Ever heard of the term "adultism?" You may have, you may not have. However, I'm personally going to wager that you haven't, because children and young adults under the age of 18 (or 25) are not generally considered a marginalized group.
But alas... we are. And in much the same way as recognizing white privilege helps white people to be better allies to minorities, or how recognizing male privilege helps men to be better allies to women, recognizing (and checking) adult privilege will help adults to be better allies to children and young adults, as well as advance the many child protection initiatives out there today.
Without further ado... 17 examples of adult privilege. (There are likely more, but I stopped at 17 because it's somewhat meaningful.
1. You have the right to vote.
2. People in general take what you say into account. (Ever felt like your parents or other adults aren't listening to you? They're probably not.)
3. You are not accused of being "disrespectful" for having a differing opinion from that of an older person.
4. Your life's issues are not marginalized because of your age...
5. ... nor are any bad moods/problems you have blamed on your age. (These two seem to overlap with ageism of elders... for every bratty/moody teenager, there's a grouchy old man/woman.)
6. Most famous personalities tend to be your age.
7. When people your age achieve something, they are not held up as "unusual" or "remarkable" because of their age.
8. You are legally allowed to consent to sex. (Whether this is right or not, I'm not getting into (I personally agree with 16 as a good consenting age), but the fact is, it is a privilege.)
9. Violence is not considered "necessary discipline."
10. It is easier for you to find employment.
11. Your age group tends to get greater/more positive representation in media. (See numbers 4 and 5)
12. You are legally allowed to buy and consume alcohol and tobacco products. (See the side note on number 8.)
13. You are not usually expected to get permission from a third party to make certain decisions.
14. Characters your age in media tend to be played by actors/actresses your age, not someone drastically older.
15. Your age group is not universally blamed for modern problems in society.
16. You are legally entitled to your own decision-making, and do not need a special law to gain the freedom to act on this right.
17. Your intelligence is not called into question because of your age. (Ever heard an adult say "kids are stupid?" There ya go.)
That's the end of my list. What other examples of adult privilege can you think of? Feel free to leave 'em in the comments.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Monday, December 30, 2013
Let's Talk About Scapegoats...
I consider myself to be three things:
1. Goth
2. Emo
3. An otaku
This, of course, is only a small sampling of things that I consider myself (I do not mention progressive, intelligent, eloquent, talented, and well-read, since those things are irrelevant to the discussion), but those are the three main things that I believe compromise a part of my identity.
The one at the top is the subject of the discussion. My mother was reading a t-shirt that I had bought from the VampireFreaks store (this being the shirt in question). This led to her claiming that my being interesting in goth culture is the reason that I have been depressed for so many years. Never mind that I'm twenty-three, unemployed, living with my mom, who treats my like shit, was bullied relentlessly in high school and didn't have any friends then... no, the scary goths fucked up my brain and turned me into a mass murderer who's depressed all the time.
All of this leads to my subject: society's scapegoating. Everybody seems to need somebody to blame when something bad happens, because nobody wants to admit that they, and society at large, are the ones to blame for these things. The Columbine shooting: everybody automatically blamed the goths simply because the boys wore black trenchcoats. Um, simple black trenchcoats do not a goth make. Point the finger at us, Marilyn Manson, whoever, all you want, but the fact is, those kids were going through some shit, probably were being bullied. And I'm sure the goths weren't the ones bullying him. The Virginia Tech shooting, video games were to blame. Video games do not mock you and make you feel like shit just for existing. If anything, if the kid had been a gamer, this probably would have never happened because he would have had some way to vent his anger.
The fact is, society needs to change the way they think. You're gonna ostracize and humiliate somebody just because they're different, or you just don't like them, or whatever, and not expect them to go crazy?!
Marilyn Manson does not create killers. Grand Theft Auto does not breed murderers. Loneliness, isolation, despair... these are the things killers are made of.
Instead of pointing fingers and judging, let's try reaching out and accepting each other. Then maybe we can actually stop the killings and the hatred.
Spread the love.
Stop the hate.
1. Goth
2. Emo
3. An otaku
This, of course, is only a small sampling of things that I consider myself (I do not mention progressive, intelligent, eloquent, talented, and well-read, since those things are irrelevant to the discussion), but those are the three main things that I believe compromise a part of my identity.
The one at the top is the subject of the discussion. My mother was reading a t-shirt that I had bought from the VampireFreaks store (this being the shirt in question). This led to her claiming that my being interesting in goth culture is the reason that I have been depressed for so many years. Never mind that I'm twenty-three, unemployed, living with my mom, who treats my like shit, was bullied relentlessly in high school and didn't have any friends then... no, the scary goths fucked up my brain and turned me into a mass murderer who's depressed all the time.
All of this leads to my subject: society's scapegoating. Everybody seems to need somebody to blame when something bad happens, because nobody wants to admit that they, and society at large, are the ones to blame for these things. The Columbine shooting: everybody automatically blamed the goths simply because the boys wore black trenchcoats. Um, simple black trenchcoats do not a goth make. Point the finger at us, Marilyn Manson, whoever, all you want, but the fact is, those kids were going through some shit, probably were being bullied. And I'm sure the goths weren't the ones bullying him. The Virginia Tech shooting, video games were to blame. Video games do not mock you and make you feel like shit just for existing. If anything, if the kid had been a gamer, this probably would have never happened because he would have had some way to vent his anger.
The fact is, society needs to change the way they think. You're gonna ostracize and humiliate somebody just because they're different, or you just don't like them, or whatever, and not expect them to go crazy?!
Marilyn Manson does not create killers. Grand Theft Auto does not breed murderers. Loneliness, isolation, despair... these are the things killers are made of.
Instead of pointing fingers and judging, let's try reaching out and accepting each other. Then maybe we can actually stop the killings and the hatred.
Spread the love.
Stop the hate.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Anti-Libertarian Propaganda Machine...
So, I stumbled on this article while I was on Facebook. It made me laugh and think at the same time.
What did I think about? Well, for one thing, this writer may be kind of right. There is quite a bit of not-exactly-progressive subtext in some of the movies, if you're looking for it. Cinderella in particular does have that body-image issue, which is especially interesting considering that in the original story, the stepsisters were actually beautiful. It's as if Disney purposefully changed their appearance in order to conform to this whole pretty=good/ugly=bad binary that society has going on.
Another thing I realized is that people seem to love piling bad shit on old Walt. Hell, he's already a racist (in particular an anti-Semite), so I guess he makes a great dartboard for a whole host of other crap to be stuck on him. I myself am guilty of this: I've always considered the first three Disney Princesses (Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora) to be rather a bit anti-feminist: They're not even active characters in their own stories. They just basically get pushed around by the plot and/or the baddies of their respective movies. Aurora herself spent maybe three-quarters of her own damn movie asleep! What is that, seriously? I mean, people say Jasmine, Belle, and Ariel are weak, but at least they actually did something. They at least had some measure of control over their own stories (especially Ariel: her decisions set the entire plot in motion, and continued to influence it thereafter.)
That is the end of my opinionated little rant for now. And since everybody in the world is opinionated in some way (you do form your own opinions, right?), I'd like you to tell me yours. What do you think of Walt Disney, his movies, and the namesake studio that made (and still makes) them? If you see this, feel free to leave a comment in that there box.
What did I think about? Well, for one thing, this writer may be kind of right. There is quite a bit of not-exactly-progressive subtext in some of the movies, if you're looking for it. Cinderella in particular does have that body-image issue, which is especially interesting considering that in the original story, the stepsisters were actually beautiful. It's as if Disney purposefully changed their appearance in order to conform to this whole pretty=good/ugly=bad binary that society has going on.
Another thing I realized is that people seem to love piling bad shit on old Walt. Hell, he's already a racist (in particular an anti-Semite), so I guess he makes a great dartboard for a whole host of other crap to be stuck on him. I myself am guilty of this: I've always considered the first three Disney Princesses (Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora) to be rather a bit anti-feminist: They're not even active characters in their own stories. They just basically get pushed around by the plot and/or the baddies of their respective movies. Aurora herself spent maybe three-quarters of her own damn movie asleep! What is that, seriously? I mean, people say Jasmine, Belle, and Ariel are weak, but at least they actually did something. They at least had some measure of control over their own stories (especially Ariel: her decisions set the entire plot in motion, and continued to influence it thereafter.)
That is the end of my opinionated little rant for now. And since everybody in the world is opinionated in some way (you do form your own opinions, right?), I'd like you to tell me yours. What do you think of Walt Disney, his movies, and the namesake studio that made (and still makes) them? If you see this, feel free to leave a comment in that there box.
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