On Privilege: Blogger Maggie Koerth-Baker Gets it So Very Right

::Standing Ovation::

I rarely copy word for word the post of another blogger because, well, that’s not how I roll.  I’ve got plenty of stuff to say without ganking other people’s words.

But my good friend Lisa(#1) “Google buzzed” this post and given that I’ve been thinking a lot about racist asshats, discrimination, and bias, (as well as discussing such issues with Even-Tempered White Lady), it struck a chord.  Struck it so damn hard, that I feel compelled to quote the post in its entirety.  So, I’m sorry if you were expecting original content.  There will be more of that coming forthwith.  But for now, suck on this awesome:

What I Got Wrong About Women in Science

“In the comments section of my post last Friday on women in science, a couple people were confused by the idea that bigotry and discrimination could be something done, for lack of a better word, accidentally … even subconsciously. I can understand why that’s confusing. Most of us were raised understanding that discrimination was a bad thing, done by bad people who thought that they were superior to the people they discriminated against. It’s logical to look at the way we learn about discrimination and say, “That doesn’t describe me, so I’m OK.”

The truth, sadly, is a bit more complicated.

Good people—people who aren’t supremacists of any sort—can and do act in ways that support systemic discrimination. We do this, not because we’re full of hate, but because we’re full of other lessons we learned as kids … things like, “Girl stuff isn’t as cool” or “people of that race aren’t like me, and that’s bad.” We might not cosign those ideas if they were expressed directly, but they can still quietly influence the way we act. And, if we happen to have been born into a non-minority category, we have the privilege of not even noticing when those old lessons direct us to do things that discriminate—because, from our point of view, the world still looks fair.

Case in point: That post on women in science, itself. Several hours after I hit “publish”, I realized that I’d managed to put together a panel on diversity made up of nothing but white people.

I didn’t set out to do that. But it happened, nonetheless. And it still furthered discrimination, by making it appear as if there aren’t women of color scientists worth talking to, and by implying that their perspective on the issue wouldn’t be any different from a white woman scientist’s. Neither of which is true. Without intending to, I left out the people who didn’t look like me. And because I have the privilege of seeing myself reflected in the media often enough, I didn’t notice the point of view that was missing until after I’d already published the story.

I’m writing about this now with the hope that it makes it more clear how discrimination happens, even in situations without big, evil villains. Sometimes, people with the privilege to not think about diversity don’t, and they make decisions that leave out people not like them. When that same situation happens over and over and over, the people who don’t look like the privileged end up marginalized. It’s simple. And, frankly, it’s a lot scarier than big, evil villains, because it’s harder to change. In the future, I’m going to try harder to think past my own privilege. And, whether your privilege is based on gender, race, wealth, sexuality, or culture … I hope this post will remind you to do the same.”

So in conclusion, even if you think you’re not a racist, sexist, ethnophobic, xenophobic, homophobic, biased, prejudiced, privileged asshat, you might just be.  Or, at the very least, there might be ways that you are benefiting from your privilege and you don’t even really recognize it, thus causing you to be an inadvertent asshat.  I’ll make a confession: I’m often an asshat.  I’m privileged enough to have enough money to buy whatever I want whenever I want it (for the most part).  I run with a crowd of richy riches.  People with pools and cabanas.  People who think nothing of dropping a few hundred dollars on an expensive purse (ahem, me).   My privilege often blinds me to the fact that not everyone can go home at night and decide to order 30 dollars worth of sushi just because they feel like it.  Then again, if you ask any of my friends, I’m the first person to pick up a tab at dinner, or take a friend out to dinner just because I want the company and they’re broke, or lend a friend a stack of money if they’re in a jam.

The point is, we live in a complex world and if you’re a caring, thinking, and open-minded person, you should always consider your role in this crazy roller coaster called life.   Just because you’re liberal or progressive doesn’t mean that you don’t make choices based upon your privilege.

That’s all for now.

Peace in the Middle East.

[via Boing Boing]