Media power and privilege discussion

Video: https://youtu.be/GTvU7uUgjUI?feature=shared

review video and materials below, and follow the discussion assignment instructions below.

Then reflect here on any or all of the following questions:

What surprised you most about the Power Privilege Checklist and why?

How have the various forms of power/privilege and/or the lack thereof, impacted you personally in life?

The phrase “white privilege,” can sometimes be heard/processed as a personal attack – even when that is not the intention of the speaker. It is common to hear relatively-non-racist people say something along the lines of, “What do you mean ‘white privilege?’ Nobody gave me anything. I worked hard for everything I’ve ever gotten in life.” The defensive reaction is so common, that scholars have coined the term, ‘white fragility’ to describe it.

Full disclosure: I personally identify as Caucasian, and this was my first gut-reaction upon hearing the phrase for the first time as well. I get it now, but didn’t then. The first time I heard it, it sounded to my subconscious mind like, “Everything you have was given to you because you are white. You have done something terrible to all people who are not white and are enjoying the advantages of that terrible thing you did.”

So my question is – Does the phrase, “white privilege” get the job done? Is it the best and most effective way to communicate the concept? It certainly seems accurate once one has taken some time to get past that initial, defensive gut reaction – but doesn’t it cause far more people to put up a defensive wall and “fight back” as opposed to listen further? Can you think of a better way to communicate the concept of systemic advantages? Perhaps one that might not be so instantly processed as a direct and personal attack? Or is that, “slap in the face,” a necessary and valuable part of waking people up to the ways that other people experience the world?