The privileges thing baffles us and would for example make us go "What does me being a German without migration background have to do with recognizing that not inviting someone to a job interview because they look like or their name sounds like they're of Turkish descend is wrong? Why do I have to acknowledge that I don't have a migration background first when I know full well that stereotyping is bad without it? Huh?"
Because you being a German without a migration background may mean you don't think about the Turkish guy not getting a job interview and why he doesn't. Because me being straight may mean I don't think about non-straight people not getting representation in pop culture and why that happens.
The privilege discussion is not about giving you a right or ability to address an injustice. It's about getting you to look beyond your experience to see injustices that don't affect you. You have to know that there's a problem before you can do anything about it. In my own experience, I have found that it's really easy to not see problems if you're not making an effort to see what others are experiencing.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2010-07-20 04:16 pm (UTC)Because you being a German without a migration background may mean you don't think about the Turkish guy not getting a job interview and why he doesn't. Because me being straight may mean I don't think about non-straight people not getting representation in pop culture and why that happens.
The privilege discussion is not about giving you a right or ability to address an injustice. It's about getting you to look beyond your experience to see injustices that don't affect you. You have to know that there's a problem before you can do anything about it. In my own experience, I have found that it's really easy to not see problems if you're not making an effort to see what others are experiencing.