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"The Privilege Line" Buzzfeed vid, meme-ified and mused on, snagged from ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jesse_the_k
On the Fourth of July, BuzzFeedYellow posted this video: "What is Privilege?". It shows a video of ten people participating in a privilege awareness exercise, where everyone starts out in a single line, and then each steps forward or back one step at a time, based on how each person identified with 35 conditions of privilege.
As expected, the white straight males ended up near the front. And that sheer predictability is one of the biggest flaws in this exercise, as pointed out by Christina Torres in this article: Why the Privilege Line is a frustratingly unfinished exercise
Quote:
Over onjesse_the_k's journal, there's a discussion about how this exercise barely even acknowledges Disability as a culturally oppressed class -- of the 35 statements on privilege, there's only one that even acknowledges that physical or mental disability exists (#4), so if you have such a disability, you get "docked" one privilege point -- the same is true for both of the other versions Christina Torres linked to in her article. This, in itself, is a sign of how little awareness of ableist privilege there is in our society. Because if that box does get a check in your life, then a whole cascade of privileges slip out out of your reach, and there is zero acknowledgement of that.
So I'm including the "original" 35 questions behind a cut, below. And then, I'm going to try and come up with my own list, that a) has more specific acknowledgement of able-bodied/sound-mind privilege, b) includes some empowerment statements such as Torres suggested, and c) is roughly the same length of the original list. That means some questions will end up being dropped, which I acknowledge is problematic.
BuzzFeed's 35 questions:
1. If your parents worked nights and weekends to support your family, take one step back.
2. If you are able to move through the world without fear of sexual assault, take one step forward.
3. If you can show affection for your romantic partner in public without fear of ridicule or violence, take one step forward.
4. If you have ever been diagnosed as having a mental illness or physical disability, take one step back.
5.If the primary language spoken in your household growing up was not English, take one step back.
6. If you came from a supportive family environment take one step forward.
7. If you have ever tried to change your speech or mannerisms to gain credibility, take one step back.
8. If you can go anywhere in the country, and easily find the kinds of hair products you need and/or cosmetics that match your skin color, take one step forward.
9. If you were embarrassed about your clothes or house while growing up, take one step back.
10. If you can make mistakes and not have people attribute your behavior to flaws in your racial/gender group, take one step forward.
11. If you can legally marry the person you love, regardless of where you live, take one step forward.
12. If you were born in the United States, take one step forward.
13.If you or your parents have ever gone through a divorce, take one step back.
14. If you felt like you had adequate access to healthy food growing up, take one step forward
15. If you are reasonably sure you would be hired for a job based on your ability and qualifications, take one step forward.
16. If you would never think twice about calling the police when trouble occurs, take one step forward.
17. If you can see a doctor whenever you feel the need, take one step forward.
18. If you feel comfortable being emotionally expressive/open, take one step forward.
19. If you have ever been the only person of your race/gender/socio-economic status/sexual orientation in a classroom or workplace setting, take one step back.
20. If you took out loans for your education take one step backward.
21. If you get time off for your religious holidays, take one step forward.
22. If you had a job during your high school and college years, take one step back.
23. If you feel comfortable walking home alone at night, take one step forward.
24. If you have ever traveled outside the United States, take one step forward.
25. If you have ever felt like there was NOT adequate or accurate representation of your racial group, sexual orientation group, gender group, and/or disability group in the media, take one step back.
26. If you feel confident that your parents would be able to financially help/support you if you were going through a financial hardship, take one step forward.
27.If you have ever been bullied or made fun of based on something that you can’t change, take one step back.
28. If there were more than 50 books in your house growing up, take one step forward.
29. If you studied the culture or the history of your ancestors in elementary school take one step forward.
30. If your parents or guardians attended college, take one step forward.
31. If you ever went on a family vacation, take one step forward.
32. If you can buy new clothes or go out to dinner when you want to, take one step forward.
33. If you were ever offered a job because of your association with a friend or family member, take one step forward.
34. If one of your parents was ever laid off or unemployed not by choice, take one step back.
35. If you were ever uncomfortable about a joke or a statement you overheard related to your race, ethnicity, gender, appearance, or sexual orientation but felt unsafe to confront the situation, take one step back.
(My Version: Specifically trying to include "mainstream ability" privilege without calling it that, and also broadening its scope beyond U.S. culture)
So -- how'd I do?
As expected, the white straight males ended up near the front. And that sheer predictability is one of the biggest flaws in this exercise, as pointed out by Christina Torres in this article: Why the Privilege Line is a frustratingly unfinished exercise
Quote:
PoC often end up as props to help White people see how privileged they are.
Which… I get. I get often needs to be done. WP need to see, somehow, the privilege they live in, and if this does it, then that might be a start.
[snip]
When I do this exercise from now on, I want to start doing the line again, but with a different version of the questions. Something that centers on and calls out the unique ways PoC have their own forms of power, questions that uplift communities and also pushes PoC to question their own experiences with each other.
Over on
jesse_the_k's journal, there's a discussion about how this exercise barely even acknowledges Disability as a culturally oppressed class -- of the 35 statements on privilege, there's only one that even acknowledges that physical or mental disability exists (#4), so if you have such a disability, you get "docked" one privilege point -- the same is true for both of the other versions Christina Torres linked to in her article. This, in itself, is a sign of how little awareness of ableist privilege there is in our society. Because if that box does get a check in your life, then a whole cascade of privileges slip out out of your reach, and there is zero acknowledgement of that.So I'm including the "original" 35 questions behind a cut, below. And then, I'm going to try and come up with my own list, that a) has more specific acknowledgement of able-bodied/sound-mind privilege, b) includes some empowerment statements such as Torres suggested, and c) is roughly the same length of the original list. That means some questions will end up being dropped, which I acknowledge is problematic.
BuzzFeed's 35 questions:
1. If your parents worked nights and weekends to support your family, take one step back.
2. If you are able to move through the world without fear of sexual assault, take one step forward.
3. If you can show affection for your romantic partner in public without fear of ridicule or violence, take one step forward.
4. If you have ever been diagnosed as having a mental illness or physical disability, take one step back.
5.If the primary language spoken in your household growing up was not English, take one step back.
6. If you came from a supportive family environment take one step forward.
7. If you have ever tried to change your speech or mannerisms to gain credibility, take one step back.
8. If you can go anywhere in the country, and easily find the kinds of hair products you need and/or cosmetics that match your skin color, take one step forward.
9. If you were embarrassed about your clothes or house while growing up, take one step back.
10. If you can make mistakes and not have people attribute your behavior to flaws in your racial/gender group, take one step forward.
11. If you can legally marry the person you love, regardless of where you live, take one step forward.
12. If you were born in the United States, take one step forward.
13.If you or your parents have ever gone through a divorce, take one step back.
14. If you felt like you had adequate access to healthy food growing up, take one step forward
15. If you are reasonably sure you would be hired for a job based on your ability and qualifications, take one step forward.
16. If you would never think twice about calling the police when trouble occurs, take one step forward.
17. If you can see a doctor whenever you feel the need, take one step forward.
18. If you feel comfortable being emotionally expressive/open, take one step forward.
19. If you have ever been the only person of your race/gender/socio-economic status/sexual orientation in a classroom or workplace setting, take one step back.
20. If you took out loans for your education take one step backward.
21. If you get time off for your religious holidays, take one step forward.
22. If you had a job during your high school and college years, take one step back.
23. If you feel comfortable walking home alone at night, take one step forward.
24. If you have ever traveled outside the United States, take one step forward.
25. If you have ever felt like there was NOT adequate or accurate representation of your racial group, sexual orientation group, gender group, and/or disability group in the media, take one step back.
26. If you feel confident that your parents would be able to financially help/support you if you were going through a financial hardship, take one step forward.
27.If you have ever been bullied or made fun of based on something that you can’t change, take one step back.
28. If there were more than 50 books in your house growing up, take one step forward.
29. If you studied the culture or the history of your ancestors in elementary school take one step forward.
30. If your parents or guardians attended college, take one step forward.
31. If you ever went on a family vacation, take one step forward.
32. If you can buy new clothes or go out to dinner when you want to, take one step forward.
33. If you were ever offered a job because of your association with a friend or family member, take one step forward.
34. If one of your parents was ever laid off or unemployed not by choice, take one step back.
35. If you were ever uncomfortable about a joke or a statement you overheard related to your race, ethnicity, gender, appearance, or sexual orientation but felt unsafe to confront the situation, take one step back.
(My Version: Specifically trying to include "mainstream ability" privilege without calling it that, and also broadening its scope beyond U.S. culture)
- If you are able to move through the world without fear of sexual assault, take one step forward.
- If you can show affection for your romantic partner in public without fear of ridicule or violence, take one step forward.
- If you've ever been subjected to medical treatment, medication, or therapy without your consent, take one step back.
- If the primary language spoken in your household growing up was not the official language where you lived, take one step back.
- If you came from a supportive family environment take one step forward.
- If you have ever tried to change your speech or mannerisms to gain credibility, take one step back.
- If you can go anywhere in the country, and easily find the kinds of hair products you need and/or cosmetics that match your skin color, take one step forward.
- If you had close relationships with elders or mentors who could provide supportive guidance through your hardships, take one step forward.
- If you can make mistakes and not have people attribute your behavior to flaws in your racial/gender/disability group, take one step forward.
- If you can legally marry the person you love, regardless of where you live, take one step forward.
- If you are legally acknowledged as native born, take one step forward.
- If you or your parents have ever gone through a divorce, take one step back.
- If you felt like you had adequate access to healthy food growing up, take one step forward
- If you are reasonably sure you would be hired for a job based on your ability and qualifications, take one step forward.
- If you would never think twice about calling the police when trouble occurs, take one step forward.
- If you can accept an invitation to dinner or other social event without having to worry about your comfort or safety, take one step forward.
- If you feel comfortable being emotionally expressive/open, take one step forward.
- If you have ever traded time in your classroom or workplace for medical treatment or therapy, take one step back.
- If your school simplified what you were taught based on how easily you could fill out a standardized test form, one step back.
- If you get time off for your religious holidays, take one step forward.
- If you had a job during your high school and college years, in order to cover expenses, take one step back.
- If you had a job during high school or college in order to build your resume/improve your future prospects, take one step forward.
- If you feel comfortable walking home alone at night, take one step forward.
- If you have ever traveled outside your home country, take one step forward.
- If you miss out on public information, news, and entertainment because its format is inaccessible, take one step back.
- If you feel confident that your parents would be able to financially help/support you if you were going through a financial hardship, take one step forward.
- If people ever suspect you of lying about your needs when you ask for help or accommodation, take one step back.
- If there were more than 50 books in your house growing up, take one step forward.
- If you can take part equally in family conversations around the dinner table, take one step forward.
- If your parents or guardians attended college, take one step forward.
- If you are part of a social network where you you can communicate in your native language, take one step forward.
- If you can enter any business establishment on "Main Street" without planning ahead, take one step forward.
- If you were ever offered a job because of your association with a friend or family member, take one step forward.
- If one of your parents were ever laid off or unemployed not by choice, take one step back.
- If you were ever uncomfortable about a joke or a statement you overheard related to your some aspect of your identity, but felt unsafe to confront the situation, take one step back.
So -- how'd I do?