When people refer to the invisible privilege, I consider it to be in reference to social class. The determining factor is usually dependent on the family’s income. The first day of class, during a conversation about feminism, someone behind me said, “I know the world is male dominated and complaining about it won’t help. To achieve equality women have to overcome their differences with men, not complain about them.” While the article doesn’t complain about sexism, it says the social class is race dependant, and the saying applies to racial differences as well. People who have been victims of racial class separation and inequality need to stop complaining about being treated differently and need to rise up and demand the equality. If someone wants the “prestige” and complains that it is because of the hand they were dealt or the race they were born with that prevents them from achieving professional or social goals need only look into the mirror for who to blame. History is filled with people who overcame their lack of privilege and gained it for themselves and their people. The fact of it is simple in order to change something you have to fight (not necessarily violently) for it. Given equality does not have the same value as equality (freedom, prestige, money, etc.) that is earned through struggle.
Privilege is usually only known to people who have earned it. Reason being is that they have been without privilege so they know the difference. People who are born with “the invisible privilege” often don’t recognize that they have it because people seem to think of everything as self accomplished and rarely acknowledge he or she received help or had an advantage. When Andrea entered Jewel’s Newark home she was uncomfortable because she was experiencing culture shock. She was being made aware of their social differences and forced to a level she has never known before. This shock can easily be overcome with practice. If Andrea’s mother exposed her to more uncomfortable situations she would develop and tolerance to her surroundings forcing them to become more familiar and less taboo. School funding is not a form of invisible privilege as far as public schools are concerned. I for one went to an out of district school but had to make up the difference in transportation costs. College is where the invisible privilege is most prevalent, with expensive ivy leagues and state universities upper middle and upper class children are usually the only ones who can afford them. I think the invisible privilege is less with race and more with income.
By Nick