With the disemmination of the recent Census, there has been a lot of controversy over how people identify themselves, particularly in regards to ethnicity and race. Understandably, people of mixed descent feel discriminated against and marginalized by having to decide which option describes their heritage best. Though I personally feel like most people, in our society that champions individuality and specialness, are most troubled by the fact that they are simply reducing themselves and their family members to checkmarks on a piece of government issued paper. That aside, each person’s race, class, and gender play an incredibly significant role in their experiences, whether we’d like to admit it or not.
On the Census, I identified myself as a female and checked off the box that read “White.” I did this because I identify myself as a female and because my ancestry is a mixture of European and American heritages: Italian, Polish, English, French Canadian, and Mohawk Indian. The infinitesimal amount of Native American blood makes me rule out the option of identifying myself as a Native American, and as a result I’m left to check of plain old, boring “White.”
So, I’ve established that I would identify myself as white and female, but how else would I identify myself? Regarding class, I would say that I am a member of/was raised by members of the Middle Class. I would identify my sexual orientation as straight. I would also identify myself as feminist, not racist, not sexist, and not classist. Even more, I’m a liberal with an open mind, who is deeply confused and disturbed by social conservatives. Okay, so I think I know who I am, but am I right?
As an individual, I know how I would identify myself and what social position these identifications put me in. By thinking about my individual position, though, I am completely disregarding my ever present and much more prominent subject position. Your subject position is your bare bones identity – in my case, white/middle class/straight/female. This means that all white/middle class/straight/females, WMCSF from now on, are lumped into one huge umbrella category, as it is fairly safe to assume that we experience the same prejudices, hardships, and struggles… which I would say are comparatively very few.
All people who are identified as White/Middle Class, regardless of gender, are privileged. By privileged, I don’t mean spoiled. I mean, WMC people have access to education, health care, and usually have a disposable income. Really, most people in the United States are privileged, because even as a lower class member of any race or either gender, people usually have access to clean water and shelter, which is a luxury in developing nations.
As a WMCSF, I know that I will never fully understand racism. I have never had to overcome any obstacles regarding my race, sexual orientation, or even gender for that matter. Though I know it is rare, growing up and even to this day, I can recall but a few sexist experiences that effected my directly. As a result it took me a while to warm up to the idea of feminism, which will be the topic of a future post, but once I was able to see instances of misogyny and sexism in the society I live in, I appreciated and embraced feminism. This example is a case where I was only thinking of my individual position instead of my larger subject position, in which many MCWF are discriminated against because of their identity as a female.
I cannot and will not even understand what it is like to be another race, another class, a different sexual orientation, or a male. Though I often wish that I could know, I have found that by understand my subject position and how my subject position influences my experiences, I am able to be more empathetic and understanding. I realize that I am privileged with two college degrees… and even simpler, with clean, running water. This post is furthering my agenda in terms of social justice, equality, and understanding. Now that you’ve read this, please remember that many people start off in a much more difficult position that you might have – (I say this and not the opposite because you have internet access, don’t know?) Do not call the lower class lazy, other races ignorant, or the opposite sex inept. We’re all trying to overcome limiting stereotypes, and we did not/do not start out on equal ground.
