I can picture the reactions now. My reaction to the word privilege has always been one of disdain, distaste, disgust, and uncomfortability. Why do these feelings come up with the word "privilege"?
For a long time the word privilege has been used as a "bad word". It is used to shout angrily "You privileged #$@#&!! You could never understand!"
To some extent, this is true. However, I do not bring up the word privilege with the purpose of pointing fingers and placing the blame of a systemic and societal issue upon the shoulders of one person. Instead, I seek to educate and clarify how this word is used in a feminist context and how privilege can be used as a helpful tool for the betterment of others.
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When things are uncomfortable to talk about, often it is because these issues are surrounded by misconceptions. According to the Oxford Dictionary:
Privilege (n) - "a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group".
Privilege is simply an advantage that is granted not for any specific reason other than that the group is viewed as superior in their existence. This becomes a problem when it disadvantages the "un-privileged". When the balances of privilege are tipped one way or another, inequality is the result. When privilege is felt equally across all dimensions of identity, equality has been achieved.
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Why is this so hard to talk about?
Societal privilege cannot be understood without considering intersectionality. This is a big word, so the Oxford Dictionary has joined us to help:
Intersectionality (n) - "the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage".
More simply, intersectionality considers multiple aspects of identity (including social class, race, gender, ability, etc.) and how they contribute to or take away from privilege.
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Privileged aspects of individual identity in our society include being white, male, cisgendered (identifying as the biological gender a person is born with), heterosexual, upper-class, able-bodied, or able-minded to name a few. Aspects of individual identity that are privileged offer just that: privilege.
Aspects of individual identity that are not privileged lead to various levels of bigotry depending on the individual and the situation. This means that as a white person I experience greater privilege than people of color, but as a woman I experience a less gender-associated privilege than men.
The interesting thing privilege is that there are relatively few people who experience privilege in every aspect of their identity. We can do better.
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Why should we try?
It is important to Jesus Christ.
"and [the Lord] denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remebereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile" (2 Nephi 26:33).
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another" (John 13:34).
"I call upon our members everywhere to lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice. I plead with you to promote respect for all of God's children" (Nelson, 2020).
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This is a lot to take in. Privilege is a sensitive issue because it comes with the realization that prejudice and bigotry are real and the responsibility is ours to be the change, but there is hope!
Privilege is best used
respectfully standing up for
those with less privilege. 💖
What could this look like for you and me?
- It could look like male church leaders actively working to understand a female perspective on an issue and incorporating that perspective into decision making.
- It could look like politely asking a person with a physical disability if they would like assistance (with a door, with getting up off a chair, etc.) rather than assuming they are not able. They may not mind help, but assuming their level of disability could be quite harmful.
- It could look like learning about the perspective of a person of color and learning to question racism when it happens to politely shut it down. (This is something many people of color cannot do for themselves when faced with racist treatment or comments.)
- It could look like challenging the ideas you have about social class in order to accept that both wealthy people and poor people are children of God and that He loves them.
- It could look like overcoming personal discomfort in order to talk to and connect with a person of a marginalized race. Not everyone is outgoing, but making an effort makes the difference.
- It could look like challenging personal discomfort with the LGBTQA+ community and seeking to learn more. Often times discomfort with the community stems from fear of the unknown.
- It could look like questioning yourself when you have thoughts like "wow, they look like a shady character" in order to determine what it is about them that makes them look shady and whether or not the assumption is being made based off of biased assumptions about the lower class or about race.
Doing the work is hard. For some, overcoming feelings of hatred for generations of discrimination is a massive burden. For others, recognizing their own contributions to racism and overall bigotry is extremely uncomfortable and it is difficult for us to change.
Even so, it is worth it.
It is worth it becuase a good society is a society where being out after dark does not put a person in danger. It is worth it because all people deserve equitable employment, public services, and healthcare. It is worth it because equality is worth it to our Savior. He is the ultimate model of perfect love and perfect equality.
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What will you do to be more like Christ?
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For more information on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter'day Saints' perspective on prejudice, see https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/racial-prejudice?lang=eng
Nelson, Russel M. "Let God prevail" (2020). https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/46nelson?lang=eng
We have all seen the pecking order in action. Those with privilege even within a race or ethnic group are higher than those who lack it. This is hard wired into our brains. (See chapter 1 of the book 12 Rules for Life) Living with empathy and compassion requires really listening and being real yourself. Living with others means you might not be treated the way you want to be treated, but you can always treat others the way you want to be treated.
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