Invisible Privilege

Privilege is often invisible, in my thoughts, because in everyday society privilege is not usually discussed. It is not “normal” to sit around the dinner table and discuss whether it is a privilege to have the ability to go out and buy a new coach purse or to have electricity to run lights and keep food fresh in the refigerator. Many people do not look at that as being a privilege. Many people look to having electricity as something that is a nessecity, or common to have, although there are many people that do not have the privilege to have electricity in the United States.

I believe that the people of society who are most likely to be aware of privilege are those of a lower class.  The middle to upper class are accustomed to having what they need; rather than being aware of what they need and worring about how to get just that. 

I would describe Andreas being uncomfortable in Jewel’s home as being a culture shock.  Paula S. Rothenburg, author of “Invisible Privilege”, used Jewel’s “second” bathroom as a comparison to Andrea’s bathroom. Andrea had a second bathroom that would be consider normal. On the other side Rothernburg described Jewel’s bathroon as being almost unfit to be used. Andrea was used to her “Middle-Class” norms where for Jewel’s norm for “Middle-Class” are or were set differently.

In a perfect world I would hope that people would be able to overcome social difference such as the ones decribed in this reading. But in reality I do think that it is not going to happen anytime soon. Our world is not a perfect world. Although there have been many changes throughout the years, there are still many that are need. Inequality is unfair and we as people of society each have to do our part in changing the way we think and act.

Funding for schools could be an “invisible privilege” by where the money comes from and where the money goes. If a school has funding from a person or a personal organization, that funding in return goes to school of that persons choice. If it may be a school for children from a place where being “Upper-class” is norm, then the schools in surrounding areas that are not upper-class have the disadvantage. I think that it would be more like of a person to donate funding to a place where they grew up and attended schools.

I personally live in a small toen and our school system is not very large. This year they had to lay off a kindergarten teacher due to the fact that there were not enough students enrolled to fill the two class rooms. Due to this, the school informed us parents that they would not be accepting request for school choice from students and parents from other districts. Do I think this is fair? Yes. The students that live in the community or town should have first choice in the towns school system.