It's Been a Real Privilege

A few nights ago my classroom kids, their parents, and I had the opportunity to sit and watch a clip from a larger CNN piece about a group of Muslims in Tennessee who were trying to build a Mosque in the face of vehement opposition from their community. In the video we saw a variety of people lash out in pure hatred and call for the town to remain "the same as it's always been." By that, they meant largely white and Christian.

Here's the video. Watch just the first four minutes and see for yourself.

When I shared my plans to show the video a few people raised their eyebrows in either shock or disapproval. Some thought this might be going beyond our prescribed curriculum and be perceived as preaching rather than teaching. Others feared how the parents might feel or, worst yet, how they might react. However, the more I thought about it the more clear it seemed to me that speaking out against hatred and privilege should never be considered controversial.

The great thing about watching videos like this with kids is that, unlike adults, they are not prone to feel guilty or become defensive. They simply look at a situation as it is, decide how they feel about it, and share out their thoughts. Wouldn't it be great if all of society could engage in such honest discourse?

It struck me as I watched this video for a second time that it really speaks to religious privilege. Christians are welcomed into communities. Muslims are not. Christians can openly celebrate their holidays in very public spaces without fear. Muslims cannot. Christians can use their faith as proof of their trustworthiness (this is why EVERY presidential candidate prepares a lengthy statement of faith). Muslims cannot.

Privilege is a subject that most people don't like to hear about, never-the-less discuss. White privilege. Male privilege. Heterosexual privilege. Non-disabled privilege. It often falls on deaf or defiant ears. This is, in part, due to the fact that privilege is so embedded in our society and our very being that we fail to recognize it. For instance, as a heterosexual I am privileged in that I can speak openly at school about my wife and not have to fear how to explain my relationship with her when seen together in public. Homosexual teachers can do neither.

While reading the book Privilege, Power, and Difference, I came upon the following list of male privileges...

*  In most professions and upper-level occupations, men are held to a lower standard than women. It is easier for a "good but not great" male lawyer to make partner than it is for a comparable woman.

*  Men are charged lower prices for new and used cars.

*  If men do poorly at something or make a mistake or commit a crime, they can generally assume that people won't attribute the failure to their gender. The kids who shoot teachers and schoolmates are almost always boys, but rarely is the fact that all this violence is being done by males raised as an important issue.

*  Men can usually assume that national heroes, success models, and other figures held up for general admiration will be men.

*  Men can generally assume that when they go out in public they won't be sexually harassed or assaulted just because they're male, and if they are victimized, they won't be asked to explain what they were doing there.

*  Male representation in government and the ruling circles of corporations and other organizations is disproportionately high.

*  Men are more likely to be given early opportunities to show what they can do at work, to be identified as potential candidates for promotion, to be mentored, to be given a second chance when they fail, and to be allowed to treat failure as a learning experience rather than as an indication of who they are and the shortcomings of their gender.

*  Men are more likely than women to control conversations and be allowed to get away with it and to have their ideas and contributions taken seriously, even those that were suggested previously by a woman and dismissed or ignored.

*  Most men can assume that their gender won't be used to determine whether they'll fit in at work.

*  Men can succeed in nearly every field without other people being surprised by this.

*  Men don't have to deal with an endless and exhausting stream of attention drawn to their gender (for example, how attractive they are).

*  Men don't find themselves slotted into a narrow range of occupations identified with their gender as women are.

* Men can reasonably expect that if they work hard and "play by the rules" they'll get what they deserve and feel justified in complaining if they don't.

*  The standards used to evaluate men as men are consistent with the standards used to evaluate them in other roles such as occupation. Standards used to evaluate women as women are often different from those used to evaluate them in other roles. For example, a man can be both a "real man" and a successful and aggressive lawyer, while an aggressive woman lawyer may succeed as a lawyer but be judged as not measuring up as a woman.

I read this list to Tricia and she nodded in agreement with each and every item on the list. They are all true. Yet when we notice this or any other system of privilege we avoid talking about it for fear of offending someone or making them uncomfortable. If it is true that every oppressive system feeds on silence, and I believe it is, then it is our job to begin speaking out. No matter how hard that may be.