Professional Documents
Culture Documents
English 2610
WHO IS PRIVILEDGED AND WHO IS OPPRESSED?
To elect whether we see ourselves as being an individual who is
privileged or oppressed can vary on the day we ask ourselves that
particular question. Also, whom are we comparing ourselves? If we
compare our wealth or status to those in Hollywood, we will, without a
doubt, feel less privileged. There will always be someone who is
smarter, wealthier, better looking than us who is given more breaks in
life. In this paper, I will research who are the people in America that
feel privileged and who are those that see themselves as being
oppressed by American society.
In a study conducted by Chizhik & Chizhik in 2002, they asked
undergraduate students who were beginning a multicultural education
course to participate in two research studies. The first study asked
students to state whether they were privileged or oppressed, the
second asked students to rate hypothetical others based on privilege,
oppression, and other categories (Chizhik & Chizhik). The results
showed that most students, regardless of ethnicity, considered
themselves to be privileged. The reason they gave was because they
all have a home, most have cars and are able to attend college. The
analysis also revealed twelve non-white women described themselves
as being both privileged and oppressed. Their reasons tended to report
Thestudyshowedthatmoststudents,regardlessofethnicity,labelthemselvesas
privilege.Thefindingsofthesecondstudyrevealed,thereisaconnectionbetweenhow
studentsviewedthemselvesandhowtheviewedother.Studentswhoheldrelatively
simpleviewofthemselvesusedconceptualunderstandingofsimilarcomplexityto
describeother(Chizhik&Chizhik).
Furthersearchingbroughtmetoandarticlecalled,DearPrivilegedatPrinceton:
You.Are.Privileged.AndMeritocracyIsaMyth.Inthisarticletheauthorwritesabout
herclassmate,TaiFortgang.TaiwroteastoryforThePrincetonTorycomplainingabout
theoveruseandmisuseofthephrasecheckyourprivilege,andclaimedthatthephrase
wastoeingthelineofreverseracism.AccordingtoPayton,Fortgangprovedthisby
detailinghisfamilyshistoryofthepersecutiontheysufferedundertheHolocaust,
claimingthat,theonlyprivilegehehasisthathisancestorsmadeittoAmerica,were
hardworkingandpasseddownwonderfulvaluessuchasfaithandeducation(Payton).
TheauthorsresponsetothiswasthatFortgangsfamilywasgivenprivilegesrightfrom
thestart.Thecoloroftheirskinallowedthemtohaveopportunities,doorswherenot
shutintheirface,whereas,blackshadnoopendoors.Shestates,Americahasahistory
ofoverallpreferenceforwhitemales.Whitemenaretheonlyoneswhohavebeen
affordedpoliticalandsocialrightssincethefoundingofthiscountry(Payton).
WORKS CITED
"SocialJustice."N.p.,n.d.Web.
"SocialWorkCodeofEthics."
Http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp.N.p.,n.d.Web.11Apr.
2015.