TEDxEMU - Justin Ford - Pedagogy of Privilege

Summary

In 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

00:00

🎓 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.

05:01

🔍 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.

10:01

📝 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.

Keywords

💡Privilege

Privilege refers to the rights or advantages that a person enjoys simply by belonging to a certain group or identity. In the video's context, it is a central theme that discusses the unearned advantages some individuals have in society. The speaker uses the term to highlight the importance of recognizing and addressing these advantages to promote equality.

💡Pedagogy

Pedagogy is the method and practice of teaching, often used to describe a specific approach or technique. The speaker discusses the pedagogy of privilege, which is the way in which the concept of privilege is taught and discussed, emphasizing the need for a non-threatening and inclusive approach.

💡Multi-Dimensional Model

The Multi-Dimensional Model is a concept introduced by the speaker to discuss privilege from a more holistic perspective. It moves away from the single group target approach and considers various dimensions of privilege that individuals may possess. The model is used to illustrate how privilege is not isolated but interacts with other aspects of identity.

💡Gender Privilege

Gender Privilege is a type of privilege that individuals may have based on their gender. The speaker uses examples from the script, such as the freedom for men to be shirtless in public, to explain how gender privilege can manifest in everyday life and how it is one of the dimensions in the Multi-Dimensional Model.

💡Racial Privilege

Racial Privilege is the advantage that members of a racial group may have over others due to societal structures. The speaker discusses racial privilege as part of the broader conversation on privilege, emphasizing the need to recognize and address racial disparities.

💡Religious Privilege

Religious Privilege is the unearned advantage that individuals may have because of their religious affiliation. The speaker includes it as one of the dimensions in the Multi-Dimensional Model, suggesting that privilege is not limited to race or gender but extends to religious beliefs as well.

💡Citizenship Privilege

Citizenship Privilege refers to the rights and benefits that citizens of a country have over non-citizens. The speaker mentions this as one of the dimensions of privilege, indicating that citizenship status can confer certain advantages in legal and social contexts.

💡Ability Privilege

Ability Privilege is the advantage that able-bodied individuals have over those with disabilities. The speaker uses the example of using handicap stalls when not necessary, highlighting how this can inadvertently disadvantage those who genuinely require them.

💡Stand-Up Activity

The Stand-Up Activity is an exercise the speaker uses to help individuals recognize their own privilege. It involves reading statements related to various dimensions of privilege and standing or sitting down based on personal applicability. This activity is designed to make participants reflect on their standing within different privilege categories.

💡Privilege Pledge

The Privilege Pledge is a commitment made by individuals after engaging in the Stand-Up Activity. It involves choosing a dimension of privilege and committing to be more aware of it and how it affects interactions and behaviors for a set period, typically 30 days. The pledge is a tool for personal growth and social change.

💡Inequality

Inequality is the unequal distribution of resources, opportunities, or privileges among different groups in society. The speaker discusses the role of privilege in perpetuating inequality and challenges the audience to consider their part in either addressing or reinforcing these disparities.

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