Privilege and Intersectionality

Synopsis:

Understanding one’s privilege and understanding intersectionality are both incredibly effective tools in fighting for equality and opposing racism, sexism and oppression as a whole. Understanding one’s privilege allows for a recognition of what rights and advantages certain groups have over others, and how these advantages are based on social and cultural factors rather than individual efforts and achievements. Understanding intersectionality allows for the acknowledgement that people experience oppression in significantly different ways, and that individuals with multiple marginalized identities experience intersections of oppression as a result. By better understanding out privilege and the concept of intersectionality, we may better support and encourage the success of those around us.

Rationale:

Both of the aforementioned concepts are extremely important, as a failure to recognize and understand such concepts can compound issues facing oppressed groups. People often misunderstand the phrase “check your privilege” and immediately go on the defensive, feeling as though the individual is claiming that they haven’t worked for what they have achieved in their life. In reality, a desire for individuals to “check their privilege” is simply a request for members of socially privileged groups to recognize that they have certain advantages that marginalized groups do not. A failure to understand intersectionality can also be detrimental for marginalized groups, especially when considering social movements. A prime example of this is with the Women’s March in 2017; the movement was dominated by white, heterosexual and cisgendered women. This led to the othering of women who did not fit this classification, which ultimately limited the effectiveness of the march. This, and other such issues affecting marginalized and oppressed groups, can be avoided and mitigated through and understanding of one’s own privilege and of the concept of intersectionality.

Keywords: Intersectionality, Privilege, Oppression

Author: Austin