Who has the power in this situation?

I find myself quite often revisiting some of the nuggets of wisdom that I took from my foundational coursework at grad school. One of my profs once said, in the context of figuring out if privilege is a factor in any situation, that you can just ask this question: Who has the power in this situation? 

Indigenous people were somehow convinced to sign a bunch of treaties even though they couldn't read or understand the language they were written in. Who had the power in this situation?

Black people are terrified to be pulled over by the police for fear of it escalating into something violent. Who has the power in this situation? 

Women are afraid to walk across parking lots to their cars after dark for fear of being attacked. Who has the power in this situation? 

People who live in certain neighbourhoods have more difficulty securing mortgages than those who live elsewhere. (This is called redlining.) Who has the power in this situation?

Elderly are treated poorly in long term care facilities and it goes unreported for years until the military steps in to help during a pandemic and has no choice but to report it to the government. Who has the power in this situation? 

Who is benefiting from the power they have? 
Who is abusing the power they have? 
Who is being marginalized? Dehumanized? 

Privilege comes in so many flavours -- so many binaries: white/racialized, male/female, young/old, educated/uneducated, healthy/unhealthy, wealthy/poor. I'm sure the list goes on. 

I have privilege. I am an educated white person with enough money to pay the bills. I have also felt the oppression that comes with being female in a male dominant society. I have held my car keys between my fingers like a weapon to use if necessary while walking at night. I've thought about buying pepper spray. I've been groped and cat called. I've been told I run like a girl. I've even been sexually harassed by an executive at a tech company I once worked for. Who had the power in that situation? He did until I said something to the management. 

But I only fall into one of the oppressed binaries, and as a result of all the privilege I do have I have to remember that my experience doesn't begin to relate to the experiences of those who land in several of the marginalized categories I listed above. I'm still a privileged white woman who needs to use that privilege to make a difference. Somehow. That's why I'm here. 


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