“Wait…That’s Privilege?”
Determining what it means to be “privileged” is often a nuanced conversation; some privileges are more obvious to recognize, e.g. by race or gender. Other privileges, which we acquire though our education, socioeconomic class, or relationships with particular institutions, can be harder to identify. Privilege, “a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people,”[1] is intersectional, too. For example, you may have the privilege of being a white male but, if you identify as a member of the LGBTQIA community, you may face levels of oppression that heterosexual white males may not. Perhaps you have privileges of education and a higher socioeconomic status, but if you are mentally or physically differently-abled, you may find yourself facing various forms of microagressions others may not.
MICROAGRESSIONS: a subtle but offensive comment or action directed at a non-dominant group that is often unintentional or unconsciously reinforces a stereotype: i.e., I don’t see you as a Black woman, just a regular person.
Popular news outlet BuzzFeed curated a lengthy checklist of privileges that are commonly mistaken as universal. While the quiz isn’t intended to give definitive answers concerning a person’s level of privilege, it does offer insight to the many different ways privileges add up!
Click the link below to take the quiz; your results may surprise you!
“How privileged are you?” quiz by BuzzFeed
POST QUIZ Questions for consideration:
Before this quiz, were you aware of what aspects of your identity provided you privilege or what life experiences put you at a disadvantage? How does this information shape your understanding of privilege and its impact on you? Others?
How can we begin to re-imagine our social, political, and religious responsibility in the world through the intersections of our identity? Which intersections give us greater ability to champion for the needs of others and which leave room for us to empathize with the needs others?
How do we navigate the parts of our privilege that we cannot control (race, ethnicity, etc.) to become more aware of how systems of oppression limit the rights and privileges of people? How can we become more equitable in our practices through these fixed characteristics?
[1] Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary