Daley Scott |
In our October 19 class we discussed dimensions of identity and the concept of privilege. Which of your identities are you most aware of on a daily basis? Which of your identities provide you with privilege? Which of your identities deny you of privilege? What role do you think privilege plays in your daily interactions with others?
I thought the October 19th class was very interesting because I have always gone to school with people who are almost exactly like me. My grade school was mostly white and middle to upper class people, and my high school was exactly the same way. However, I do not identify myself as one identity all the time; I’m much more than white, girl, etc. I never identify myself as just one of those identities because when people do that, it is very polarizing and causes conflicts to be escalated more than they should be. People are much more than just one identity (race, gender, etc.), and just because people have one identity in common does mean that they have the exact same life. For example, just because I am a girl does not mean that I feel the oppression and discrimination that girls in the Middle East feel. On a smaller scale, my roommate and I are both white females that come from middle-class families, and we live completely different lives because we are different people. Just because we both identify with those three identities, does not mean that we have the same needs and services. I do not feel like any of my identities have denied me privilege. I know that maybe being a white, middle-class female should give me some privileges and some hardships, but I do not feel that any of these things are unfair. I do not think that I have ever been denied something because I am a female and the person I was competing against was a male. This is the 21st century, and people are much more worried about people’s qualifications for certain jobs than whether they are white, black, male, female, etc. There is more and more diversity in jobs that are predominately one identity, and over time this will continue to grow and change. When I talk to others, I see some of their superficial identities, but I have to get to know them better to judge them as a whole person. I do not think that I have ever experienced a situation where privilege plays a role in my daily interactions with others. I will be more aware of it now, and I will look for situations where privilege plays a role.
1 Comment
Erin
10/27/2015 09:43:47 am
Thank you for sharing your comments. I appreciated what you said about identities not being your entire story. In Gateway this past week, we walked a TED Talk called, The Danger of a Single Story. If we consider dimensions of our identities and make assumptions about people, we are minimizing them and their stories. We are much more than categories and/or boxes that our identities might create.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorThis is my working blog that has posts being submitted for the Exploring Leadership Honors Seminar I am taking during the Fall 2015 Semester at the University of Cincinnati. Archives
November 2015
Categories |