In Singapore, we’d like to think we get ahead entirely based on merit. But are there subtle ways in which our backgrounds help us more than others? Here’s what you need to know before you jump into the “check your privilege” debate.
Gender. Education. Wealth. Race. Religion. Appearance. Like it or not, these are just some of the factors that affect our standing in society. The fact of the matter is that we’re all privileged in some way. Consider this: just by being a Singaporean – where it’s the law that education is compulsory up till Primary Six – we’re already privileged, because not everyone in this world has access to education.
But privilege can be a sensitive subject to talk about, as you can see in the comments section of just about any article or video that broaches the topic. “Check your privilege” is now an oftused expression, especially on online platforms.
And while you obviously don’t have any control over the family you were born into, you can be aware of how it affects your life to create a more inclusive and equal society by eliminating discrimination.
So what’s privilege?
The Oxford Dictionary defines privilege as “a special right, advantage, or immunity that is granted or available to only a particular person or group.” In this case, it’s something that gives you an advantage in life. For instance, if you never had to juggle a part-time job as a student to make ends meet, that can give you an advantage because you’d have more time for your studies.
Or, if you’re Chinese, that gives you an advantage when applying for tuition assignments where parents state they prefer a “female Chinese tutor” (yeah, that actually happened to a first-class honours English Literature student from a mixed Malay-Chinese family when she was applying for English -teaching assignments).
Of course, people with privilege also have problems, and they’re not necessarily bad people. As writer Sam Dylan Finch explains, “It simply means I gained an unearned advantage, in comparison to other people – by no fault of my own, but rather, because of prejudice.” In other words, some people may get preferential treatment by default simply because they’re part of the majority, for example.
What’s your benefit?
Most of us are aware of certain privileges – for example, how much easier it is in life if we’re able-bodied. But we may not notice other privileges until someone else points them out.
“We don’t often think about gender, ethnic or racial privilege. This isn’t discussed as much in the public sphere, although organisations like AWARE are doing a lot to educate Singaporeans,” says Dr Laavanya Kathiravelu, assistant professor of sociology at Nanyang Technological University.
This brings to mind a video that YouTube duo Munah and Hirzi did, which parodied Rihanna’s “Work”. Flipping the script, they left out English subtitles for parts of the video where Malay was used.
“If you guys panic and say, ‘uh, Munah and Hirzi, there’s no translation in this video,’ don’t worry, don’t panic, that’s the concept of privilege,” Hirzi explained at the end of the clip, adding cheekily that if you want to know the meaning, “make friends with Malays.” This highlighted a blind spot: we expect the video to be accessible, to provide translations for non-Malay speakers... but why should it?
The point is, privilege exists. To demonstrate the concept of privilege, a Buzzfeed writer recounted a lesson where a teacher made his class play a game. The students had to throw a crumpled piece of paper into the bin at the front of the classroom. Students sitting in the back rows complained, because those in front obviously had a better chance of hitting the target.
As expected, they were right. Most of the students in front made the shot, while only a few from the back rows got their paper into the bin.
The teacher pointed out that the only people complaining about unfairness were those in the back of the room. By contrast, people in the front of the room were less likely to be aware of the privilege they had. All they could see was the 10 feet between them and their goal.
Using a similar concept, a couple of social experiments went viral last year. One experiment was done in the US and another in Singapore. The videos showed participants doing a Privilege Walk, where they had to take a step backwards or forwards based on their answers to questions about privilege. You can see some of these questions on p83.
In Singapore, UNSAID, a student-led arts and social enterprise, gathered 16 Singaporeans aged 21 to 26 from “diverse racial, religious and family backgrounds” to do this activity.
Everyone started from the same place, but at the end of the video, some people were way behind, and some were way ahead. The clip was uploaded in August 2016 and promptly went viral, getting over 230,000 views.
“There is enough evidence around to show that those who do have the benefit of privilege are usually not aware of it… this is especially the case for less obvious privileges, such as being a part of a majority.”
At the end of the exercise, the participants were interviewed. People who ended up further in front said that while they were aware of their privileges to a certain extent, it had never occurred to them before just how many more advantages they had, compared to their peers.
“The minorities did not progress forward as much compared to the majority. But then again, it’s also interesting to see that the majority is quite widespread – [some ended up] right at the front, to all the way to the back, as well,” said one participant who ended up further back in the experiment.
It shows that privilege is more than skin deep – it includes visibly obvious factors such as gender and race, to subtle ones, like sexual orientation, income and mental health.
Privilege in society
So will the current debate prompt significant change? Who knows, but the fact that this conversation is happening is encouraging. For instance, last year, a Malay woman tried to rent a mall’s atrium space for a pre-Hari Raya fair, only to have her application rejected by a staff member, who replied that they were not keen to run a Malay road show as the mall’s target audience was “mainly Chinese.”
This caused an outcry, and subsequently, The Straits Times reported that the mall issued an apology and said the staff member had been “dealt with appropriately.”
“Awareness is the first step towards change. It’s difficult to say if this will have any large-scale impact at the level of society, but it is a good and necessary first step,” assures Dr Laavanya.
“There is enough evidence around to show that those who do have the benefit of privilege are usually not aware of it… this is especially the case for less obvious privileges, such as being part of a majority,” adds Dr William Wan, general secretary of the Singapore Kindness Movement.
Citing the social experiment by UNSAID, Dr William said it was effective as it’s non-confrontational, yet allowed participants to see how far ahead or behind they ended up.
“The first step towards a conducive discussion is for all parties to be aware,” says Dr William. “Awareness helps us check ourselves, so as not to flaunt or abuse that position.”
War of words
You may not feel all that privileged – after all, if you’ve grown up in Singapore, you’ve probably slogged through school, endless enrichment classes and long days at work. Perhaps this is why even using the phrase “check your privilege” can trigger a war of words on social media.
But as one Privilege Walk participant puts it, “Issues like your finances, your race, your family connections and your gender still play a huge part in the kind of privilege you can have in Singapore. If we can acknowledge those differences and think about how to discuss them sensitively, I think we can make a lot of progress in the kind of social disparities some people face.”
So when someone is pointing out your privilege, they’re not attacking you or personally blaming you. They’re just asking you to take a moment to think about certain advantages you may have.
Some academics argue this can help us see the bigger picture, and help us shape the society we want. Dr Laavanya explains, “Redistributive tax regimes can reduce the privilege of the wealthy. Another example is the policy of multiculturalism that values all races and ethnic groups equally. Affirmative action ensures women and ethnic minorities have better representation and opportunity.”
But what can we do on an individual level?
“We can reflect on our choices, such as our business partners, employees, or even sports buddies. And we can take a small step to include individuals from outside our privileged circles,” suggests Dr William.
Not everyone starts life on equal footing, so there will always be some form of inequality. But if we’re more aware of the struggles people around us are going through, we’ll all be kinder to each other. And isn’t that the ideal to be striving towards?
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
It doesn’t take a lot to make a difference.
1 Speak in a language and use terms that everyone in the group can understand.
2 Don’t make decisions or judgements about people based on stereotypes.
3 “The key question to ask is, ‘Am I here entirely because of my own individual efforts, or partly also because I belong to a particular group?’” says Dr Laavanya Kathiravelu.
4 Let minority voices speak and be heard. “Consciously notice and acknowledge the people who wait on you or perform services for us.
5 Consider how you treat such people – are you more courteous and polite to people who ‘look moneyed’ and less polite to people who look poor?” says Dr William Wan.
CHECK YOUR PRIVILEGE HERE
Here are just some of the questions asked during the Privilege Walk exercise done by UNSAID (www.unsaid.sg). Tick all of the statements that apply to you and you might gain new insight into how privileged you are.
My parents never had to work more than one job to support my family.
I have never felt socially obliged by my friends to eat at a place out of my budget.
I can show affection for my romantic partner in public without fear of ridicule or violence.
The primary language spoken in my household is English. My family would support me no matter what.
I have never tried to change my speech or mannerisms to gain acceptance.
I have never felt embarrassed about my clothes or house while growing up.
People have never blamed my gender or race for my mistakes.
I can legally marry the person I love.
Neither me nor my parents have ever gone through a divorce.
I had adequate access to healthy food when growing up.
I am reasonably sure I would be hired for a job based on my ability and qualifications.
I am not the only person of my race/gender/sexual orientation in a classroom or workplace setting.
I never had a job during my secondary and/or ITE/Polytechnic/Junior College years.
I have travelled outside of Southeast Asia.
I have never felt like there was inadequate or inaccurate representation of my race, sexual orientation and/or gender in the media.
I feel confident that my parents would be able to financially help or support me if I were going through financial hardship.
I have never been bullied or made fun of based on something I can’t change, like my race.
I have been on at least one family vacation.
I can buy new clothes or go out to dinner whenever I want to.
I have been offered a job because of my association with a friend or family member.
I have never been uncomfortable about a joke or statement I overheard related to my race, gender, appearance or sexual orientation, but felt unsafe to confront the situation.
I have never been rejected in a job interview because of my race or skin colour.
I have never been bullied or discriminated against in Singapore based on my country of origin.
I have access to tertiary education.
I have never been looked down on because on my job.
I have my own car or motorcycle.
I had multiple tuition classes at the same time in school.
I go on multiple vacations ever year.
Images 123RF.com.
