Sorry for the temporary hiatus, it's been a busy few weeks! I'll try to post more regularly in the future, at least once a week.
This post is going to be a little different than some, as I'm not going to completely focus on Appalachian language, though it will be referenced. So, dear readers, please plow on. I'm sure we've all heard the term 'privilege' in the past few weeks. It's been in the news cycle for various reasons (the Princeton student's essay, the myriad responses here here, you can also just google it yourself). However, the actual concept of privilege is hard to grasp for most people I know. I think it's because for many people who grew up in the South, especially the rural South, the privilege that some have isn't as obvious as a fairly wealthy kid who is at an Ivy League school complaining about how he doesn't acknowledge or doesn't have privilege. As usual, I'll use language examples to demonstrate how privilege works, and I hope they will clarify it a bit.
First off, some definitions are needed. When people are referring to something like privilege, they are talking about an entire group of people. It isn't an individual thing, which is part of the difficulty in understanding sometimes. When privilege is referenced, it is about the particular advantages that a group as a whole enjoys, not that a particular individual has. Also, the idea of intersectionality must be mentioned. The various aspects of our identity intersect one another in lots of different ways. We are simultaneously many things because we belong and are associated with many different groups, and each of those may have different privileges or not. A straight white male and a gay white male share intersections of whiteness and male-ness, but not sexuality. Thus, the white male privilege and the lack of gay privilege will have various manifestations depending on the situation. Sometimes a small change in situation can demonstrate the prejudices (and thus lack of privilege) that one aspect of our identity possesses.
Let's dig in. I am a straight, educated, white male. I have basically all the privilege that can be had. So, what exactly does this mean for me individually? Here's what it means: I have not had to avoid and overcome any negative personality characteristics that my group as a whole connotes for others. A concrete example, when I talk in my educated register (which is pretty mainstream. I know, I know, even the Mountain Man succumbs to societal pressure sometimes), there are no widely circulating negative stereotypes that are brought to mind to those that hear me (maybe just being nerdy, but that really isn't negative). In that particular register, I don't have to change anything about my speech. It naturally carries a bit of gravitas and authority. However, when I'm teaching, as a way to demonstrate linguistic prejudice (and therefore privilege), I will shift into my full-on East Tennessee register, like the one I use at home with family and with friends. The looks on my students' faces are pretty priceless. I ask, 'If you walked into class and heard that, what would you think?'. The response is pretty much unanimous, 'We would think you were a dumb hick.' I follow up and ask, 'Would you think I was as capable as when I was speaking the other way?'. Again, the response is pretty powerful, 'No, we wouldn't.' The Appalachian accent, and as an extension the Appalachian part of my identity, does not have the same privilege as the other parts. Now, you may say that's a silly example. You may say that nothing has changed about me, it's just the perception in my students' head. However, that's the point. I am no different, but the perception brought on by cultural connotations takes over. My students think that I am less intelligent, less worth listening to, and less capable just because my accent is different. That accent doesn't have any privilege; in fact, it has direct negative associations, such as being stupid, lazy, less credible, less capable, etc., because of history and culture, even though those associations are false.
Now, what if the perception trigger was different and impossible to change, like skin color (no Michael Jackson jokes, okay? Be mature...)? How do you overcome the negative connotations of personality or abilities (and thus lack of privilege) that arise in some people, remembering that the connotations can be based on false ideas? I can slightly alter my accent (although I do this less and less now, fightin' back against this BS), and then enjoy the white privilege that the accident of birth gave to people whose skin is tinted my shade. Does that mean I have more or less ability/capability/intelligence than someone who isn't white? Absolutely not, not in the slightest. What it means is that I don't have to face the associations that blackness has in our society. What would that mean? Well, to be blunt, that means that some people perceive someone with high levels of melanin in their skin as less intelligent, more inclined to criminal behavior, dependent on government handouts, and basically dangerous (among other things). That would mean that person, due simply to the color of their skin, would be less capable, less likely to be hired, more likely to face police inquiry, etc. What about the vast majority of those who have more melanin who are smart, law-abiding, hard-working? What does that mean for them? Sadly, that means they are lumped into that same group, even though the associations are patently false. The negative perceptions are placed on them, regardless of their individual histories and individual abilities. Now, someone whose skin has less melanin does not have these negative stereotypes and perceptions placed on them. So, as a result, they are more likely to be seen as intelligent, more likely to be seen as law-abiding, more likely to be hired, etc. That is how privilege works. You have (or potentially have access to) some power or opportunity that someone else does not, not because of anything you have done or not done, but because you happen to be a member of a group.
Another example. I am a cisgender (just google it, it'll be faster than explaining it) male. Just because of my chromosomes and how I identify with the expression of those chromosomes (an identification that lines up with certain societal expectations), I don't have certain negative associations that some people place on those whose chromosomes or identity are different. Due to the patriarchal and misogynistic history of most of the world's cultures (especially Western cultures), a cisgender male (like myself) is seen as fitting in certain roles and occupations, having certain personality traits, and possessing certain abilities. However, those that are not cisgender males have a second class status. As a result, I am seen as more authoritative, more capable, and more worthy of respect. This isn't due to anything that I do, have done, or will do, rather just because I am biologically male and I express my biological sex in a manner that lines up with certain societal expectations.
Here are two gendered social expectation examples, and both of which routinely drive me crazy: my wife is a brilliant and talented dentist, i.e. she is a doctor. When we are introduced to people who do not know us, one of the typical questions is: what do you do? I respond, 'I'm a PhD student in linguistics.' My wife responds, 'I'm a dentist.' The response to me, 'Oh how interesting! How many languages do you speak?'. The typical response to my wife, 'Oh, a hygienist. Do you like cleaning teeth?'. Now, what do you notice? The response to me is one of complete understanding of the implications of my pursuits, even though there is a lack of understanding as to what linguistics is. The response to my wife is one of misunderstanding, even though most people have been to the dentist or know what a dentist does. The assumption is because she is a cisgender female, she must be a dental hygienist. Why? Because the societal expectation is that she must be a hygienist, not a dentist, because only men are dentists. The other example is from filling out online donation forms for a particular entity. I was filling it out, there were two sections, one for the donor and a section for the spouse. For the title/honorific of the main donor, there was a drop-down menu. It had everything from Mr. (mister) to Dr. (doctor) to Rev. (reverend) to Adm. (admiral). For the spouse, there were only Miss, Ms., and Mrs. Now, what do you notice? A slight discrepancy, right? What about a spouse who was a doctor, a major, or something? Or what if the wife was the main donor? I immediately wrote the entity and complained. Now, you may say each of those examples are trivial. But, they reveal some deep rooted ideas in our society. Women can only hold certain positions and only have titles related to marital status, and if they deviate from these expectations, our collective minds are blown. Just because of my anatomy and how I identify with that anatomy, I am (expected?) able to hold a variety of positions and have a variety of titles. Thus, a small example of male privilege.
These are a few examples of privilege and how it is manifested in language (both in dialect prejudice and gendered titles). Language reflects culture and cultural expectations. This is the lens that I tend to understand and explain things. I hope this post has illuminated the notion of privilege, in some small way. These ideas are deeply rooted, and many times, we don't even notice them. The first step to 'checking your privilege' is just to recognize it, which is often the hardest part. I see it in some ways (more and more just by paying attention), but I'm sure I have huge glaring blind spots in others.
