Privilege, Power and Oppression (originally posted on facebook 10/28/2013)

I love this article my friend Tina posted. I recently posted my thoughts on privilege vs ignorance. And I love how this article so expertly touched on all the points of privilege, social norms, and defensive reactions to having privilege pointed out. You can substitute any word for fat, or for thin, and you would be looking at exactly the same phenomenon. I love the part about "real women have curves", it reminds me of the "black is beautiful", or "our families are just every bit as loving as yours". 

Someone, very close to me, once asked me why "the black is beautiful" phrase is not racist, but that "white is beautiful" is. And just like this article explains "These types of phrases and attitudes were born of a need to say “I’m beautiful, too!” They’re responses to societal norms." White being beautiful, and more beautiful than anything else is the societal norm, it's the status quo. It's what everyone has grown up knowing, white, black, brown or otherwise. It's the reason black children prefer the white doll. In other words, it's not revolutionary. 

I remember when I lived in Brazil, a girl asked me at a party if I thought Brazilians were pretty. And I said you are definitely known for being some of the most attractive people on Earth. Which she responded, well the white people. I was shocked, the white people? And she said, yeah the white people are more beautiful, it's obvious when you watch TV. 

Now she said some other troubling racial things, but I tried to explain to her that the fact that there were only attractive white people on Brazilian TV is a decision a society makes and is in no way an indication of which groups are attractive. It just shows you where power lies in a society. 

So let me close, before I ramble on any further. This is one of the best articles I have read that succinctly describes the social force behind privilege, prejudice and power. And how, for whatever reason we are oppressed, oppression as compared to simple hurt feelings feel very different. And whatever oppression we may be subject to, does not negate our privileges. The two go hand in hand. I always appreciate having my eyes opened to different realities so thank you for sharing this article.

Let's Talk About Thin Privilege