Power and Privilege

1. Power and Privilege May 28, 2014 PSYC 3570

2. Overview • How language hides privilege • Normalization of privilege • Choosing whether to act against oppression • Systems of privilege • Intersecting privilege • Exercise and Discussion

3. Privilege • American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: a special advantage, immunity, permission, right, or benefit grated to or enjoyed by an individual, class, or caste

4. Language • Contributes to invisibility and regeneration of privilege • Places people into categories • Words mask system of privilege

5. Normalization • Characteristics and attributes of privileged members are defined as societal norms • Affiliation with powerful group is transformed into and presented as individual merit

6. Choosing to act against oppression • Can choose which struggles to engage in • Privilege may be exercised by silence

7. Systems of Privilege • Male privilege • White privilege • Heterosexual privilege • Ability privilege

8. Intersecting Privilege • Can intersect with subordination or other systems with privilege • No purely privileged or unprivileged person • Presence of privilege and subordination obscures privilege

9. Exercise and Discussion • For each statement that applies to you add 1 point. After you have tallied your score, discuss with your small group: • Feelings about the exercise, • Thoughts about your privilege, and • How the exercise helped you think about privilege broadly.