Assignment due Wednesday: Giving up privilege, "getting off the bench"

[Mr. N.]

Athol Fugard, Peggy McIntosh, George Orwell, Mohandas Gandhi and Franz
Fanon have all, in different ways, proposed that even those with power
privilege are actually HURT by the very unfair systems from which they
seem to benefit.

Fugard goes further to, through the voice of Sam, urge that those with
privilege "get off the bench" and try and change the system.

What applications do these ideas have for us, today? (In America, at
CCHS, in our classroom...pick whatever scale you want in which to
locate your discussion)

Please compose two (2) blog entries to address these issues. Possible
topics could include:

* Brainstorming specific ways that a person with privilege (every one
of us has privilege in at least one of the categories on the board –
and many have it in several) can work towards either
a. Giving up that privilege … or…
b. Helping make the system a little less unjust and unequal

* What could you do tomorrow, if you chose to, just based on the
resources and power currently available to you, that would be a step
towards “getting off the bench” and helping fight inequality based on
race, gender, appearance, etc? Be realistic. It can be a small
thing. But it has to be something. Explain.

* What could you do in the space of two weeks, if you had two or three
good, reliable friends to work with?

* If you (alone or with friends) had a month to plan and gather
resources, realistically, what is something you could actually do?

* What could you do with $1000? $10,000? $100,000? Or with 50
people who want to help?

* Is this even a discussion worth having, or do the ideas of Fugard/
McIntosh/etc. simply not apply to us? If not, what DOES apply to us,
and what are our individual responsibilities?


Go for it!

- Mr. N.

[Dixie Morrison]

This is a small "getting off of the bench," but it occurred to me as I
was walking home from school today: on standardized tests (and
anything else that asks for similar information), one could fill in
the "Other" bubble on questions about race (or other demographic-
related areas, such as religion and whether or not your parents went
to college). I know that this information does not affect your grade,
and is just for gathering census info, etc. But I can't help but think
that there might be some admissions counselor (or hiring executive)
looking at two students with the same qualifications--but one is black
and the other white. With affirmative action they might be pressed to
admit the black student, or they might be (consciously or not) drawn
to the white student. It's already been observed that hiring
executives will usually pick a man over a woman for a high-power job,
if gender is the only real difference between the candidates. Why
should we pretend that race is immaterial if we all acknowledge that
gender still most certainly isn't?

[Lucy Fandel]

This is something that I personally could not do immediately but
teachers can. I think learning about and discussing race and
privileges or disadvantages of various groups is key to helping in the
equality of races. By being taught and explained how my white
privilege effects other, I feel like I am so much less likely to
discriminate unconsciously like Hally did so often to Sam and Willie.
He was taught that this was acceptable and normal, never second
guessing his own position. Sam was the one who ended up having to make
him see where he was and how he was treating both men. We can't get
off the whites-only bench until we fully understand and acknowledge
that is is thereand how it effects us.

On Oct 26, 7:39 am, "Mr. N." <dnurenb...@colonial.net> wrote:

[Lucy Fandel]

If I had more money a more direct course would be to pay for the
education of someone who is under-privileged and would otherwise be
unable to get the education that they deserve. In the videos we saw
earlier this year comparing students around the world, they explained
how much of a difference even just one year of education can have on a
child. I really strongly believe that by equally educating people they
will be so much better off in life. This would obviously not
immediately change racism but those better educated or made aware of
their privilege would then go on to create a more just society.

On Oct 26, 7:39 am, "Mr. N." <dnurenb...@colonial.net> wrote:

[Dixie Morrison]

Lucy makes a good point in her second post. The world itself is
slanted towards western countries because so many "minority" countries
simply don't have the resources to fully develop their most precious
resource, their people. There could be a young Bangladeshi Bill Gates
or a Sudanese Hillary Clinton who will never make it to the world
stage because they are doomed by their birthplace to live and die in
obscurity. So, globally, it most certainly would be a good "getting
off the bench" to donate money to poor countries for education, etc.
This would knock some Westerners off the bench because they are
opening the door to more competition (look at all those who are
suspicious and resentful of rising stars China and India), but the
world itself can only be on a level playing field if third- and second-
world citizens are given the same opportunities as those in developed
countries.

[Jon Mayer]

This is small, but it is something I could do tomorrow and could
actually work towards making a difference. In the cafeteria the inner
city students, many of whom are black tend to sit in one area,
separated from the most of the white students who live in Concord.
This is a generalization but it is mostly true. If I so chose, I,
along with two or three friends, could either simply choose a table
right in the middle of this area, surrounding ourselves with students
of other races, or we could join a table occupied mostly be unfamiliar
students of another race that still had some room at it. This would
seem forced, and maybe awkward at first, but eventually conversation
would ensue, and because most high schoolers experience similar
emotions, situations, and drama on a regular basis, some sort of
common ground for bonding would be found fairly easily. This would not
make a huge difference, but it would break down the isolationist
barriers that many whites find themselves behind, regardless of
benefits or drawbacks.

[Jon Mayer]

Granted that this would be an action taken in a few years rather than
currently, I could do something like join the peace corps. Committing
years of my life to service in this group would be an excellent way to
renounce many of the privileges I enjoy, while subsequently getting a
chance to better the lives of other people who do not enjoy such
privilege. Undoubtedly, if one approached this method in the wrong
way, they could develop a superiority complex in relation to the
people they are working to help, but for most people, myself included
hopefully, putting oneself in this kind of a scenario would lead to
bonding with the people one would meet, and would change one's life
perspective on these people, making them seem less distant, easier to
empathize, and more as equal human beings.

On a governmental scale, I would impose a mandatory community service
corps for all Americans ages 18-22, similar to mandatory military
service, with the major difference being that all their efforts would
either benefit the US through civil works projects, or would benefit
mankind through humanitarian projects. This would address several
problems in one go; it would level the class issue out because
everyone would share a common starting point following highschool, in
which they would all utilize the same skill sets, it would help with
the race issue, as the corps would be completely integrated and would
make an effort to create multi-racial battalions, and it would lead
Americans to sacrifice some privilege in order to elevate the poor and
starving of other countries with less fruitful economies.

Overall, I would seek some way to provide humanitarian aid to people,
giving up some of my "privileges" such as lots of access to
technology, in order to create privileges for less fortunate people
who have not be allowed "on the bench" yet.

[btay...@colonial.net]

I believe that almost all of these priveliges are so difficult to give
up mainly because of the way they have been engrained in our society
for generations. We have come to live our lives by these priveliges
and expect nothing less. It is definitely wrong to expect these
priveliges while others do not have them, but it would take some
getting used to (that is, giving up the priveliges we have come to
know and live by). The privileges I have, and I have many, involve
gender, race, and economic status. All of these I cannot completely
give up, but I could help others raise themselves to the point where
they could have these privileges as well. I can easily help those in
poor economic situations by giving of my time and money to help aid
them in their needs (ie: food and homeless shelters). In everyday
life, I can easily point out areas where we are at fault. It is
essential to train my thoughts into not sterotyping, which is very
easy to do, yet hard to unlearn. This method would be the most
realistic method in raising people up to not just the stereotypes f
their skin color, gender, or social/economic situation. If i did this,
I would be able to judge people not by sterotypes, but by the "content
of their character"- (MLK)

[Maya Allen]

What I think would be really helpful in not necessarily "evening out
the playing field," but helping tremendously with the education of the
less privileged is something similar to what Lucy wanted to do. If I
had a group of people, we could help those who are less privileged by
offering tutoring and college counseling for those kids in high
school. Many people, especially in poorer areas, give up on the hope
of college very early on. They figure that they will not be going to
college anyways, so some do not even make an attempt to work hard. We
could tutor those kids at the schools either privately at home or just
in school. We could talk about the importance of education and
encourage them not to give up on the thought of college. If they
commit to the application practice, then we could council them and
teach them the process since not many poorer public schools provide
those type of counselors that are specified in those areas. Of
course, this is all idealistically speaking and if we all had the time
to do so.

On Oct 27, 7:31 pm, "btaylo...@colonial.net" <btaylo...@colonial.net>
wrote:

[btay...@colonial.net]

I really think Jon's idea of a community service corps is a very good
idea, and one that I was thinking along the lines of as well. Although
there is the Peace Corps, there seems to be no real peace corps for
this nation. We constantly go to other nations to help those in need
there, and there is nothing wrong with this, but our own nation could
use a group like the Peace Corps. However, unlike Jon's idea, the
corps that I would set up would be voluntary. If forced and mandatory,
the people participating in the work that is necessary will dread it
and probably not see the true meaning of what they are doing. If
mandatory, there would be a sort of disconnect, with the people in the
corps thinking that they don't want to be there, and that the only
reason they are doing something for the people they help will be
because they cannot help themselves. The majority of the people forced
into this group would probably not emotionally be into the
humanitarian service they are doing, and thus really not bridge the
privilege gap, but make further derogatory judgements about the people
they are helping. Besides the mandatory vs voluntary aspect of the
Community Service Corps, I think the other aspects would be valuable
in getting rid of the privilege people have over others

[Maya Allen]

I agree with Ben's comment saying that although, ideally, we all wish
there could be equality, most people will not volunteer to give up all
of their privileges. Raising everyone to the same level instead of
dropping the other group down a level seems most reasonable. Why
would you take privileges away from people who were already granted
privileges instead of just giving privileges to those who need them?
Of course, this wouldn't eliminate discrimination and how people feel
about the less privileged or "minority," but the law is something that
can be controlled. A way to help the homeless and hungry is to work
at a soup kitchen. The kitchens do all that they can to provide food,
and they need all the help that they can get. You are giving food and
drink to those who could not support themselves without your help.
This not only gives them a full stomach, but it also makes you feel
good and that you can do things that matter.

On Oct 27, 7:42 pm, "btaylo...@colonial.net" <btaylo...@colonial.net>
wrote:

[Peter Cohen]

I think that the best thing we can do is to discuss it. We can donate
money, but that is costly and doesn't really change our privilege.
Discussing it is immeasurably more effective. By discussing it and
becoming aware of our privilege, it is no longer unconscious
privilege, it is conscious privilege. The difference is huge. I think
we are all pretty fair people, we would not step on someone with our
privilege if we realized we were doing it. By being aware of what we
are doing, we can stop it. That is why i believe discussing is the
most powerful tool we have for combating privilege.

[Peter Cohen]

I think Jon also makes a great point about the peace corps. Having
done community service in a developing country myself, i can tell you
that it is a life changing and truly memorable experience. It was the
most rewarding thing i've ever done in my short life. It sounds really
tough at first, having to give up our amenities and privilege that
we've taken for granted. I fought my parents bitterly against going, i
had no intention of sacrificing my privilege willingly. However, they
made me go, and i loved it. My preconceptions about Central American's
were totally destroyed and now i really understand the people. I gave
up my privilege and ventured outside my comfort zone, and i loved it.
Believe it or not, sacrificing our privilege can be more rewarding for
us than it can be for those we are stepping down too. Try it, and you
will like it. Leaving our comfort zone/privilege will leave you amazed
and wanting more.

[jmcke...@colonial.net]

While this might not be the traditional getting off the bench, I think
the best we can do is not give out those privileges to others. To
actively get rid of privilege would require society as a whole to
shift thier views away from certain preconceptions about people.
Assuming that even with infinitely large resources we can alter
society as a whole is ignoring the enormity of the task we face. So
the only solution I see is to just not acknowledge privilege, and hope
others do the same, and that is all we as individuals can do.

[jmcke...@colonial.net]

I don't think Fugard applies to our society a great deal, and the
similarities are imperceptable at best. The situation in South Africa
was so much more present and obvious compared to our society, so to
change was to attack those obvious problems. Our society has privilege
hidden under immeasurable societal norms, which are hard to spot, and
even harder to control. For Hally to get off the bench, he first had
to give up the privileges granted by Apartheid, set laws and rules.
For me to give up privilege would require me to first identify just
what privileges I had, how to give them up, and even then privilege
could still exist in a form I had not thought of or in my subconscious.

[Phil Lavely]

I was thinking along the same lines as Jon in both his scenarios. I
definitely agree with not being so separate from others in the cafe or
anywhere, but I don't so much view that as 'getting of the bench.' For
me, that would be more of a social and self issue. I think it is great
to embrace others for who they are and even if you don't succeed, at
least try to put differences aside and become friends or a friendly
face. I think that is a basic thing everyone should do just by living
in the same community.

To get off the bench in our community would be doing local community
service or choosing to have less. This could be doing by choosing to
buy a smaller, less luxurious house or choosing to buy a fuel
efficient car instead of an expensive sports car with heated seats, a
leather steering wheel, excessive tire size, a sun roof, chrome
grilles, etc. Choosing less would be choosing to go to a small ethnic
local restaurant rather than an elaborate, over-the-top restaurant. It
could be choosing to take public transportation and not own multiple
cars. It could mean not watering your lawn everyday, and choosing not
to manicure it perfectly. It could mean reusing things instead of
buying new replacements all the time, such as plastic bags. There is
so much one can do to lessen their privilege that won't effect them
too harshly.

On Oct 27, 9:03 pm, "jmckenn...@colonial.net"

[oschultz]

The possibilities are infinite when it comes to the amount of help
that a single person can give if that person can raise the proper
funds or gain the proper support. Though we are clearly not going to
just suddenly uproot ourselves and change ourselves just for the
plight of a fellow human being. The fact of the matter is that we are
way to at ease with the was we live our lives and we are way too
egotistical to suddenly destroy our way of life so someone else can
have a slightly better standard of living. A better and more
reasonable approach to this action could be through simple bits of
charity that can add up over time along with occasional congregations
in the name of the cause that you are working towards. With many
people over a short amount of time, one can raise a very significant
amount of money that could be used towards a large variety of causes.

[Phil Lavely]

Regarding the peace corps, I totally agree that it is a great way to
go. By choosing to adopt a new lifestyle in a new culture to help
others, is most definitely "getting of the bench." Wherever one may
go, doing good for others is selfless. Doing humanitarian efforts is
one of the best ways to become more equal with others, for one is
giving up their way of life to do good for others. Giving up a nice
lifestyle for a portion of your life is definitely giving up
privilege. You become more equal with others because of the situation.
Yes, we (concord) are still white, but by giving up our privileges
makes us much more alike with others. We become more equal due to what
we are doing, but we are not degrading ourselves, and we are still
able to be who we want to be without doing harm. We can help others
through something such as the peace corps, give up our privileges, and
get off the bench.

[oschultz]

Mckenna, I agree with what you are saying to the extent that
situations may vary from society to society. Though I must disagree
when you say that privilege in our society is hidden under
immeasurable societal norm when in fact it is right in front of you.
To put it simply, if you have something that someone else doesn't
have, then that could be considered to be a privilege; and in fact,
many people have a significant variety of worldly possessions that
other various people may not have. It's not really all that
subconscious, it's just there, right in front of you just waiting to
be seen.

[Mark Nimar]

I agree with Jon: change should not come on a grandiose or elaborate
scale, but through simple gestures that resonate with people's
emotions. Change should happen form the ground up: a friendly hello,
or a thoughtful gesture is necessary for change. You can throw all the
money and federal support behind a cause, and it won't go anywhere.
Cause needs to be the will of the people, and needs to be an ordinary
circumstance to be effective.

[Mark Nimar]

I agree. I think it is wrong to bring another group of people down for
the sake of another. Instead, we should bring everyone up to the same
level and thus the same playing field.
Though I think it is first great to assess yourself before helping the
world. Your behavior is the only behavior you can control, and before
you try to influence the ideas of others, you must find the ideals
within yourself in order to do so. However, I think "help" should be a
collaborative effort. Each party, the oppressor and oppressed, should
help themselves and thus meet at a point where they are helping each
other grow out of conflict. Help is not a one-way street. The poor
should help the wealthy, and the oppressed should help the oppressor,
because it shines more light on the fact that we are all equals, and
not ranked above one another or "helping" one another.

On Oct 27, 7:31 pm, "btaylo...@colonial.net" <btaylo...@colonial.net>
wrote:

[Sloane.Brazina]

From Peggy McIntosh's "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible
Knapsack"-- White privilege #4. I can go shopping alone most of the
time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed.

In order to "level the playing field" of racial inequality, I would
first say: do not allow yourself to be a bystander. If you witness an
individual being harassed in a public facility for no reason other
than a visible defining characteristic, DO something about it, speak
up. Ignoring the situation or allowing it to happen is agreeing with
the system of hierarchy; you may as well be the suspicious retail
employee. I'm not suggesting jeopardizing your shopping experience in
any way, but rather bring the issue to the attention of the public.
Perhaps you could politely ask the employee why they're following one
particular customer. Take a chance, stand up for subtly oppressed
minorities. Allow everyone to reap equal benefits from a "privileged"
society.

[Sloane.Brazina]

If I had a large sum of money at my disposal, my first instinct would
be self-indulgence (and I'm sure I'm not the only one). I personally
would use it to put myself through college/med school. It is obvious
the money would directly benefit myself. My decision, however, would
also benefit the community in the long-run: perhaps I will create a
new vaccine or figure out a more patient-friendly healthcare payment
plan. Whatever the final product of my education, I would make
conscious efforts to ensure my self-investments would in some way aid
the community at large.

What it comes down to is awareness and interaction. First: committing
yourself to making a change in the world and second: following
through. Everyone is capable of improving the lives of those around
us. Say saving lives in the ER room isn't for you; you CAN smile at
strangers or help your elderly neighbor with her groceries. Become
more sensitive of other's needs; better your own life by helping those
around you.

[Alex Steinroeder]

Personally, I do not think that money is the answer to having less
inequality amongst different people. In some ways money has given
people the idea that they are better than someone with less money.
Unless we are doing hands on work and physically giving our money to
the less priveleged, how do we know where our donated money is
actually going? If we do not do hands on work we can not see the
impact that we are having on others. My solution would be, instead of
having college students having the option of studying abroad for a
semester, they should also be given the option to join a community
service project in a third-world country to help the less priveliged.
I think that lots of people would be interested in doing this.
Students should not be required to do this because only the ones who
actually want to help are going to give the most effort and make the
biggest impact on less privileged people. Also, I know it is easy for
me to say this, but I think some priveleges are overrated. Say if I
had the opportunity of buying a fancy car, why is that an advantage
over a cheaper more simple car? They both can get me from point A to
point B in around the same amount of time so why is one better than
the other? It is the same thing with a big house. As long as I have
the essential things I need to survive in my house I am satisfied.
Society has built us into believing that having fancy cars and big
houses are advantages and priviliges when in my opinion they are not.

> > of their character"- (MLK)- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Alex Steinroeder]

People who have privelege should not give it up because that would
make everyone less priveleged, which is not solving any problems. An
equal playing field of high standards is the best solution. In order
to this, people have to give up some priveleges to bring others up. My
belief is that we were all put here in this world to help others
somehow. The ideal situation is that we can do this by doing something
that we also love. This way both sides are benefitting. I believe that
we need to make ourselves happy first before we can help others.
Leading a miserable life but helping out others is just raising
someone up a little bit and bringing yourself down a lot.


On Oct 28, 12:46 am, Alex Steinroeder <alsteinroed...@yahoo.com>
wrote:

> > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

[Will]

I agree with Steinroeder because we shouldn't have to give up our
privilege in order to give other people privilege. This would just
continue the cycle of inequality. We need to use our privilege to
allow others who are less fortunate to have the same opportunities as
us. My idea of "getting off the bench" kind of nuanced because you can
translate it in many different ways. If you talk about it in terms of
"white only" then no one should sit down on it. The thing is more
modern ideas of privilege, like being able to go out to a nice
restaurant with your family, or going on a nice vacation, is a
privilege some possess but shouldn't have to look at as a bad thing

On Oct 28, 12:50 am, Alex Steinroeder <alsteinroed...@yahoo.com>

[Nick Jessee]

people who have privelege should work towards helping those who don't
have it. It is similar to those who have money should give money to
those who need it. the system is unfair, therefore those who are on
the better side of this system and have more influence, should work
towards equality. Doing so may involve sacrificing their own
priveleges could create some change. I do not think that lowering the
standards is the answer though. If you lower the standards, no one
has these oppurtunities that everyone deserves. However, those who
have these priveleges should not take advantage of them, like hally.
They should use these priveleges to do good and make the system better
and more equal but ruining these oppurtunities for all is not the
right way

[Nick Jessee]

I like Lucys idea of making race ineqaulities more relevant in the
classroom. I think that that is a realistic goal that although may
not be accomplished soon, could be relevant in the near future. If
teachers inform students about these race issues, the kids learning
these issues will be more sensative growing up. Also, this could
insight some passion in some of these kids. It could lead them to
wanting to get rid of these unearned privleges as they get older and
eventually this race issue could go away.

[Will]

I feel like if I were to get one million dollars from now to the next
two years, I would probably be concerned about myself for the start.
Maybe pay my way through college or invest in various things. After
that, I would definately donate some of it to charity or give back to
my parents. One thing I would want to do the most, though, is travel
around the world so I could get an up close impression of how
different cultures are in the would. The U.S. is just a small foot
print in the entire world and I feel entitled to look beyond it, or at
least for a while.

On Oct 28, 12:50 am, Alex Steinroeder <alsteinroed...@yahoo.com>

[Jake White]

One specific way that a person of privilege could give up their "white
privilege" is to do poorly in a situation that is not challenging and
blame doing poorly on your race. Peggy McIntosh says in her article
entitled "White Privilege" that one disadvantage of her being white is
that she "can do well in a challenging situation without being called
a credit to her race", so she could do poorly in an easy situation and
blame it on her race and this would be her way of giving up her "white
privilege".

[Jake White]

McIntosh also says that she is "not made acutely aware that her shape,
bearing or body odor will be taken as a reflection on her are." If she
wanted to lesser herself and her race she could say something along
the lines of "I'm over weight and it's because I'm white"

[Lucas Morrill]

I think given our society, it is very difficult to "get off the
bench." In today's society, it is difficult to make a difference in
the world without getting behind in work or school. There is little
time to use to make a difference. I think it is still possible for
someone to make a difference. To begin with, just the thought can help
to make a difference. By bringing up making a difference in day-to-day
conversation one will be reminded to do something. While you might not
take action every time you bring it up, it will help bring awareness
to the issue and lead you towards doing something better in the
future.

On Oct 26, 7:39 am, "Mr. N." <dnurenb...@colonial.net> wrote:
> Athol Fugard, Peggy McIntosh, George Orwell, Mohandas Gandhi and Franz
> Fanon have all, in different ways, proposed that even those with power
> privilege are actually HURT by the very unfair systems from which they
> seem to benefit.
>
> Fugard goes further to, through the voice of Sam, urge that those with
> privilege "get off the bench" and try and change the system.
>
> What applications do these ideas have for us, today?  (In America, at
> CCHS, in our classroom...pick whatever scale you want in which to
> locate your discussion)
>
> Please compose two (2) blog entries to address these issues.  Possible
> topics could include:
>
> * Brainstorming specific ways that a person with privilege (every one
> of us has privilege in at least one of the categories on the board –
> and many have it in several) can work towards either
>            a. Giving up that privilege … or…
>            b. Helping make the system a little less unjust and unequal
>
> * What could you do tomorrow, if you chose to, just based on the
> resources and power currently available to you, that would be a step
> towards “getting off the bench” and helping fight inequality based on
> race, gender, appearance, etc?  Be realistic. It can be a small
> thing.  But it has to be something.  Explain.
>
> * What could you do in the space of two weeks, if you had two or three
> good, reliable friends to work with?
>
> *  If you (alone or with friends) had a month to plan and gather
> resources, realistically, what is something you could actually do?
>
> *  What could you do with $1000?  $10,000?  $100,000?  Or with 50
> people who want to help?
>
> * Is this even a discussion worth having, or do the ideas of Fugard/
> McIntosh/etc. simply not apply to us?  If not, what DOES apply to us,
> and what are our individual responsibilities?
>
> Go for it!
>
> - Mr. N.

[Lucas Morrill]

Given two weeks, I think one can make a big difference. While I might
not be able to help the entire world, I could still volunteer and make
a difference in my local community. On Thursdays for example, I could
volunteer at Open Table and help distribute food to those in need in
my own town. On the weekend I could go into Boston and help somewhere
there. I could volunteer at a homeless shelter or something akin to
this. There are many things possible given two weeks and a couple
people for motivation.

[richard...@comcast.net]

I believe that if you have privelege you shouldnt give it up, but
rather use it in a positive way. If you just give it up you are not
helping anyone, but if you use it to help people who dont have
privilege it helps them. If we were to do this everyone would be
benefiting, and no one would be left behind. I know that everyone was
brought here for a reason, so why not make a good one

On Oct 28, 12:50 am, Alex Steinroeder <alsteinroed...@yahoo.com>

[richard...@comcast.net]

I agree with you on the first part, i would probably spend most on
myself. However, hoping that myself going through school will help
someone else is far fetched. If we really want to do something with
the money to help other people we must do things such as building soup
kitchens and other helping organizations. We cant just hope something
good will happen.

[chloe]

Most people don't even notice how privileged they are, because a large
majority were born into a life with an uncountable amount of
privileges. Every family in Concord and Carlisle can work for their
money and feed their families without it being their main problem in
their lives. There are so many families in Africa that can't even feed
their own children but we don't look at breakfast lunch and dinner as
a significant value, it's more of a routine. Another way of looking at
it is, are most all of Americans privileged without knowing? or are
they being judged in a negative manner that their so ignorant they
can't even decipher the good and bad in their lives. They would put a
fight with their husbands as a large problem before other families
worries, that have completely different standards? are we not
privileged with what he already have, because we have a different
level of intelligence as other countries, and what they see and what
we can't.

[janzer]

I also think that those who are privileged should not intentionally
bring themselves down, but rather bring others up. This will, in time,
make the privilege gap much smaller, without undercutting the wealthy
too much. This will help everybody, only if it is done by a large
group of people. This can be donating to worthy charities, helping
inner-city schools, or anything else. If enough people see the
positive effects of closing the gap, they could make a difference for
everybody.

[chloe]

i agree with Lucy, putting money towards equal education around the
world, would be an excellent way of spending our money. Everyone
should have the same amount of chance and hopes for whatever their
dreams might be. I'm sure many kids who don't the education we do,
would be just as eligible to do any of the things we're able to
accomplish. In the movies we've watched they're being taught the same
subjects but it's just not quite the same, they should be learning for
the same amount of hours and should be taught at the same level.
Instead of walking 2 hours to school and back, that just makes it seem
like school is such a sacrifice rather than the best interest in every
child. Everyones life would be much smoother if people just had the
same shot, of course this wouldn't change everything remarkably in a
minimum amount of time but possible over generations, changes will be
noticeable.

On Oct 27, 5:05 pm, Lucy Fandel <lucy.fan...@gmail.com> wrote:
> If I had more money a more direct course would be to pay for the
> education of someone who is under-privileged and would otherwise be
> unable to get the education that they deserve. In the videos we saw
> earlier this year comparing students around the world, they explained
> how much of a difference even just one year of education can have on a
> child. I really strongly believe that by equally educating people they
> will be so much better off in life. This would obviously not
> immediately change racism but those better educated or made aware of
> their privilege would then go on to create a more just society.

[janzer]

If I suddenly gained a substantial amount of money I would, as many
would, spend on myself a little bit. I think this is the key point,
because this is the more instinctive human response. Once people
acknowledge that they need a little for themselves, and get beyond
that, we can help others. The ideas for helping others are endless. If
there is enough pressure from the people around them, people can gain
the motivation to help others. If society can create enough pressure
to lead someone to give to others, all societies would flourish.

[Kyle Calabria]

I think the ideas of Fugard are very much alive in Concord and the
United States. In Concord, all the students who attend CCHS are
exposed to minimal diversity. Children who grow up in more inner city
areas, or more diverse areas are exposed to a much broader spectrum of
social classes and types of people. The lack of diversity in Concord
will serve as a disadvantage later in life, because the real world
(out side of Concord/the work place/ college) are for the most part
much more diverse. People who have lived their whole lives in a
diverse community will be much more comfortable and better adapted to
interacting and relating with people of all diversities. Another way I
see being privileged in the United States, as a disadvantage is
affirmative action. Affirmative actions offer advantages to minorities
to getting into schools. In some cases a minority and a white could
apply to the same school with the same credentials, grades, athletics,
extracurricular, SAT scores, etc, but the minority will get in and not
the white, because they add diversity to the school. I am not saying I
am against affirmative actions, nor am I complaining, because I feel
very privileged and feel that my social class gives me much more
advantage in the world than disadvantage. I am just pointing out that
in some ways the privileged in the US are hurt.
On Oct 28, 12:50 am, Alex Steinroeder <alsteinroed...@yahoo.com>

[Kyle Calabria]

METCO students have to wake up extremely early in order commute to
Concord, and do not get back home from school until much later than
Concord students. One privilege I could give up in order to get off
the bench, is I could wake up as early as the metco students have to
get up at, and then sit in a car for the time it takes the METCO
students to travel home. This would take away about two hours of
sleep, and an hour of free time every single day. I do not think I
would be able to continuously give up this privilege for over a week,
with out going insane. This exercise, although unpractical would allow
me to understand and respect how hard it is for someone not as
privileged as I am to get the same level education.
On Oct 28, 12:50 am, Alex Steinroeder <alsteinroed...@yahoo.com>