Location Exercise
Doing this exercise made me think of a paper that I wrote last semester for an English Composition class. The topic for my paper was Welfare Rights and how the stereotypical thinking that surrounds people on government assistance is detrimental for those people and for society in general. One of the questions in the exercise asked, "When did you first become aware of your race, class, gender, sexuality, nationality, etc.?" While this probably wasn't the first time I became aware of such things, it stands out in my mind as being significant. For my paper, I got into contact with the Welfare Rights Committee here in Minneapolis. Even on the drive there, I could tell that this wasn't the type of neighborhood I was used to. The committee was located in an old school that had been turned into a community center. The office was one room with a big long table in the center with papers strewn across it. Listening to the women talk about the unfair treatment of welfare recipients, I could see how my class status probably appeared to them. These women were putting down rich people, and while I certainly am not rich, I'm from a middle class family where money isn't a day to day concern. Before doing this paper, I at least partially believed the stereotypes about welfare recipients. Now I know that most people on welfare are only on it for a short amount of time and are for the most part using it as a second chance, a way of getting back on their feet. As we're learning about white privilege and oppression based on socioeconomic status, I remember that interview, and I can better understand where these authors are coming from.