How I Look At Myself As An Individual

To be a person, requires intersectionality. Intersectionality is the idea that people do not function on only one aspect of their being, but instead, function on every aspect. Aspects that include race, gender, ability, etc. With this intersectionality comes innumerable categories that lie on the scale of privileged, oppressed, or somewhere in between. To be privileged is to have advantages that are not necessarily earned, and instead come with a specific, usually uncontrollable feature, such as race, gender, class, and ability. To be oppressed is to have disadvantages that are not earned, but instead come with the same uncontrollable categories as privilege. Even cis-gendered, heterosexual, white, men have aspects of their intersectionality that might not place them at the top of the privilege hierarchy. And it is in these complications where people start to place doubts on their own privileges. It is important to realize that it is nearly impossible to have privilege in every single way or oppression in every single way, yet, this is not an excuse to deny privileges. Even with some oppressions, some are still granted more advantages than others. To delve into this deeper, analyzing writings from established writers, such as Peggy McIntosh and Devon Carbado become necessary.

Take me for example, as I’m categorized as someone who has more in common with the oppressed people. My race is one part of the reason why. I’m a Multi-racial individual, being half African American and half Mexican. This in turn makes me oppressed, because society in America has made it clear throughout generations that white people are the superior race in America. So if you’re not white and is anything less than that, then you are considered a minority. Now it wouldn’t really be a problem, if it weren’t for the fact that, once again, privilege cannot exist without oppression. Just because of the color of my skin, I’m already stereotyped. A person who is white is paid more, a person who is white are placed first before anyone else regarding searching for jobs and internships. Even if I’m walking, I feel like I have to watch myself

In this sense, I noticed how privileged I am because of my sexuality, socioeconomic status, and country of origin. I was raised in a European country where I had the same ethnicity as the majority. Coming from an upper-middle class family, I never suffered from poverty or the stigma associated with it. This means that I grew up in a nice house and in a nice neighborhood where my neighbors were also middle-class families. I could walk alone around my neighborhood without the concern that I could be assaulted or robbed. This means that I was part of a privileged group, but without being aware of it since, as a kid, my parents could afford healthy food, medical bills (such as dentists, dental brackets, or new glasses) but, also toys and clothes. Furthermore, I was able to participate in extracurricular activities or go to college without worrying about the financial cost. Moreover, I have not struggled with stereotypes or stigmas that come with lower socioeconomic statuses such as thinking that they are less educated. Thus, I was never questioned for being intelligent, honest, or hard-working. Overall, I never faced discrimination or racism and that makes me unaware of how it truly feels like. For that reason, I need to acknowledge my identity

Have you ever felt like you have been judged or classified based on how you look, what you do or where you come from? Put yourself in someone else’s shoes, think differently for a second and realize how status affects others. Being categorized based on clothing, religion, or actions is hard to go through but eventually we make it. Our status more times than not, is defined by what we look like, how we dress and where we come from.

American society consists of many equal races, yet people believe that as a white American, I am more privileged than others. However, I have learned that race is not the only factor that determines my status or position in life. In addition, the concept of white privilege is not as prominent in younger generations. Despite the assumptions made by others about the privileges whites are given, there are circumstances where being white negatively impacts me.

Each of my identities contributed to how I view myself today. My culture and personal experiences have had a lasting impact. I view myself as a sensitive, devoted, compassionate, thoughtful, professional, caring, patient, shy, and independent woman. My current socioeconomic status is middle class however as a young child my socioeconomic status was low income. My mother was a single parent with four children. My mother Maria was unable to further her education since she had to work to help support her family. As she became an adult and had her own family she decided to migrate to the United Stated when I was 7 years old. She wanted a different life style

Modern Forms of Social Control (Privilege & Discrimination) – The Social Construction of Race, Class, and Gender.

This privilege stems from a person’s answers on the social location chart. It can be said that the answers on the left-hand side of the social location chart represent the dominant or “normal” traits of an individual, with the further right categories being subordinate. Those who find themselves in the dominant category are seen as privileged while those in the subordinate group feel as if their privilege is taken away and being given to those in the dominant group. Johnson also believes that there is no escape from this, as racism has been going on for years. To him, racism is something that “shows up everywhere and touches every life” (Johnson 7).

Have you ever been discriminated from the other? Think back the history, there were different groups of people being judged based on their differences. The American society in early 20th century had many prejudices, such as racism, sexism, and disability. These discriminations were not manifested in the same way. In the old day, many inequities were addressed to different groups of people and they were not treated equally. Even though slavery was abolished in the USA in 1865, many black Americans still faced poverty and injustice throughout the 20th century. It showed that the racism was still a pervasive problem. The sexism is another obvious problem which women were long considered naturally weaker than men, squeamish, and unable to perform

In social interactions, people often categorize one another, which in turn creates and reproduces systems of privilege. Individuals holding power often retain the cycle of categorization to maintain their privilege, but by doing so, cast outliers or people belonging to multiple groups at a disadvantage as their multiple classifications may fall at different axis of privilege. Axis of privilege refers to the concept that one classification can put an individual in a favorable or less than favorable position depending on the dichotomy of the classification. For example, we acknowledge being black and being a woman as two distinct categories that place individuals with a disadvantage in society, but we never reconcile the doubled disadvantages

I define myself in many ways, and who I am has a lot to do with my ascribed statuses. The fact that I am female has a lot to do with the role I play and the achieved statuses I have, in the culture I was born into and that I now live in. As our text says, “we can’t control, change, or choose our ascribed statuses, which include sex (male, and Female), age, race, ethnicity, and family relation” (sociology text 84). I think that the ascribed statuses makes us who we are and is a huge help in defining us. I know because I am female in our colony I will never work in our builder shop as a builder, or work in our hog barns. I will clean these areas, but I will not work there otherwise.

Sometimes a person may feel that they have no purpose in life. Finding out who you are just takes the time of sitting down and thinking of the importance in your life. Who am I? I am Mercedes Kimberly Kingston, and I am a person with different personalities, characteristics, and identities. The many ways, in which I identify myself, in fact, are the ways that define who I am. My Identity is something only I can fully define. I have a little brother, which makes me a sister; I have two loving parents, which makes me a daughter; I am in college studying medicine, which makes me a student; and I have wonderful friends in desperate need of support, which makes me a wonderful best friend.

How do I know that I am going to die? Solipsism says that I have no clue. Solipsism is the philosophical idea that the only thing that can be known to exist is one’s own mind and everything outside of one’s mind cannot be proven real. I believe that solipsism false. If solipsism was true I would be living a much more luxurious life. I would live in a large house and travel. Solipsism cannot be proven false but I dare someone prove it true because it cannot be proven true. Why believe something that I cannot prove true? In this paper I will prove to you with logic and reasoning why solipsism is false.

My oppression is not always visible, but it is ever-present. I am a black, bisexual woman raised in a single parent household, and I did not know my father for the first four years of my life – and for the next 12 he was merely a child support payment and monthly visit. Therefore, my oppression is easier to identify than my privilege, but I have always been aware of my privilege and how that privilege affects my immediate environment and role I play in it as well as larger society I grew up in a racially diverse, affluent suburb with no fears of where my next meal was coming from or if the electricity bill would be paid. I was afforded quality primary school education and given the opportunity to go to college instead of worry about providing for my family. That in itself is a huge privilege.

If you walk continuously along a straight path, you will never be found again. But on a cyclic path, you come back repeatedly at the starting point and eventually cover endless distance, provided the energy and system remain intact. Interestingly, most phenomena occurring in nature favour a cyclic rather than straight path.