Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

I think that statistics show that for the mear fact that you are white/male/heterosexual puts you at a humongous advantage, people treat you differently, you have more options from the begining, i.e someone isn't getting those oppertunities options and its all based on facts you can't control. to me to say that you shouldn't think about yourself as male/white/ heterosexual is to deny the privledge you get everyday for being such- trust me its part of your identity- normalizing it otherizes the rest of us.

I'm not saying this with anger- its just something thats really importnat to me. I do feel guilt about being white- and frankly i think i should. that and i feel guilt about being born with the economic status i was. I am not here by means of myself only, but because of the fact i am a white person born with a fair amount of money and my education just handed to me.

Everytime I am privledged a minority individual was made disadvantaged- also the way capitalism is set up there always has to be someone disadvantaged that the advantaged profit off of- and i have, some what out of my control been advantaged at the disadvantage of many.

also on another note- statistically "gay" people are more likely to have drug problems, commit suicide, have problems in high school with education/ they are bullied/ chastized and in some cases not given jobs they are qualified for- or what about aids being ignored for so long as a "gay" disease- all of these things not being your fault and yet- all those struggling people were less competition for you in the work place etc etc.

then again- in the master slave- land dynamic- the master only has the slave (who gives false information and tells him what he wants) where as the slave at least has the thing he makes- the advantage of community.

Barry- I agree with where your coming from- i really want to believe it too- i mean if i ran into a man i wanted to be with tomorrow i would, and i always consider that- also with gender being something that isn't stable i often find i'm attracted to people based on gender as well- i mean there are just too many factors.

that being said as i get older- for whatever reason i'm starting to realize i can't use the "well i could be with a man" as a crutch it has to be genuine and it didn't happen this time- maybe, maybe next time.

thats why i often put "man" "women" "gay" "straight" like that- they aren't very hard lines to me.

Interesting reply, K&D... worthy of comment.

you wrote: "I think that statistics show that for the mear fact that you are I think that statistics show that for the mear fact that you are white/male/heterosexual puts you at a humongous advantage, people treat you differently, you have more options from the begining, i.e someone isn't getting those oppertunities options and its all based on facts you can't control. to me to say that you shouldn't think about yourself as male/white/ heterosexual is to deny the privledge you get everyday for being such- trust me its part of your identity- normalizing it otherizes the rest of us. puts you at a humongous advantage, people treat you differently, you have more options from the begining, i.e someone isn't getting those oppertunities options and its all based on facts you can't control. to me to say that you shouldn't think about yourself as male/white/ heterosexual is to deny the privledge you get everyday for being such- trust me its part of your identity- normalizing it otherizes the rest of us."

One thing you left out of this theory is the 'white/male/heterosexuals' deals with other 'white/male/heterosexuals' daily, only because that is the current majority within our own society. But this does not elevate my own being one iota to the powerful amongst us, i.e. the wealthy, the richer, the more educated, etc..
Not only that, Alyson, but separation is quite different when it happens, say, in China where the oriental/male/heterosexual is the majority within their social level. Privilege varies from culture to culture, country to country, status to status. One cannot toss that word about without knowing privilege is a norm for societies worldwide. Take a person of great wealth like Oprah... due to her status as not only an extremely popular t.v. personality, but the vast riches she has earned herself ranks her as 'privileged' wouldn't you say? But should she deny her gift? I think not. Nor should you deny the gifts you have received from you parents, who I'm sure worked hard to get where they are today and kept their children in mind while doing so. That would be to make your own life a little bit better that theirs were at your age. Privilege? It's a comparative scale used in comparisons with others for conversations sake. Your own assumed privileges are more than likely negligible in comparison with Paris Hilton, yes? So when you say you feel guilty for being a 'rich white girl' is only your own self-consciousness speaking, IMHO, and really is not necessary. There are far more guilts out there than yours, wouldn't you agree?

"... statistically "gay" people are more likely to have drug problems, commit suicide, have problems in high school with education/ they are bullied/ chastized and in some cases not given jobs they are qualified for- or what about aids being ignored for so long as a "gay" disease- all of these things not being your fault and yet- all those struggling people were less competition for you in the work place etc etc."

Statistically, the poor fit that profile also. So do the uneducated and the starving people in drought-ridden countries of the world. So do the oppressed and lost and confused. No matter our sexual identification, there are always people that have more and people that barely have enough... it's not simply homosexual's that fit the profile, is it? Of course not.

double

right all minoritiies have similar experiences....

I was saying that its the same.

Im merely saying it is pertanant that we ear minorities- and that its easier to point out the fact we (minorities) are speaking of being a minority- but that its signifigant that we do so.

and that your not thinking of your self as male, white or heterosexual is not because its not signifigant to who you are but because it is not the "other," and that as privledged individuals one of the things we can do is be aware of our privledge.

its difficult- post-modernism comes in and says that by defining yourself- speaking of yourself as a minority you are checking a box that puts you in a box- but on the other hand post-modernism does not easily allow for community and looking at real issues either. Those that have alcohol problems-grapple with suicide- they are the ones who don't speak of their experience in my opinion.

I do believe my experience as a women, queer person, adrogynous person are significat.