Check your privilege!
In 1989, Dr. Peggy McIntosh, a White American researcher, developed a checklist based on her experiences of privilege as a White woman. Her work on White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack became a powerful exercise on how power and privilege work as one moves around in their daily life. Her statements focus on race-based privilege for White folks irrespective of their commitment to racial equality. On the other side, being a person of color (POC) or BIPOC or non-White in a predominantly White society leaves one with daily encounters rooted in discrimination and hardship.
Motivated by her work, I have prepared the below checklist to show other forms of privilege. The Critical Race Theory and especially the concept of Intersectionality as developed by Prof. Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw has increased my understanding of different forms of privilege beyond race. This checklist of privilege expands to incorporate the intersectional nature of unequal experiences and resulting discrimination. These are a few examples of how power and privilege are distributed based on our social identities and geographical location.
As I am currently working at a university in Germany, many of these statements are part of my personal and professional experience.
Instructions for the activity: Please read each statement and indicate whether you agree or disagree with it. If you are unsure/unfamiliar, answer in a way that is most like you. There are no right or wrong responses.
- I do not have to worry about accessibility when choosing a restaurant to visit.
- I can walk into any public place without worrying about uncomfortable stares from the people due to my clothes.
- I can use public toilets without worrying about my safety.
- I can receive important written information from my government and state agencies in the language I know.
- When I find myself struggling with school or work assignments, I would not be judged as a lazy person for that.
- When attending new lectures every semester, I do not have to disclose my health history to my lecturer.
- I am always addressed with the pronouns I identify with.
- I can walk through busy streets without hearing any hate speech against me based on how I look.
- I can donate blood while maintaining an active sex life.
- There is always an official holiday during major festive events of my faith.
- When I go to check a rented property, no one is interested in knowing about my religion.
- I can afford to buy healthy food for my family and/or me without worrying about the finances.
- I am never asked to speak for all the people of my ethnic group.
- I can be sure of no assignment deadlines on my New Year.
- I do not have to worry about building accessibility when choosing a subject to study.
- I can comfortably communicate with people I encounter in the city in a language I prefer.
- I can arrange to meet outside the office hours if needed on short notice.
- I do not have to worry about currency exchange rates while pursuing my studies.
- When classes went online, I already had a laptop to help me study/work from home.
- As an adolescent, I could openly talk about my crushes and relationships that were perceived as normal behavior.
- I can read written messages throughout the city to inform myself of the rules I need to follow as a resident of the place.
- Studying at a university was part of my career goals as I saw members of my family doing the same.
- I can look forward to going to field visits/excursions without worrying about the time of the day, additional expenses, and the structure of the given place.