Privilege Walk Reflection

I was unsure of what to expect when we started the privilege walk activity in class. I had a general idea that I was to be considered more privileged than some people simply for the fact that I’m white, but I didn’t contemplate other factors, like whether my parents were divorced, or society’s perception of higher education and how this has impacted my idea of success. The exercise caused me to think differently about how my life experiences have put me at an advantage or disadvantage in comparison to others. When the exercise began, obvious traits were brought up, like race, gender, and sexuality. As a straight, white female, I’m only really at a disadvantage in western society for being a female. But I watched as other people in the class …show more content…
On the surface, this seems like an advantage. College is good, who wouldn’t want parents to support them in going? But when I really considered my own experience and the way my parents raised me, I realized that “support” wasn’t really the right word for it, but “pressure” was more fitting. My father inculcated the importance of education in me since I was in kindergarten, always emphasizing his own shortcomings and that he didn’t want me to end up the way he did. While this resulted in my academic success throughout schooling and eventually did get me to end up in college, I can’t help but think there could have been a less stressful way to achieve the same goal. I’ve realized lately the negative affects the pressure has implemented on my …show more content…
When some people stepped backward because their race put them at a disadvantage, and I was able to move forward because I am white, I was utterly ambivalent. I felt guilty, defensive, and childishly left out all at once. I was contrite because in our society I have one less struggle than these other people, due to no fault of their own. The defensiveness arose because I made assumptions that these people resented me for my advantage. This may have been true, but more than likely, they were going through their own emotions. Finally, of all the strange things I felt, I wanted to be able to step backward with them. Is this empathy, or a basic desire to be included? I may not be able to answer this question, but as I stated before, reflection is