Judith over at A Lesbian & A Scholar is hosting the first blog Carnival on Privilege, with links to blog posts from around the Internet on the topic of privilege. I submitted a post of mine from September, A Loss of Privilege, or a Gain?, which discussed different perspectives on what ‘privilege’ has meant throughout my transition. Other topics covered by the carnival are Christian privilege, heterosexual privilege, white privilege, and more. Check it out!
Privilege (Noun)
- a right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed only by a person beyond the advantages of most: the privileges of the very rich.
- an advantage or source of pleasure granted to a person: It’s my privilege to be here.
Those certainly aren’t the only definitions of ‘privilege’ (see where I stole them from for a few more examples) but they’re the ones I’ve been thinking about lately.
The first is perhaps the most commonly used: “White privilege.” “Cis privilege.” “Male privilege.” recursiveparadox has a great post on that type of privilege, For the Uninformed: Privilege, Perspective, and the Little Things That Jab. She sheds light on how lack of privilege can become “this constant stream, this wearing away of patience, defense and sanity.”
I’ve been thinking about that second definition of privilege: “It’s been a privilege meeting you.” “Do you think putting a TV in her room is too big of a privilege?” “Pick up your toys or you lose dessert privileges.”
That definition – of a source of pleasure – has flipped my perspective around a little bit, and made me all the more aware of the loss of my male privilege (using the first definition).
Continue reading 'A Loss of Privilege, or a Gain?'»
I was watching some TV with one of my roommates the other day and she was flipping between (among other things) Bridget Jones II: Tumbling Over the Edge of Reason and Into the Pit of Obnoxiousness. There’s a scene near the end (spoiler altert!) where one of the characters professes her not-very-well-hidden love of Bridget Jones. Jone’s reply, after a particularly ridiculous kiss, is “I’m afraid it’s still men in general, Mark Darcy in particular that I love. But if I ever decide to punt for the other side, there’s no one for me but you.”
I mentioned to my roommate that – if a girl ever professes their love for her – she should not respond like that, as it’s rather condescending.
She said, “No, I think it’s flattering!”
Continue reading 'So I’m Not Just Overly Sensitive'»
That’s the question I was asked this afternoon: “So Rebecca, are you undergoing a transgender experience?”
I was at part one of a two-day workshop led by members of the Tectonic Theater Project – best known for The Laramie Project – on Moment Theater. We were taking a brief break and one of the other participants came up to me and, without any pretense, sprung that question on me.
Continue reading 'Are you undergoing a transgender experience?'»
The tongue-in-cheeck website Deraililng for Dummies promises to help “[derail] awkward conversations by dismissing and trivialising your opposition’s perspective and experience.” The site promises that its instructions applies to “sexism, whorephobia, racism, transphobia, classism, homophobia, ableism, kinkphobia, and fatphobia!” It’s rather amazing.
The simple guide includes such adversarial approaches as
- If You Won’t Educate Me How Can I Learn?
- If You Cared About These Matters You’d Be Willing To Educate Me
- You’re Being Hostile
- You’re Being Overemotional
- And more!
The “book”s intro after the break.
Continue reading 'Enhance your bigotry with Derailing for Dummies!'»
I’ve been thinking about privilege lately. As someone who grew up white, middle class, and (presenting to the world as) male, I’ve been near the top of the ‘privilege’ heap. I’m (culturally) Jewish, which certainly wouldn’t win me fans in all circles but hasn’t (to my knowledge) made me the subject of discrimination so far in my life. Moving through the world as said WMCM, I’ve learned to expect all of the privileges afforded to me as such. (WMCM = white, middle-class, male…doesn’t have quit the same ring as JAP or WASP, but what are you gonna do…I’m open to more witty suggestions if anyone has some.) I don’t think I’ve ever tried to claim undo privilege, ad I certainly hope that I haven’t, but I’ve read enough feminist, queer, and race theory to know that I’ve received the benefits of my WMCM privilege whether I’ve intended to or not.
Ceder over at Taking Up Too Much Space has come up with a Cis Privilege Checklist, having been inspired by Peggy McIntosh’s White Privilege Checklist. Both lists are woth taking a look at, because no matter who you are you either are the recipient of such privilege, or denied such privilege by virtue of not bing cis or white. But the lists are particularly interesting to go through from the perspective of figuring out how many privileges have been denied because of your non-cis or non-white status. (Interesting and depressing, but interesting nontheless.)
Continue reading 'Privilege'»
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