In past posts and comments, I have railed against the idea of privilege in this country. My main problem is that, though they are not perfect, we have laws that protect and provide. Also, certain individuals or groups put an adjective in front of the word privilege and use it to fight against those with whom they disagree. For instance, Christian privilege is one of those terms. Some claim Christian privilege because this nation celebrates Christian holidays. ( I might remind everyone that that’s because the nation was founded on Christian principles.) Christians in this nation and around the world are under increasing attack. I could cite many examples where Christians are oppressed in the name of providing religious freedom for others and simply because they are Christians, but that’s not the thrust of this post.
As I did research for a project, I merely wanted to shine the light on oppressed women in third world countries but I could not avoid the idea of privilege. I could not avoid the truth that in some of these places, privilege is the root of oppression. I have come to believe (and maybe this is not so profound or original to others) that privilege stems from those with power. To me, that’s significant because I see a negative connotation in the current usage of the word privilege and I don’t think it has to be that way. Privilege is not necessarily a bad thing. Using the word “power” makes it more reasonable for me.
When I look at Afghanistan which has in the past, and still does to some extent, embraced hardline Islam and its patriarchal culture. Women and children suffer under male control of the cultural, social, and economic institutions, and I readily see how privilege, or the power retained by men, oppresses. I can’t argue with that.
In India, with Mumbai as one of the worst areas, human trafficking is prevalent. That and the caste system oppresses women. In both examples of these third world countries, the women have no power. they have no voice or means to withstand male domination. That’s not to say that there aren’ those who are trying to equalize power for them, but the chasm is wide between the powerful and the powerless, the poverty-stricken and the privileged. There is much to be done.
That’s why I have a problem with expending our energies on ourselves. How dare we sit here in our air-conditioned homes and offices with full bellies and overlook the rest of the world, We are given power to see what we’ll do with it – use it for good or for out selfish concerns.
Discovering Feminism 
April 4, 2017 at 8:40 pm
Your blog post really had me thinking about the word “privilege” and whether we should call it that, or your term of “power.” I think that the word “power” is fitting in many of the situations that you spelled out. Privilege, or power, does oppress many groups of people worldwide; also, it’s not just women who are oppressed–though there does seem to be a different type of rhetoric for the reasons why women are oppressed and not men (in many situations).
I agree, sometimes it does seem rather selfish of us (Americans as a whole) to worry about our own problems when there are millions more people worldwide who do not have homes, food, water, etc. (though I can’t harp on this TOO much–there are plenty of Americans who do not have these things either). This seems to be an age-old issue: should we not complain about oppression in America because there is oppression elsewhere? Sometimes I think that our society takes this measure too far and likes to compare apples with oranges; for example, we complain when our air conditioning goes out–we cannot compare that problem to a problem that doesn’t compete: such as the deaths of thousands a day. Oppression exists everywhere, yes–even in our modern U.S. society–so let’s not compare things that do not equate.
Going back to your original paragraph on Christian privilege–I do think that certain religions do have certain privileges–especially those who are Christian. I do not agree with your statement that the U.S. was founded on Christian principles–if it was, slavery would not have existed, and Native Americans would not have been slaughtered for their land. If you look at the U.S. Constitution, nowhere does it state that the U.S. is a Christian nation or that only Christianity is protected. The first amendment protects the religious rights of individuals, and even prohibits the establishment of a national religion (this is because many of our English ancestors lived under the national Protestant religion in England–and they were unable to practice any other religion (including Catholicism–which is a Christian religion)). When most of our English ancestors came to the “New World,” they actually did so with the belief that the Protestant religion would be the ONLY religion–Catholics, Quakers, and other sects were persecuted–again, these ARE Christians persecuting other Christians. When you say the nation was founded upon Christian principles, are you meaning the Founding Fathers? Because we could talk about their “Christian” principles, their agnosticism and deism, and the privilege they enjoyed as white, elite men (rather than as Christians).
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April 7, 2017 at 7:58 pm
You make a very good point on the words ‘privilege’ vs. ‘power.’ Rhetoric in these types of issues is something very important because it effects people all across the world. I think you’re right that often the word ‘privilege’ could be substituted with ‘power.’ In many cases, power is a more suitable term because it is those with governmental, social, or patriarchal power that purposely oppress others. I agree that perhaps our country focuses too much on smaller aspects of this ‘privilege’ or ‘power’ when it could be focusing on helping people who are oppressed on a larger scale. In our country’s defense though, I will say that so many people are out there, every day trying to end oppression, racism, and sexism both in this country and in other countries. Good people exist and are out there, spreading the message. The world will never be perfect, but some day, it will be better than what it is now and less people will suffer from oppression.
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April 8, 2017 at 2:17 pm
I think you have each touched on some interesting points in terms of the power of privilege. But I’d like to add, if I may, a thought that I had about just how powerless I sometimes feel despite my privilege. There is no doubt that I am a privileged person in America who has never went without any of the necessities of life. And then I learn about people in other countries, third world countries to use your example, and my heart goes out to them and their families who lack even the most basic necessities like food and water. And I think of how lucky I am to be in a place where water is so plentiful that I use it to drink, clean, and even play/swim in. And then that thought just makes me feel so powerless in my privileged place, because what realistically can I do? I do not have the power to control any sort of agency that might be able to provide assistance to other countries in need, and, apart from donations which seem so miniscule in comparison to the vast numbers of people in need, I really don’t have the power to effect any sort of real change in the matter–and this goes for both foreign countries as well as those on our own homeland. So I’m torn between seeing how the privileged do hold the power in the world, yet I who consider myself to be comfortably privileged in life so not feel like I have any power to accompany it.
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April 16, 2017 at 12:47 am
When I say this country is a Christian nation, I mean that you can find Christian principles at the basis of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the judicial system. Yes, you can talk about the failings of the Founding Fathers, but keep in mind that they are human beings like all of us with failings and imperfections.
This leads me to the comment that if this was a Christian nation then we wouldn’t have had slavery or the Native Americans wouldn’t have been mistreated. That’s not the case. There is still sin and suffering in the world, even this Christian nation. Man still chooses his own actions. Whether this is a Christian nation or not, individuals will still choose right or wrong on their own, but that doesn’t change the Judeo-Christian foundation of this nation.
This country could be full of atheists and it does not change the fact that its laws and principles are based on a Judeo-Christian ethic.
Please don’t misunderstand me – just because I say there is so much oppression elsewhere in the world definitely does not mean that we should ignore what’s right in front of us. I think we should consider more carefully the urgency and act accordingly.
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April 16, 2017 at 12:53 am
femstuffmom – I have often felt the same thing you expressed. How do we effectively lift up the oppressed anywhere? I know that I should give money to help, but I am so skeptical of most organizations because of the scams I have heard about or the actual percentage of what is given directly to help the oppressed is miniscule compared to the administrative costs. So, what do we do?
For me, it is an ongoing battle of forcing myself to wake up to what is going on right in front of me. It’s in my classroom everyday and I have to stop and remind myself to look for students who need something from me. I had a little girl last week tell me she was so hungry because her mother didn’t get paid until the next day so she didn’t eat lunch that day. Miraculously, I thought to offer her a handful of pretzels from my desk and she was eager to get them. So many times, I am in a hurry and say, Oh, I’m sorry and move away. For me, giving and mercy have to be conscious efforts until they become natural and I have to force my eyes open.
Other than that, I have to depend on God to lead me to where I can do the most good. He has the big picture and for me to do otherwise would lead to a mess.
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