TEDxEMU - Justin Ford - Pedagogy of Privilege
Summary
TLDRIn this engaging presentation, the speaker addresses the challenging topic of privilege, explaining its definition and implications. They emphasize a multi-dimensional model of privilege, highlighting various types such as gender, racial, and socioeconomic privileges. The speaker argues for internal reflection on one's own privileges rather than pointing fingers at others, aiming to foster understanding and equality. Interactive exercises like the stand-up activity and the privilege pledge are suggested to raise awareness and promote responsible actions toward equalizing privileges.
Takeaways
- 😀 The speaker is excited about presenting and hopes to engage the audience on the topic of privilege.
- 🤔 The concept of privilege is often uncomfortable and not commonly discussed, making it a challenging subject to address.
- 🔑 Privilege is defined as access to or enjoyment of rights or advantages by belonging to a certain group or identity, often unearned and undeserved.
- 🌟 The speaker admires Howard Booth and uses his charisma to entertain the audience, despite technical difficulties with the presentation format.
- 👥 The 'single group target approach' to teaching privilege can polarize and alienate people, which the speaker aims to avoid.
- 💡 The 'multi-dimensional model of privilege' is introduced to address privilege from a more holistic and less polarizing perspective.
- 🌈 The model suggests that privilege exists on a continuum and is not confined to discrete categories like race or gender.
- 🤝 Privilege is always interacting with our identities, and we should be aware of how we unconsciously exert it in various situations.
- 📝 The 'stand-up activity' is a method used to make participants more aware of their own privilege by physically standing or sitting in response to statements.
- 🏳️🏫 The 'privilege pledge' encourages individuals to commit to being more aware of a specific dimension of privilege for 30 days and to act on it.
- 🌍 Recognizing and understanding one's privilege is a responsibility that should be followed by actions to equalize opportunities for others.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the presentation?
-The main topic of the presentation is the pedagogy of privilege, discussing the concept of privilege and how to teach it effectively.
Why is the subject of privilege considered tricky to broach?
-The subject of privilege is considered tricky because it can make people uncomfortable as it implies that they benefit from certain advantages simply by belonging to a particular group, which is not something they earned or did anything to deserve.
What is the definition of privilege given in the script?
-Privilege is defined as access to or enjoyment of rights or advantages simply by membership or belonging to a certain group or identity.
What is the 'multi-dimensional model of privilege' the speaker introduces?
-The 'multi-dimensional model of privilege' is a model created by the speaker that strips away the single target group approach and broadens the concept of privilege to include various dimensions such as gender, race, religion, and others. It emphasizes that privilege is not discrete but exists in a continuum and is always interacting with our identities.
Why did the speaker choose to create their own model of privilege?
-The speaker chose to create their own model to avoid the single group target approach that can polarize and threaten people, and instead wanted to present a more holistic and non-threatening perspective on privilege.
What is the 'stand-up activity' mentioned in the script?
-The 'stand-up activity' is an exercise where participants stand up or sit down in response to statements related to various dimensions of privilege, aiming to make them more aware of their own privilege and how it interacts with their daily life.
What is the purpose of the 'privilege pledge' exercise?
-The 'privilege pledge' is an exercise where participants commit to being more aware of a specific dimension of privilege for 30 days and to interact with it differently, with the goal of working towards equalizing the playing field.
What does the speaker suggest is our responsibility once we recognize our privilege?
-The speaker suggests that once we recognize our privilege, it is our responsibility to work to extend that privilege to those who do not have it, in order to equalize the playing field.
How does the speaker address the issue of inequality in the script?
-The speaker addresses the issue of inequality by encouraging individuals to recognize and understand their own privilege, and then to take active steps to use that privilege to work towards greater equality.
What is an example of privilege mentioned in the script?
-An example of privilege mentioned in the script is the ability for men to take off their shirts in public without it being questioned, whereas women do not have the same privilege.
What is the role of the 'Sneetches' example in the script?
-The 'Sneetches' example is used to illustrate the concept of privilege, where some individuals are favored simply because they belong to a certain group, without having done anything to earn or deserve it.
Outlines
🎓 Introduction to Teaching Privilege
The speaker begins by expressing excitement about presenting on the topic of privilege, particularly the pedagogy of teaching it. They acknowledge the difficulty of discussing privilege as it is often not a comfortable subject. The speaker introduces the concept of privilege as unearned advantages that come with belonging to certain groups. They use the example of the Sneetches to illustrate this concept, emphasizing that privilege is not something one earns but is granted by group membership. The speaker also shares their personal experience of teaching privilege to a class of 18-year-olds and the challenges they faced in doing so.
🔍 The Multi-Dimensional Model of Privilege
The speaker discusses their approach to teaching privilege, which involves moving away from the single group target approach, such as 'white privilege' or 'male privilege,' to a more inclusive model called the multi-dimensional model of privilege. This model considers various types of privilege, such as gender, racial, religious, ability, citizenship, and appearance, recognizing that privilege is not confined to one aspect of identity but is a continuum of intersecting factors. The speaker explains that this model helps to avoid polarizing discussions and instead encourages individuals to reflect on their own interactions with privilege. The model also emphasizes that privilege is not discrete but is an ongoing interaction with one's identity.
📝 Engaging with Privilege Through Activities and Pledge
The speaker introduces two activities to help individuals engage with the concept of privilege: the stand-up activity and the privilege pledge. The stand-up activity involves reading statements related to various dimensions of privilege and having participants stand or sit based on their personal experiences, which helps to raise awareness of one's own privilege. Following this, the privilege pledge asks participants to commit to being more aware of a specific dimension of privilege for 30 days and to make a conscious effort to interact with it differently. The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of recognizing and responsibly using one's privilege to work towards equalizing opportunities for all.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Privilege
💡Pedagogy
💡Multi-Dimensional Model
💡Gender Privilege
💡Racial Privilege
💡Religious Privilege
💡Citizenship Privilege
💡Ability Privilege
💡Stand-Up Activity
💡Privilege Pledge
💡Inequality
Highlights
Presenter expresses excitement and aims to engage the audience with a label snap activity.
Introduction of Mr. Howard Booth as a new hero and a humorous self-comparison.
The topic of teaching privilege is introduced as a difficult subject to discuss.
Definition of privilege as access to rights or advantages by group membership.
Use of the Sneetches analogy to explain unearned privilege.
Challenges in teaching privilege due to its polarizing nature when taught from a single group target approach.
Introduction of the multi-dimensional model of privilege to avoid single group targeting.
Explanation of the model's utility in stripping away single target group approach and broadening the concept of privilege.
Discussion on how privilege is not discrete but a continuum of interacting dimensions.
Emphasis on internal reflection on one's own privilege rather than external blame.
Description of the stand-up activity as a method to raise awareness of personal privilege.
The privilege pledge exercise to commit to being more aware and changing behavior related to privilege.
Dr. Neff's quote on the responsibility of those with privilege to work towards equalizing the playing field.
The presenter's challenge to the audience to consider their privilege and its impact on inequality.
Final thoughts on the importance of recognizing and responsibly using one's privilege.
The presenter's closing remarks encouraging the audience to reflect and act on privilege issues.
Transcripts
good afternoon everyone
so I am really really excited to be here
I love presenting so I'm hoping you all
are really really excited to still be
here too it's been a lot of
presentations so can we do one of those
earlier things like you're excited to be
here when we do a label snap awesome so
earlier I tweeted that mr. Howard booth
was my new hero because I thought he was
awesome and I thought to myself you know
I'm a nice looking guy I workout and I
too want to be remembered so in that
same way I'm just kidding
I'm just
but today I want to talk to you a little
bit about a Lear er the pedagogy of
privilege
alright so teaching privilege a
privilege is kind of a tricky subject to
broach sometimes because it's something
that people aren't usually afraid to
talk about afraid I wasn't exactly
dinner table conversation always alright
so it's not exactly dinner table
conversation and essentially what you're
telling people when you're kind of
introducing privilege is that so you're
a part of this group and there's some
stuff that you get because you're a part
of this group but other people aren't
getting and some people are kind of
weird about that like oh let's that's
uncomfortable that's awkward I'm not I'm
not doing anything that I'm not doing
anything wrong I'm just being me and
it's true no one is well you may be but
when you are when you're interesting
privileged you're not sort of pointing
if you're not telling people that they
are bad you're just talking about this
thing that exists whether we like it or
not right
and so privilege can be a tricky subject
so what before we go any further let's
just define where privileges oh what
we're gonna talk about alright so here's
the deal I found out that my PowerPoint
didn't exactly format the way that I
wanted it to we're gonna kind of use it
but my con not really use it okay so I'm
gonna use my charisma to try to
entertain you alright all right so here
we go go to the next slide area
alright so privilege i define privilege
it's access to or enjoying rights or
advantages simply by membership or
belonging to a certain group or identity
right so if you need another example
think of the Sneetches some teachers had
stars upon dollars and some didn't and
the ones that had stars upon lares were
just favored just because they were a
part of that group they did nothing to
deserve it
or nothing to earn it they just got it
right is that make sense
alright and this is so this is different
than the kind of privilege you get when
you're like sixteen and you live in your
parents house it's like if you do the
dishes you can use the color if you take
your sister to the mall you can go out
on Friday night this is different than
that this type of privilege is largely
unearned and often undeserved you might
deserve it much it might not just by
being a part of this group you get this
type of privilege that makes sense well
and a lot of times the reason privilege
gets tricky is I think it's the way that
it's taught right the way that people
try to approach privilege I think is the
part that makes it kind of threatening
to people and so for me I got to teach
last semester
which is an awesome awesome experience
and I was attempting to teach privilege
to 25 18 year old students so I'm
thinking to myself okay here's me green
first time teaching any course and I
have to try to broach the subject of
privilege which is tricky as it is right
- 25 fresh out of high school 18 year
olds awesome awesome so I'm thinking
okay I'm gonna have to come up with
something special I got a brand I have
to bring something really special and I
have to find a way to make this
non-threatening to these 18 year olds so
I thought to myself okay well what's the
threatening part about it I think the
threatening piece about privilege is
that it's awesome often taught from what
I call the single group target approach
right so you have these labels white
privilege male privilege Christian
privilege what does that do that sort
targets a single group of people who
enjoy the privilege so if I said in this
room hey let's talk about white
privilege what does that do to all the
white folks immediately well it
polarizes the room right because
everybody else who's not the white folks
didn't say hey we're gonna talk about
how you need to get get it together or
if we're gonna talk about male privilege
all the women are gonna say yeah it's
right let's tell you we're gonna tell
you about yourself so when you do this
sort of single group target approach you
immediately polarize the room it's the
US and it's the vehm I said okay I don't
want to do that cuz I don't want to shut
me buddy down with my class I want
everybody to be able to understand what
I'm saying to them right so I said let's
try to get away from that let's see if I
can't get away from that so I'm like
alright I'm gonna create my own model of
privilege I don't need this these other
models that exist I'm gonna create my
own model of privilege this is the part
that is a little icky because I don't
think it came out the way I want I came
up with what I like to call the multi
dimension model of privilege okay
and so what the multi dimensional model
does is there's sort of three parts to
its utility the first is that it strips
away all that single target group
approach okay so instead of saying male
privilege let's call it gender privilege
instead of calling it white foam let's
call it racial privilege because any
race or either gender or any gender can
enjoy privilege depending on the
circumstance and the environment for
instance as a man if it's hot outside in
the summertime I can take my shirt right
off whoop boom shirts off I'm shirtless
great are
our booth there we go a woman in the
summertime does not enjoy that same
privilege I get that just because I'm a
guy it doesn't necessarily give me any
monetary gain or anything as a privilege
but it is something that I can do that
just because I'm a male right whereas
women for instance women can be very
affectionate with each other right you
see women walking down the hallway and
their arms around each other there's
affection they can kiss on the cheek
they can do all these sort of
affectionate things without being
without their sexual orientation or
gender and then they being called into
question you see two men with arms on
each other like oh they gotta be gay all
right so that's it that's a privilege
that women enjoy right it's a small
thing but it's something women can do
just because they're a part of that
group okay so I want to take away this
sort of single target group approach and
I wanted to broaden it so instead of
talking about male probe I'm gonna talk
about gender privilege and racial
privilege and religious privilege and
ability privilege and citizenship
privilege and appearance privilege okay
because these are all privileges that we
enjoy all the time right the second
piece of this utility is it much like
well much like our identities they don't
exist in discreet pockets right I'm not
a guy over here and black over here and
get over here
I'm always a black gay male all the time
I'm all those things from Grosse Pointe
Park Michigan I'm always all of those
things and I'm always interacting with
all of that at all times right you don't
we get to just pick which parts are
identity you are you can you may focus
on one more than the other but everyone
sees you for all of those things all the
time right so you don't get to really
pick and choose so that's why I wanted
to pick a model that kind of Illustrated
that so you can sort of see this but as
you can see it's a continuum so the
multi dimension is supposed to be
colored and pretty and awesome but it
kind of got a little bit messed up in
the formatting but it's a it's a
continuum so instead of thinking of
privilege and discrete pockets of mail
or or mail or white or a Christian or
citizenship or aesthetic privilege or
gender privilege I want to think of it
as a continuum with all these dimensions
of privilege with which we are always
interacting at all times that makes
sense just like our identities we're
always interacting with these dimensions
of privilege consciously or
unconsciously okay so there may be times
I'm exerting male privilege and I don't
understand that I'm doing it until you
make me aware
then I recognize it okay so sort of the
utility of this model is that one we
strip away the single group target
approach and two we sort of look at it
more holistically to say that I'm
interacting with these all the time and
how am i doing how am i interacting with
these all the time what does it look
like for me and I chose these eight
gender socio-economic orientation
religious I chose these because these
are sort of the large ones you could
probably probably spend all day you all
could raise your hands and give me
different types of privilege but these
are sort of the large overarching ones
that I thought would be pretty
applicable the anyone could sort of get
a hold of and say okay sort of apply to
me okay so the third piece is that it
helps so stripping this away stripping
away the single group target approach
and sort of looking at it holistically
what that does is it allows you over the
third piece of that is it allows you to
not look at what other people are doing
when we have mu talk about male
privilege
well then women get to say well let's
look at what you're doing we're talking
about white privilege and everybody else
could say well it's go well white folks
are doing this model looks at what you
are doing
where's your privilege how are you
interacting with your dimensions of
privilege so what you're looking
internally instead of externally that
make sense because I'm pointing the
finger at you and you're pointed at me
and you're pointed at him and he's
pointed at her what's getting done
really nothing because all I'm doing is
telling you what you need to be doing
but if in theory if we were all looking
internally and recognizing our own
privilege and working with that well we
live in a better place right so that's
what this model is about it's about
looking internally to say okay we're my
dimensions of privilege and how am i
interacting with them and how do i how
do I affect that on the on a daily basis
and maybe in small ways and so there is
a couple exercises that I use to
illustrate this the first is what I call
a stand-up activity you may have heard
of heard of or done a privilege walk
before maybe anybody me snap BAM there
we go all right so you may have been a
privilege walk before a stand-up
activity takes all of those dimensions
of privilege that I mentioned all eight
of them and there are statements where
you just stand up or sit down so there
is no stratification where you kind of
walk up and you see at the end who's
farther ahead or who's farther further
back because that's not what we're
focusing on what we do is every I read a
statement and everyone stands up and
they sit back down there's 50 statements
to make sure that each dimension all
eight of them
get some coverage and so at but I want
you to focus on when we do this we're
not going to do it obviously I have five
minutes but what what was the point is
to focus on is every time people stand
up I encourage them to look around see
who's standing see who's not standing
okay see if there's someone that you
expect it to be standing that isn't give
there someone who is standing last
question that isn't if there's someone
who's not standing that you expected
would be sanding and then say if you're
standing and you didn't expect to be
standing is every time we do this people
go you know I never thought about well I
never thought I would stand up for that
or you know it took me a minute I
thought about it and then I stood up so
let's stand up activity is a very
helpful way to get people to think about
their own privilege because this is a
stuff we think about every day we're
thinking about getting gas we're
thinking about going to work we're
thinking about going to Meijer and
picking up groceries what we're gonna
make for dinner we're not thinking about
where the dimensions of privilege that I
have and how do I exist in them we don't
think about that all the time so this is
a great way to sort of get that ticking
in your mind okay and then the sort of
the follow up to that is what I call the
privilege pledge do I have you after we
do this step in activity or stand-up
activity and I have everybody talk about
we have a big discussion about it and
everyone's talked about their feelings
and all that good stuff what I have them
do as a privilege pledge so you pick one
of those dimensions of privilege one of
them that now you are more aware of ever
after having done this exercise and then
you say I'm going to be more aware for
30 days 30 days I mean more wear for 30
days of this dimension of privilege and
how I'm interacting with it so maybe if
you want to look at gender privilege
because you're a guy you want to say you
know what I'm going to stop using
pejorative language toward women that's
a great way to look at your gender
privilege because it's a very small
thing that you can stop doing to kind of
equalize the playing field a little bit
more and not exert your privilege your
gender privilege okay so I have them
take the privilege pledge and think
about really thoughtful ways that you
can start to interact with privilege
differently because everyone is
interacting with whether you like it or
not consciously or unconsciously you
can't kind of deny it away it's there so
it's your job to say okay now that I
recognize it what do I do with it what
do I do with that and so and that's
really the take away with privilege is
that okay now we recognize that we have
it what do we do with it
I like to say I would posit this dr.
Neff says that once you recognize that
you have privilege it is then your
responsibility to work to equalize the
playing field I have something that you
don't
it is now my responsibility to equalize
it so that we all have it example women
couldn't vote at one point it took men
to say at some point hold up I don't
think that's cool
I think women should be able to vote it
took someone within the group that had
the power and the privilege to say I
don't think this is cool I don't think
this is right we need to equalize the
playing field so if no one with
privilege ever does that nothing gets
done so it is that our responsibility to
recognize that because we have privilege
it is our responsibility then to work to
extend that privilege to those who don't
have it because we didn't do anything to
deserve it we just woke up one day what
well there it is and we got it so now it
has an hour job to extend that to those
who don't have it so as I give my
students the privilege pledge I will
then challenge you to think about the
dimensions of privilege that you're
interacting with and how you're
interacting with them are you Xers are
you on enjoying your gender privilege or
your ability privilege are you using the
handicap stall even though you could use
the other ones because if you're using
the handicap stall someone who can only
use that stall now has to wait all right
can't go to the bathroom with a I only
have five minutes and now you're in that
stall your taking it from them that's a
great example of ability privilege we
don't think about like I'll just use
this when it's fine but that person who
can only use that one now they're kind
of out of luck does that make sense so
think about the dimensions of privilege
with which you're interacting how you're
interacting with them and are you are
you helping are you hurting are you
contributing positively to solving the
issue of inequality or are you
reinforcing and perpetuating inequality
and and people exerting their privilege
negatively I will leave you with that
and hopefully you will take that with
you and be able to to help make the
quality forever
you
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