(no subject)

[novapsyche]

I'm amazed. This post is one of the very few in my own journal that has exceeded 50 replies. I find it even more amazing as I didn't put any initial information/opinion/spin on the piece--I just presented it as-is. People seem to have strong opinions one way or another.

So, some questions:

[Poll #731492]


Edit: Some of my possible answers for questions (and even questions themselves!) do not seem complete enough. I apologize for this, and if you feel you weren't able to accurately answer a question, the comments are available for clarification.

Resources perhaps to check out:

Power (Sociology)

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

Comments

[netmouse.livejournal.com]

I would also add, though it may seem like a weird comment, that I'm aware I'm also privileged in that my health is good (outside of injuries and some extended illnesses) and my appearance was not significantly marred by any disease or other situation and is generally considered attractive. This has made life easier for me in general, I think; though competitive and jealous tendencies of others cause occassional downsides, it has probably been hugely to my financial, educational and social advantage, as I believe has been explored in studies that I'm not going to try to find and cite right now.

[brendand.livejournal.com]

I second this comment. At least in theory.

[pgdudda.livejournal.com]

I'm somewhat surprised that you didn't include "disability" as a cause for discrimination...

On the whole, I'm not generally consciously aware of privileges I receive. However, I can clearly identify cases in retrospect where privilege has been given.

OTOH, I usually readily identify when I'm being discriminated against, or when I'm at significant risk of such. In some cases, it is difficult to determine exactly which trait is the cause of the discrimination, as sometimes they overlap - being a deaf, gay, non-citizen will cause those sorts of questions. ;-P

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

Like I say, there were some oversights, and I apologize.

(frozen) (no subject)

[sarahmichigan.livejournal.com]

Yes, because you were just a paragon of sticking to the argument instead of making it personal...

(frozen) (no subject)

[sarahmichigan.livejournal.com]

I stuck to the topic *on the previous post* and didn't make personal attacks.

Dismissing someone as "blind to reality" is just a polite way of saying, "Fuck off, loser-- you're too stupid to discuss this with." It's making it about his intelligence and not about the substance of the argument.

(frozen) (no subject)

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

Perhaps it would be best if we all stop referring to that part of that post and direct further comments about that to the post itself.

technical note.

[stampytherhino.livejournal.com]

long-time listener, first-time caller. well, at least in a while.

umm, yikes. i'm kind of off-put that -- when i click "view answers" -- i see folkses' answers associated with their lj-usernames.

is it possible to anonymize this?

Re: technical note.

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

At this point in the poll, no. There are options when creating a poll to restrict its audience (all viewers, friends only, private view), but not once the poll has been posted. I could friends-lock the post, but anyone who is a mutual friend would still be able to view the results.

[ex-druid210.livejournal.com]

These "privileges" are much less now than in the past, notably due to the women's movements. Historically I think they are the result of men's capacity to make war and general tendency to kill people who disagree with them. Thus said privileges can be said to have been acquired by brute force. "Winner take all." "King of the hill." That attitude is common for men, they are bred to it. Which men get the most respect from females? Is it not the top athletes? (Best warriors)
I say, then, that it is women who have created this situation, and women can un-create it, if you can get them to stop going ape over athletes. (Never gonna happen)(It's in the genes: survival of the fittest)
:)

[silversliver.livejournal.com]

Questionaire nitpick: Transgender is not a sexual orientation, only a gender identity. A transperson's sexual orientation (hetero/bi/homo) is usually stated with relation to the preferred gender.

This was a very thought-provoking survey and article. It's good to be forced to unpack our own assumptions from time to time, and to see what exactly we have better or worse than other groups of people.

Other priveledges I have: My grad school stipend is low compared to a "real" job but is above the poverty level due to my field. This stipend has allowed me to pursue grad school without going into debt. I have health and dental insurance, and my family had insurance coverage throughout my childhood. I only put my stipend amount as my income, but the package value is much higher.

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

I gathered novapsyche's purpose in labeling transgender as a sexual orientation to be this: if one is "male to female," and is attracted to men, is she heterosexual or gay? The answer to this question is not really even clear to trans people.

[novapsyche.livejournal.com]

You both have good points. I basically was trying to cover all bases, but when I'd finished the poll, I realized that I had left a lot of things out.

If I were to do this over, I'd try to make it as comprehensive as possible. I'd also like to analyze it with statistical software (oh, but that's the sociologist in me talking).

[pstscrpt.livejournal.com]

I know you can't think of everything. Personally, I was looking for "androgynous" or (preferrably) "none" for gender identity.