From my Honors Colloquium II term paper:
“What
the advocates of our dangerous and deepening social amnesia don’t understand is
how deeply the past holds the future in its grip—even, and perhaps especially,
when it remains unacknowledged.” ~Timothy B. Tyson, Blood Done Sign My Name
In our society, we are taught that
racism, sexism, and classism, inasmuch as they still exist in our modern
society, are things that put others at a disadvantage. The interesting corollary
to this is for every person put at a disadvantage, someone has an advantage. In
an essay on the topic, entitled “The Breeze at My Back”, Dr. Michael Kimmel, esteemed
sociologist and author, compared privilege to running in the wind, stating:
“To walk or run with that same wind at
your back is to float, to sail effortlessly, expending virtually no energy. You
do not feel the wind; it feels you. You do not feel how it pushes you along;
you feel only the effortlessness of your movements. You feel like you could go
on forever. It is only when you turn around and face that wind that you realize
its strength. Being white, or male, or heterosexual in this culture is like
running with the wind at your back. It feels like just plain running, and we
rarely if ever get a chance to see how we are sustained, supported, and even
propelled by that wind.”
