US is run by and for the worst BECAUSE of people with little brains that can’t handle a honest discussion of power.

“Change the law, change the power structure. ”

…which we can’t do if people can’t acknowledge the existing structures of privilege and wealth. Your argument is vague and unclear.