There are additional layers playing out for those that have brown skin or different cultural norms or religious practices. However, there are layers to this experience for immigrants to Aotearoa who have English as a second language. In practical terms, we can all agree that immigrating to a new country can be very stressful and involve for some a sense of dislocation and frequently loneliness. Privilege, like disadvantage or oppression is intersectional our many identities and experiences play out together in unique ways and our experiences in society are best understood by considering as many of these identities and experiences as possible. Wealth doesn't make someone immune to racism, yet nor does the experience of racism erase the privilege of wealth. This scenario highlights that privilege isn't an either-or situation. Luckily for them however, the privilege they do experience will make more options available to them when they do need wellbeing support. Maybe they experience disability, are part of the rainbow community, experience violence at home, come from a non-white culture etc, etc. After all, we know nothing about their other identities and journey through the world. So, our hypothetical person above going to the “best schools” may concurrently be experiencing disadvantage even though they were dealt cards to give them considerable economic or social privilege. There is ample evidence that the way our early environment and experiences interacts with our unique personalities and abilities to set in motion patterns in our brain and body that continue to impact us throughout our lifetime. One of the privileges that is usually invisible to others is the quality of our early childhood experiences. Though how we play matters, getting ahead in the game is considerably easier when the first rounds you must play don’t include facing racism, poverty, trauma, illness or disability. For those with considerable privilege, their advantage increases. This card game is akin to President and A#holes for our marginalised communities, every time you lose the round your negative position is further cemented as your best cards are taken away. In fact, we can see quite clearly the ways in which we were not! In the societal sense however, often the special right, advantage, or immunity is simply in having life experiences that are viewed as normal, natural and desirable regardless of how statistically common these circumstances are locally or internationally.įinancial or social “success” in our society can be viewed as a complex card game where each of us has been dealt own unique hand. Sounds pretty nice huh? Privilege is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as “a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.” Many of us look at our own lives and don’t see that we’ve been given any special advantages. They have money available to meet all their health needs, wear designer labels and when it comes time for them to graduate from university, (because of course they go to university) their social and family contacts provide them with multiple opportunities to climb the career ladder. Hearing the word privilege might invoke thoughts of people born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths children who go to exclusive schools, are supported to do extra-curricular activities, and generally have the best of everything. Today however I wanted to share some of the ways that I have come to think about privilege in general. I’m looking forward to writing more about how these messages impact all of us. These harmful messages tend to communicate that people with experiences of mental distress are “less” - less capable, less contributing, less worthy. Often, it’s from the standpoint of helping others understand how we think about experiences of mental distress or highlighting the ways that sneaky and pervasive messages of prejudice, self-stigma, and discrimination impact individuals, whānau, and society. As someone who works in a lived experience role, I spend a lot of time thinking and talking about privilege.
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