#3 Advantage/disadvantage

I am white....

I can travel and not be stopped and searched at every border....even when carrying items not permitted.

I have moved nearly fourteen times and travelled to over sixteen countries and have never had a problem finding a place to live/sleep/eat/get help.

I see people of my colour represented widely in positions of power and throughout the media. I know that I can do anything.

Usually when I am the ‘other’ it means I am showered with respect, food and anything I need. In most third world settings it is seen as an honour to have me enter ones home, just because I am white and foreign.




I can criticize our government and not be seen as an outsider who doesn’t know anything, although in truth I have no clue as to what is going on.

As someone in development my colour gives me instant privilege overseas and in job applications. I am often seen as someone who can fix their problems, although the opposite can be true as well.


I am Canadian...

When I travel I rarely need a visa, I am usually loved and accepted into outside cultures.
I am able to access health care relatively easily and affordably as well as education and employment. There are social services I can access no matter my race, colour, income status or background.

I live in a country which has the second highest annual rainfall amount each year. I never have to walk or carry my water. I never go thirsty.

The land and environment I live in is moderately protected and spaces are created for leisure, rest and relaxation. I know that my children will be able to see the same parks and wildlife I see today.

On the other hand...

I have been denied service because I am white, in Canada for housing and in Barbados for hair and food.

Where I live, and in many places I travel I am afraid to walk home because of my race and gender. I am fully aware of how it makes me vulnerable. Kern (2005) supports that whiteness can make you the other too.

My friends in North America assume that my whiteness and my status as a university student means that I have disposable income, I often feel inadequate and pressure to live beyond my means to fit in and have a social life- they do not understand.

When traveling my colour makes me a target for ransom kidnappings, robbery and rape, as well as my gender. I am seen as ‘easy’ in many countries, although this is the furthest thing from me.

On campus I am minority and do not relate to most students, besides having the same school in common. I do not speak all of the multiple languages and often feel alone.
Contradictions

I did not grow up learning about the contributions of my people in the history books. I am Irish, Protestant.

When I walk down the halls of my school I am most likely to hear a language I do not understand. Most faces I see do not match mine. I do not relate.

In Canada I am privileged. In Barbados I wanted to get a haircut. I could not because no one would cut white hair.

There I was in another country, I was the outsider. In Canada I am from the line of those in charge, the whites. This gives me an advantage over those ‘outsiders’ who are most likely seen as people of colour.
I am both disadvantaged and advantaged. I have power and privilege while not being able to access certain things. These lines are constantly shifting as society and I shift. Within this dynamic tension I have a position, a sphere of influence where I have privilege and can affect change. In some cases being underprivileged is an advantage. Living in a community where the majority of people feel unempowered we decided to start community action groups and children/youth groups. These quickly caught on and people were inspired to make their community a better place. This common goal and motivation which is so powerful, the motivation to rise from difficulty and the resilience which people in these communities possess, can be incredibly powerful when harnessed and can bring about great change.