To be privileged to me is to inherit a certain social status
or to be offered certain opportunities that most people don’t have access
to. According to the dictionary, a
privilege is “a
special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to one person
or group of people.” A few examples of
privileges that different people in society can posses include citizenship,
lack of discrimination, and a sense of hierarchy in society. With many immigrants coming to America
searching for the American dream, being born in the United States and
automatically becoming an American citizen is a privilege to their eyes. Having a voice in society by voting and
having health care and being able to have civil rights is a privilege that us
U.S. citizens have. A sense of belonging
with equality to other people and equal opportunity is what people immigrate to
the United States for; unfortunately that isn’t the case due to racial
hierarchy. This creates racism. We have this idea that “white” people are on
top of the racial hierarchy. This notion
dates back to when the first draft of the census came about. During this time, white people, or to be more
specific, white males, had all the power.
With slavery being a reality, there was a racial structure created;
where white people where above every other race due to privileges placed upon
them. Having these privileges, white
people had more availability to resources and wealth, which in hand enabled
them to have African-American slaves to work beneath them. By setting this kind of idea that people of
color are not meant to be equals with whites, mankind continues to make a sort
of pyramid that puts whites on top. Having these types of thoughts can lead to
racism. Racism is when one person has a
bad view on another person of a certain race.
As I write this I’m thinking to myself, how can anyone be racist against
Mexicans, Cubans, or Salvadorians if they aren’t considered a race by the
government. This just goes to show how
blurring the line between ethnicity and race on the census can be beneficial in
the sense that everyone would be able to identify as whatever they choose to
say and being accepted for it, instead as being seen as a lower class citizen
for the color of your skin. This sense
of white people having more privileges than any person of color is true. It took hundreds of years for America to
elect a black president. Racism goes
hand in hand with how different races/ethnicities come with different privileges.
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Hi Eddie,
ReplyDeleteI really like the list of privileges that you made, as well linking a lot of those to immigration. I am also super psyched at how you linked racism to the race/ethnicity discussions we had last week! Yes, it doesn't quite click that Latinos experience racism without being considered races. I hope the discussions this week continue to expand your thoughts on privilege. Lastly, I like the black/gray look of your blog but this one was difficult to read- try using a lighter color next time please :)
--eas