While participating in this exercise, with every question I was imagining kids our own age in these alternative situations. With each question I stepped forward for, I could feel them staying put. "Step forward if you have fifty or more books in your house... Step forward if your parents ever told you that you could do whatever you wanted in life..." and they didn't move. And every question I stood still, they seemed to move back.
At first the privilege exercise made me feel ashamed for being so much further ahead than all the imaginary kids taking steps backwards. However, overall, I was shocked. I felt as if I was put in my place. Knowing I'm only a student at a school like ASL because my mom is a teacher there, and not because we have as much money as everyone else in the community, sometimes makes me think I am less privileged than others. Though this may be true to an extent, I realized I am still extremely privileged when compared to most other people in the world. I've done a lot of work learning about people in wheelchairs last year when I joined the Whizz Kidz Community Partnership Program. And I know a lot about the homeless and vulnerably housed because of The Big Issue, becoming friends with some of the vendors nearby. These seem like obvious conditions that would make someone underprivileged. However, to be honest, I haven't given much thought to how extremely underprivileged and handicapped simply because of their race. I'm glad to be able to see this more now, and I really am looking forward to this course opening my eyes.
Good observation Alex. Children of ASL teachers certainly don't have the amount of wealth as the typical ASL family. However, they tend be far more privileged than the vast majority of the world. You should not feel ashamed, but rather be aware of your advantages, and make sure you do not "cash in" your privileges at the expense of others.
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