Dominant Groups

Dominant groups are the ones who are at more of a privilege, whether they know it or
not, than the subordinate groups that relate to them. The three groups in my life that pertained to
being dominate are being white, Christian, and heterosexual. All of these things, whether I like it
or not, make me a part of a dominate group that has more privilege then the subordinate group
that they match up with. It is hard to express the feelings associated with being in the dominant
groups, because when being a part of these groups it does not necessarily always feel like there is
privilege or power over the subordinate groups.
Caucasian
For instance, with being white it does not always feel that there is power or more
privileges than another person of any different race, but after hearing a speech in class about
white privilege it made me realize how many invisible ways that one can be taking part in
without knowing. Peggy McIntosh said in a very well written article about white privilege, I
think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to
recognize male privilege. (McIntosh) This is completely accurate. Many different institutions
exert white power, one example being stores. Being a Caucasian, it is easy to go into a store and
be completely left alone by all workers, but had it been a person of color walking into that same
store the same scenario may not have occurred. As a member of this group I feel as though there
are many privileges that are easy to not even recognize. Besides the fact that I wouldnt get
followed in stores, I grew up in a community where most of the leaders, teachers, and police
were of the same race. I never saw that as a privilege, but thats what the problem is; that these
norms are so woven into our everyday lives that we dont even notice the destruction that they
are causing. What I would love to see changed about this dominant group is that we become
more educated about white privilege. So often we look over everyday tasks that dont seem to
have any privilege associated with them, but if we search deeper we will find that in many ways
we have been given an upper hand. If we could help become aware of white privilege, then I
believe we could start to make a step in the right direction.

Christian
Christianity in America seems to be the most dominant religion. Although the social
work student does not believe that any hate should be exerted on any other religion, she does
recognize that these situations happen in the world. Christianity is what is accepted by people in
America, and if you are any other religion people will say that you are wrong. Instead of being
respectful there has been a loss of love from one another, and in result there have been
circumstances such as people from Westboro Baptist protesting military funerals. The social
work student realizes these oppressions, and feels that although she wants to share her faith with
others, she does not want to be hateful going about it.
Heterosexual
Being a heterosexual is a dominant group to being homosexual, and because of this there are
many oppressions towards homosexuals that are happening today. Heterosexuals get to have
certain benefits once they are married and can have kids when they want to with little to no
difficulty. Homosexuals, however, will not always have their marriage recognized by certain
states, therefore they can not receive the same benefits as heterosexuals. Also, homosexuals have
a harder time adopting children, and even when two females have a child with fertilization, it is a

very difficult process for both parents to gain full custody of the child. These are just some of the
ways that being heterosexual is dominant over being homosexual. Heterosexuals, much like with
white privilege, have a privilege that they may or may not recognize. This status, based simply
on their sharing the sexual orientation of the majority, affords them unearned institutionalized
entitlements and advantages. (Simoni, J.M., Walters, K.L.)