Jen Lewis / Via BuzzFeed
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Check off all the statements that apply to you.
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I am white.
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I have never been discriminated against because of my skin color.
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I have never been the only person of my race in a room.
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I have never been mocked for my accent.
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I have never been told I am attractive “for my race.”
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I have never been a victim of violence because of my race.
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I have never been called a racial slur.
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I have never been told I “sound white.”
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A stranger has never asked to touch my hair, or asked if it is real.
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I am heterosexual.
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I have never lied about my sexuality
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I never had to “come out.”
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I never doubted my parents’ acceptance of my sexuality.
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I have never been called “fag.”
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I have never been called “dyke.”
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I have never been called a “fairy,” or any other derogatory slur for homosexuals.
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I have never tried to hide my sexuality.
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I am always comfortable with P.D.A. with my partner in public.
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I have never pretended to be “just friends” with my significant other.
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I have never been ostracized by my religion for my sexual preference.
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I have never been told I would “burn in hell” for my sexual preference.
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I have never been told that my sexuality is “just a phase.”
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I have never been violently threatened because of my sexuality.
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I am a man.
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I feel comfortable in the gender I was born as.
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I still identify as the gender I was born in.
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I have never tried to change my gender.
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I have never been denied an opportunity because of my gender.
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I make more money than my professional counterparts of a different gender.
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I have never felt unsafe because of my gender.
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I have never been catcalled.
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I have never been sexually harassed or assaulted.
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I have never been raped.
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I work in a salaried job.
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My family and I have never lived below the poverty line.
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I don’t have any student loans.
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I have never gone to bed hungry.
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I have never been homeless.
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My parents pay some of my bills.
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My parents pay all of my bills.
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I don’t rely on public transportation.
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I buy new clothes at least once a month.
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I have never done my taxes myself.
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I have never felt poor.
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I have never had to worry about making rent.
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I have never worked as a waiter, barista, bartender, or salesperson.
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I have had an unpaid internship.
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I have had multiple unpaid internships.
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I went to summer camp.
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I went to private school.
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I graduated high school.
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I went to an elite college.
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I graduated college.
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My parents paid (at least some of) my tuition.
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I had a car in high school.
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I’ve never had a roommate.
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I’ve always had cable.
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I have traveled internationally.
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I travel internationally at least once a year.
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I studied abroad.
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I’ve never skipped a meal to save money.
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I don’t know what “Sallie Mae” is.
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I spent Spring Breaks abroad.
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I have frequent flier miles.
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My parents are heterosexual.
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My parents are both alive.
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My parents are still married.
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I do not have any physical disabilities.
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I do not have any social disabilities.
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I do not have any learning disabilities.
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I have never had an eating disorder.
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I have never been depressed.
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I have never considered suicide.
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I have never attempted suicide.
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I have never taken medication for my mental health.
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I can afford medication if/when I need it.
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I have never been told I’m overweight or “too skinny.”
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I have never felt overweight or underweight or “too skinny.”
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I have never been shamed for my body type.
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I consider myself to be physically attractive.
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I can afford a therapist.
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I’ve used prescription drugs recreationally.
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I have never had an addiction.
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I have never been shamed for my religious beliefs.
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I have never been violently threatened for my religious beliefs.
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I have never been violently attacked for my religious beliefs.
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There is a place of worship for my religion in my town.
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I have never lied about my ethnicity as self-defense.
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I have never lied about my religion as self-defense.
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All my jobs have been accommodating of my religious practices.
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I am not nervous in airport security lines.
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I have never heard this statement: “You have been randomly selected for secondary passport control.”
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I have never been called a terrorist.
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Nobody has ever tried to “save” me for my religious beliefs.
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I have never been cyber-bullied for any of my identities.
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I was not bullied as a child for any of my identities.
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I have never tried to distance myself from any of my identities.
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I have never been self-conscious about any of my identities.
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I have never questioned any of my identities.
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I feel privileged because of the identities I was born with.
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I am white.
How Privileged Are You?
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You’re among the most privileged people in the world. We don’t live in an ideal world, but you happened to be born into an ideal lot. This is not a bad thing, nor is it something to be ashamed of. It just means a lot of other people in the world don’t live life with the advantages you have, and that’s something you should always be aware of. Hey, the fact that you took the time and effort to check your privilege means that you’re already trying.
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You’re quite privileged. You’ve had a few struggles, but overall your life has been far easier than most. This is not a bad thing, nor is it something to be ashamed of. But you should be aware of your advantages and work to help others who don’t have them. Thank you for checking your privilege.
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You’re not privileged at all. You grew up with an intersectional, complicated identity, and life never let you forget it. You’ve had your fair share of struggles, and you’ve worked hard to overcome them. We do not live in an ideal world and you had to learn that the hard way. It is not your responsibility to educate those with more advantages than you, but if you decide you want to, go ahead and send them this quiz. Hopefully it will help.
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You’re underprivileged. The world is not a fair or ideal place and you know that because you grew up with several identities that the world is not kind to. You had a lot of challenges to overcome simply to get on a level playing field with most people in the world. It is not your job to educate the world about its injustices, but if you choose to, go ahead and send them this quiz. Hopefully it will help.
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Facebook Conversations
- .Kirsten Fine · Waitress at Cafe Baci RestaurantGraduating high school is an accomplishment, not a privilege.
- .Tristan Laing · UBCActually there is an aspect of privilege and an aspect of accomplishment to graduate from high school, and to every other accomplishment. We are not rugged individuals who don't need help from anyone - every "individual success" we achieve happens in a social context. We are after all social beings.
- .Josephine March · DePaulit really is a privilege. i think we all take it for granted, but a lot of people do not get to graduate because of extenuating circumstances. for a lot of people, a high school diploma is a pinnacle because of their situation. not to mention that's only united states i'm talking about. look at the rest of the world. any education is definitely a privilege.
- .Meghan Kathleen Schuler · Top Commenter · Novelist at WriterThe "you didn't do that" argument. This argument completely tries to take away any personal or parental responsibility. Just because it's not hard doesn't mean it's not possible. people need to stop blaming others for their lack of accomplishments. We don't credit everyone else when we accomplish something, unless they were an intrical part of your success. People need to grow up and accept responsibility, good or bad. Furthermore, when did the world become all about fairness and our feelings, let me inform you and all the other's like you, most people, including yourself, care about how YOU feel about something, when was the last time you stopped and thought about someone you don't knows feelings. And if you claim always, I challenge you to be honest, do you ALWAYS put the cart away at the grocery store? no, well, you're selfish. Think about how that effects others. It might hit a car, it might hit someone in a wheelchair (that has actually happened to me) plus it makes someone else have to clean up your messes. Second thing I'd like to point out is life's not fair, get use to it and stop trying to destroy our country and make the majority suffer to accomplish it.
.Manda CaineCollege educated white heterosexual female here who grew up in an upper middle class family in the suburbs... Also victim of an abusive relationship and a rape, which resulted in feelings of depression and an eating disorder. I'm doing wonderfully now, but this quiz has a lot of different definitions of privilege and hopefully will open up discussion of who people are and where they come from-- before we label them, judge them, or treat them unfairly.- .Torrey Nicole Marilyn Mercer · No Bully Motivational Speaker and Assembly/Event Coordinator at Torrey MercerPreach it, Manda Caine. Preach it all day long. You are a living example of the fact that you might have grown up privileged, but that doesn't mean you haven't experienced serious pain and have major struggles that shouldn't be invalidated by the fact that you grew up privileged.
- .Gabi Wojtyna · Top Commenter · Works at Oberlin CollegeTorrey Nicole Marilyn Mercer I think you are struggling to understand what privilege is. Manda Caine has privilege still--she has white privilege and straight privilege. She is also oppressed--she faces ableism and sexism, at the very least. Privilege does not erase the other issues you face--privilege just means that you gain some societal advantages (and don't have to deal with the disadvantages) of certain social institutions (such as racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism, etc). You can still have problems because of something you have privilege in, or if you have privilege (most people have some form of privilege!), it is just not a problem caused by the way society is set up. :)
- .Jessica Reptar Greene · Top CommenterThere should have been a check saying, "I am offended by this quiz." All these complaints are so dumb, especially the "just because I'm white, I'm privileged?" ones. Of course being white is a privilege! Just because you are also gay, schizophrenic, poor, and atheist doesn't erase the privilege you receive from being white. That's why the quiz represents all different types of privilege. I'm a queer black female and still had 36 things that are considered privileges. It's a simple tally. It's not just about being white and it's not at all saying having privilege means that you have no problems. You're all just taking it personally for no reason.
- .Albert Anduan Anderson · Trinity School NYCBrett MacDonald I think you would probably agree with me in conceding that there is a very high correlation between the two. Otherwise, what would you consider your barometer of privilege be (all the while keeping it uncluttered by institutionalized frameworks of thought)?
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.Kenneth Tester · Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)I think its really ridiculous that if you haven't been raped you are privileged. I mean it shouldnt be a privilege not to be raped it is a right.- .Sandapanda Hildebranda · The University of AucklandThe privilege has to do with difference. None of these things SHOULD be privileges - it shouldn't be a privilege not to be harassed because of your race - but it is, because so many people experience it. You have privileges over others if you haven't experienced a specific form of oppression.
- .Brett MacDonald · Top Commenter · Boston CollegeGlad to see some sane opinions in this feed. If you are interested in exchanging contact info, I am trying to build a network of like minded individuals. Right now it is basically free for all on the internet, in politics and in the world. A lot of like minded people are divided by the most utterly ridiculous barriers that need not hinder progress or cooperation. Feel free to shoot me a message on FB if interested. I have reached out to you there. Thanks.
- .Sarah Weiner · University of OregonIt took me a long time to realize and accept that having a dialogue about privilege is not the same as accusing white/male/straight/
cisgender people of being bad, or having any control over how they were born. The reason why so many "privileged" people get angry and defensive in situations like this is because it feels like an accusation. Almost none of us have personally done anything to harm those who are less privileged, and we do not feel responsible for the world being the way it is where having white skin and other qualities gives you an advantage. Nobody likes to be accused of being privileged when you've personally had many hardships in your life. I think for there to be a real dialogue about privilege it needs to be approached differently... Less like an accusation. And if there is to be an accusation for how we were born, and a world we didn't choose, then there needs to be an answer to this question: What can I do to help? - .John Novak · Top Commenter · Executive Chief at Utilitarian People's NetworkI think one major problem is that pretty much every social justice major out there is someone who grew up in a 99% white neighborhood, and so the white people who actually grew up with black people as friends and neighbors can do nothing but laugh at a social justice movement that sees "people of color" as mythical others. it seems to me that conservatives are saying racism against people of color does not exist, and it seems that the modern social justice movement really does kind of pass over low income white people. How about racism against black people DOES exist, and at the same time social justice majors need to stop telling low income white people that the oppression of black people trumps their oppression in every way shape and for. Yes if the homeless white man sleeping in a cardboard box was given 1 billion bucks he wo...uld get better treatment in life than Oprah Winfrey does because of his white privilege. However, what do you think the honest odds are that $1 billion is just going to fall from the sky?
Also many of the established rules of the social justice curriculum are literally impossible to follow for people who happen to live in black neighborhoods. You can't step on eggshells when around black people when you spend literally 90% of your time interacting exclusively with black people. it's one thing if you're a guest in that neighborhood who decided to move there after becoming a social justice major and "working with those people" but how am I supposed to not culturally appropriate from my own neighbors family and friends... Should I take a bus out to some Walmart in the country and start wearing plaid shirts and cowboy hats, instead of dressing like the people I grew up around and dressing the way that people in my neighborhood have always dressed, including the 10% of my neighborhood that happens to be white? Should I start listening to boy bands, because some wealthy white lady from Berkeley University might yell at me about cultural appropriation otherwise?
I really think that these social justice majors need to listen to some actual black people, I notice that a lot of them jump back in their skin whenever a black person talks to them in person, so I think they need to spend more physical time just being around black people I think a lot of the racism comes from the mythical otherness that comes from the segregation of some of these neighborhoods. there needs to be a bridge built between the social justice community and low income white people, there needs to be a bridge in general built between the activist community and the people they are trying to help. I want to be able to help out at a food pantry or a thrift store, for instance, and have it understood that I cannot donate any money because I myself am three dollars away from homelessness myself. The activist community is a very unwelcoming place for low income people who are not familiar with upper middle-class suburban/metro culture and it seems to assume that the new guy who stepped in the door and wants to help them out couldn't POSSIBLY be one of the homeless people that was on the other side of the counter just two years earlier.
Also stop accusing people who make fun of "social justice warriors", of being against social justice. That would be like accusing Tim Wise of hating all white people because he says things about "white" privilege.
I'm not talking to you Sarah. I'm just relaying back and forth and if you still go to University of Oregon maybe you can try to get some link of communication set up between the social justice movement and an actual low income mixed race neighborhood. I don't think that white people are oppressed racially, but I do think that homeless white people are oppressed on an individual level as homeless people, and so when the social justice movement says "white people are not oppressed"and the conservatives say "white people are oppressed" they are both wrong.See More - .Hanna Fridén · Top Commenter · Stockholm, Sweden · 469 subscribersI rather think the problem is that privileged people CHOOSE to be upset and feel accused when they do not in fact need to feel like that. We need to educate people so they won't take things personally. It feels like people don't understand what the word means, and that is a matter of education, it is not a matter of telling minorities to stop talking about privilege. We NEED to talk about privilege, and as long as privileged people tell others that they get offended, and we listen to that, we are just catering to the privileged people. And that is entirely wrong.
- .Channing Leigh Hockman · Top Commenter · Texas San AntonioSo, evidently a lot of people don't understand privilege. I am going to share my understanding of it, just for kicks.
1. Privilege doesn't mean you've done something wrong.
2. Having privilege doesn't mean you should feel guilty.
3. Privilege means - in a very general sense - that you have opportunities that others might not have due to something that is usually out of your control or based on your identity - OR (probably even more emphatically) that you do not have to endure or worry about some sort of negative ramifications resulting from your identity.
4. Privilege isn't about lowering yourself but raising up others. Everyone should have every privilege. We should not be cool with other people being treated like crap because of their identities - whether that be gender, sexual orientation, skin color, whatever.
5. Believ...ing that everyone should be privileged doesn't mean the government needs to be the catalyst. The idea of privilege isn't just for people on the far left of the political spectrum. To get rid of disadvantageous situations we need to change society one person at a time.
I think that's the basics. So - yeah. Don't get upset because you think this list is calling you out for having an upper hand in life... rather, look at these things and reflect on how your life would be different if your situation were different. If you're a white man whose parents supported you through college, think about what it would be like if you were a Middle Eastern woman whose parents were impoverished. Have compassion and empathy. Treat people well and be a problem solver. Ok?See More- .Tyler Ocon · Top Commenter · Procurement Review Analyst at City of New YorkUnfortunately, in less educated circles, "privilege" is intentionally used as an insult - allowing someone to basically say "You can't possibly know my struggle, so fuck off." There is very little substantial conversation in the realm of race and gender identity because it very quickly devolves into a "Who's Less Privileged" competition where nothing constructive is ever said and people hurl insults and exclude others.
It's difficult for anyone with privilege in a certain realm of society to have compassion and empathy for those who have less privilege in that realm when the less-privileged individuals consider that empathy "condescending." - .Channing Leigh Hockman · Top Commenter · Texas San AntonioTyler Ocon Sure, that's true to an extent. That being said, attitude makes a whole world of difference. Some people really are condescending or they try to equate their life experiences with those who are less privileged, and it comes across as them saying they understand or they have endured the same things - or something even worse. That can be pretty offensive. People need to learn to be nuanced in their conversations so that their good intentions are represented appropriately.
Instead of saying, "Oh man, yeah, I totally know what you mean. This one time <insert experience> so I know exactly how you feel." (This attempts to be empathy but becomes a competition, constant one-upping)
Try saying, "Wow. I can only imagine what that must be like - I am so sorry. One time <insert experience> and that was devastating to me - I can... only begin to understand what your struggles have been like. That shouldn't have happened to you - it shouldn't happen to anyone." (This is much closer to true compassion and empathy - it shows a willingness to understand but the inability to do so fully, and it acknowledges that there IS a struggle)
It would even be easier or better for someone to acknowledge that they don't understand that person's situation at all and can't even begin to fathom it. That is better than trying to equate your life experiences to someone else's.
If you have ever endured grief or do endure grief over the loss of someone very close to you, I think these things become most pronounced in that situation. Even if someone else has endured loss, they don't know your relationship with that person you lost, they don't know your shared experiences with that person, they don't know how long you had known them or how deeply - or how many years you expected to have with them. If someone's spouse dies and you say, "I lost my mom when I was 20 and it hurt me a lot, so I know what you're going through" - you're kind of a jerk. You don't know and you shouldn't try to compare.
So, yeahh. It's not so much that people with less privilege consider empathy or compassion from a more privileged person to be condescending... it's that people don't know how to communicate in a way that isn't offensive or discounting someone's life experiences.See More
- .A Dawn RaeSome of these questions have far less to do with privilege than with how comfortable you are in your own skin. I am autistic, genderqueer, an autodidact (school did not agree with me), and irreligious. I feel pretty good about all of those things, and couldn't care less what society thinks of them. Also, my unpaid internship had nothing to do with privilege, it was a necessity for building a work history when I had none.
- .Brett MacDonald · Top Commenter · Boston CollegeGlad to see some sane opinions in this feed. If you are interested in exchanging contact info, I am trying to build a network of like minded individuals. Right now it is basically free for all on the internet, in politics and in the world. A lot of like minded people are divided by the most utterly ridiculous barriers that need not hinder progress or cooperation. Feel free to shoot me a message on FB if interested. I have reached out to you there. Thanks.
- .Megan Boyk · John CarrollI think the unpaid internship is meant to show that you have the privilege of being able to work without pay for a while. You correctly point out that unpaid internships are necessary for building a resume to get higher-level jobs. But many people can't do unpaid internships, because they don't have the savings, family support, etc. to pay for food, healthcare, and rent while they work for free. As a result, these people aren't able to get stable, non-poverty wage jobs where they have an opportunity to advance in position and/or education level.
- .A Dawn RaeHigher level jobs? I did it because I had no alternative, I couldn't get any kind of paying job. If I could have, I might still have helped out my friend (who was struggling to build his practice and making less than minimum wage himself), but definitely not at he expense of turning down paid work. Hell, I am still looking for work. It is a pretty big, and entirely incorrect, assumption that I took on that gig because I had the "luxury" of being unemployed. Forget checking your privilege, check your prejudices.
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- .Tom Chance · Language Assistant at GROUPE ESC PAURay Marie Mills I think most Christians here in the UK could say they've been shamed or threatened for their religious beliefs, that they've had to lie about their religion as self-defence, and that their jobs have not all been accommodating of their religious practice. Plenty of atheists have tried to 'save' me from being religious (just as people of other religions try to save you from being Christian). Atheism/secularism have become the new norm, perhaps more in the UK than the US.
- .Talyn McFarlane · Top Commenter · Mayville High School, Mayville WIDespite not being attacked for my race, I have unfortunately dealt with extreme depression and my Asperger's, which has made connecting with others a challenge all of my life. Even if you are at the bottom of the social ladder, at least you have friends to connect to that share your pain. I never had that feeling, I don't naturally feel connected to others. So you could say that a low-income African American family is more privileged than I am in that regard. I also don't know how me never being raped is considered a "privilege". What, is every non-white woman raped at least once in their lifetime?
- .Machelle Ruby · Top Commenter · University of Minnesota MorrisManda Caine Conversely, you could easily be a wealthy, cis-gendered, heterosexual white male and still be a victim of rape. Additionally, the very fact that you immediately made the assumption that rape was about females shows a privilege that female rape victims have over their male counterparts. Privilege is also contextual--although being male is overall a more privileged position than being female, there are nonetheless pockets in the social structure where being male is disadvantageous, compared to being female. Hence, the matter is further complicated by the contextual nature of privilege. Checking your privilege should be about recognizing your advantages, rather than expounding on your own oppression or denying the oppression experienced by others.
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