Social Location Essay
People have several social locations, each one is influenced by an individual’s characteristics. Attributes that are included are race, age, sexual orientation, culture, ethnicity, religion, ability, gender and socioeconomic status. This paper will describe the social location that surrounds my education. Ascribed and socialized characteristics will be discussed and whether they are considered privileges or oppressors. My experience in this social location and how the above attributes have affected my experience both positively and negatively. Throughout this experience I have learned valuable lessons about myself and others. While describing my experience, ways I have experienced oppression in this social location and …show more content…
The main attributes that influenced the positive experiences include my race, language, and ethnicity. Race has affected my experience more then I knew, I never thought of myself as someone who experiences white privilege however, privileges of being Caucasian are present in my everyday life, I never think of my race as a variable before doing anything, this is a privilege (McIntosh, 1989). My education takes place in a community where many residents reported English as their ethnic origin followed by Canadian, as per the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (2011).Thus, I am surrounded by many people who speak English and who follow similar traditions, this is a privilege as I can communicate and relate to peers easier. Therefore, I have made long lasting friendships and have learned valuable skills that I will use in this social location and others. Negative experiences include the lack of access to resources, as the institution I attend is not the main campus, which is where the accessibility office is for the university, my disability has been the source of many negative experiences. I was given a technology grant last year to help with my learning, as my disabilities are barriers. Since I was unable to go to my university’s accessibility office, emails were the main form of communication, my file was constantly transferred between different people in that department, the issue was finally resolved this fall. If I had access to the main office, this problem would have been solved much quicker. Additionally, I experienced intolerance regarding my mental illness, especially when professors receive my letter of
People have several social locations, each one is influenced by an individual’s characteristics. Attributes that are included are race, age, sexual orientation, culture, ethnicity, religion, ability, gender and socioeconomic status. This paper will describe the social location that surrounds my education. Ascribed and socialized characteristics will be discussed and whether they are considered privileges or oppressors. My experience in this social location and how the above attributes have affected my experience both positively and negatively. Throughout this experience I have learned valuable lessons about myself and others. While describing my experience, ways I have experienced oppression in this social location and …show more content…
The main attributes that influenced the positive experiences include my race, language, and ethnicity. Race has affected my experience more then I knew, I never thought of myself as someone who experiences white privilege however, privileges of being Caucasian are present in my everyday life, I never think of my race as a variable before doing anything, this is a privilege (McIntosh, 1989). My education takes place in a community where many residents reported English as their ethnic origin followed by Canadian, as per the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (2011).Thus, I am surrounded by many people who speak English and who follow similar traditions, this is a privilege as I can communicate and relate to peers easier. Therefore, I have made long lasting friendships and have learned valuable skills that I will use in this social location and others. Negative experiences include the lack of access to resources, as the institution I attend is not the main campus, which is where the accessibility office is for the university, my disability has been the source of many negative experiences. I was given a technology grant last year to help with my learning, as my disabilities are barriers. Since I was unable to go to my university’s accessibility office, emails were the main form of communication, my file was constantly transferred between different people in that department, the issue was finally resolved this fall. If I had access to the main office, this problem would have been solved much quicker. Additionally, I experienced intolerance regarding my mental illness, especially when professors receive my letter of