Blog Assignment — Feb. 13

After watching the Tim Wise video in class, what do you think about the idea of privilege?

In my own definition, privilege is when a person receives extra opportunities and benefits due to discriminations and prejudices towards others. However, I think the idea of privilege can be applied in a much broader scope than how Tim Wise utilized it. Privilege, by definition, is a special right enjoyed by a person beyond the advantages of most. This is not limited to the white vs. minority argument. Males seem to enjoy more privilege than females, and the wealthy definitely have more opportunities offered to them than those without much money. But in the context of this class and what Wise's message was, I found myself wholeheartedly agreeing with his points and examples. Many people think of privilege as big, glaring instances of obvious advantages. But that is not always the case. Sometimes it's not so obvious. For example, Chris Paul and Steve Nash are current basketball players in the NBA who are considered to be the best at their position. In accordance to racial stereotypes, Paul, the black player, is expected to be good; but Nash, the white player, has not had to grow up with the pressure to be good. So while both players are premier players, Nash is celebrated solely on the merit of his talent. Paul's greatness isn't as "spectacular" because he's expected to have a "natural" edge.

How does the media utilize privilege in media representation?

The media utilizes privilege frequently. Turn on the TV or open a newspaper and you will find white people seem to have a free pass on more difficult issues. When talking about the poor and homeless, many times images of minorities will be on display more often than whites.

Privileges I have noticed in this past week:

1. I am taking a sports journalism class and earlier this week we were discussing who were some of the best sportscasters in the business. One student in the class mentioned Suzy Kolber, a popular woman sportscaster at ESPN, and another student made the remark, "yeah she's pretty good, for a woman analyst."

2. I went to the store to get Band-Aids and as I was looking at the colors and all they had was clear and "flesh" color. But, the flesh color was tan. What about the color of other people's flesh? They were nowhere to be found. I never have to worry about buying Band-Aids that don't (somewhat) match my skin.

3. I never expect to be the only white person in a large group of people.

4. I opened a newspaper earlier this week and had to go through eight pages before a picture of a non-white person was printed.

5. Four-fifths of my professors are white.

6. I heard someone referring to a recent hire, saying that the person "probably got the job because she was black." I never have to worry that I'm getting a job to fulfill affirmative-action requirements. 

7. Wednesday night, I was leaving OCCC (where I work) two hours after the building closed. I was not dressed in professional attire, and I had a large bag with me. After I got into my car, a security guard who I had never seen before stopped me. I told him I worked for the college he did not question me or ask to see my college employee ID.

8. I went to the bank with a large amount of cash in small bills (ones, fives and tens) and I am confident the teller did not question the validity that I obtained that money.

Do you think society still believes in the one drop rule?

A resounding yes. If a person's skin is any color other than white, they are automatically classified with other people with that skin color. It seems that there is no gray area when defining people's race by appearance alone. There are no "degrees" of blackness, a person native to Africa and a person who is one-sixty-fourth African-American are both considered black. Even if the latter has more Asian and Caucasian blood in their DNA than African blood. On the other side, some researches estimate that nearly one-third of African-Americans have white blood running through their veins, yet these blacks are not ever considered as whites. The one drop rule is an unfair way of over generalizing people.

Personal reflection

I agree with the idea of responsibility of knowledge. We are a society who is continually trying to erase our past of social injustices. As we explore the errors of our ancestor's ways, we must take this newfound knowledge to heart and ensure that we do not make the same mistakes. If we do not adapt to the changes in the world then we are handicapping ourselves.