Post Reading Week 4: Privilege

Section 1
This week we discussed about having the privilege especially male and white privilege and with the activity that we did in class this Wednesday I felt like in some categories I don't belong and felt lost, thinking about if I should step forward or backward with some of the questions in the activity. Some of the topics about privileges are class/income, gender issues, cis gender, race/ethnicity, religion, and age. For class/income, if your ancestors or parents own more than 50 books growing up then they have the white privilege. The same issue with cis gender, females can't peacefully walk alone at night because they feel inferior to other gender especially males while males can freely walk by themselves at night. In the McIntosh P. White reading it was listed that the standard band aid color would be the color of the flesh (flesh=white flesh). Concerning with the race and ethnicity ancestors were forced to move around and with the public utilities people of color are always the last on to use them or sometimes they are separated with the whites. I think the band aid standard was ridiculous because the band aid is suppose to cover the wound unnoticeable but the standard color is "white flesh" how can the people of color use the band aid when it's not the same complexion as their skin. I find the male privilege interesting because I didn't notice that women tend to pass by an open space and feel inferior while males tend to not care where to pass by or walk at night. Sexual Orientation is also one of the points that I didn't notice until we talked about it in class. People with same sex orientation doesn't have the right to marry. So overall, I think white privilege and male privilege are still accountable today even though to some individuals they're unnoticeable.

Section 2
Meritocracy is a simple simile for the "American Dream". The structural privilege is basically unearned privilege that can move a person or an individual into better circumstance like doors opening to them giving them opportunities. Meritocracy is believed to be achievable for everyone  but it's not because only whites and males can access the promised freedom, privilege, and opportunities. The structural privilege challenged the notion of meritocracy because it's not true to all of the people living in America.

Section 3
Jon Scalzi's "Game of Life" refers to privileges of different race and ethnicity. White people can choose the lowest level or the easiest level possible in the game, making their way to the highest level set in a game, while other race like people of color are automatically set to the difficulty level and not given the opportunity to start in the same level as whites do which then reflects to the structural or systematic privilege in the society. The McIntosh piece lists all the privileges a white male or whites can get without worrying about what other people think because they can be racist, having the power plus the privilege. In contrast to the whites, people of color and/or other minorities can't be racist because they don't have the power that whites possess.

Word Count: 530