"Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?"
----Frida Khalo
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| Me, my sister and my cousins in Africa |
What aspects of your life give you power, privilege, and prestige? What aspects create a lack of power, privilege, and prestige?
I feel blessed that I do not suffer from any illness, and have full use of my body. I can only imagine how difficult life can be without such mobility and I feel more powerful because of this. I feel very fortunate to be a member of a loving family, I am also very grateful for my friends and the close relationship I have with both of these socializing agents. I also feel very privileged to know that I do not have to struggle to provide any necessities because my family provides me with everything. Although I work, I know that if I ever need financial support, my family is willing and able to help. One of the most important values my parents instilled in me is a love of knowledge. As a result, I was able to complete my university degree, and I am now pursuing a diploma in journalism. My strong educational background makes me feel like a strong competitor in the workforce. I don’t think I have a very strong sense of prestige. I know that economically I am able to live more comfortably than some people, but I do not go through my day thinking about what a greater status I have than others. This is because to me the term prestige has a bit of a negative connotation, I ten to associate it with arrogance, or vanity. As a result I don’t view myself as “prestigious”. I think I have a positive reputation and am well liked and known to be considerate, respectful, friendly and polite. I don’t think I would be described as “prestigious”--although, I would like to be known for earning something prestigious such as an award, merit, or title.
I believe my socio-economic status is changeable or fluid depending on where I was in life. For example, when I started working I had very little money and needed to rely on my parents for EVERYTHING. Now, although I still live with my parents, I do so out of custom rather than necessity or reliance. This “custom” of having me stay home until I get married is something that is important to my parents, and because I respect and love them, I honor their wishes. However, it can sometimes make me feel a lack of autonomy because I am not able to have the same level of independence that many people of my age group experience.
I feel blessed that I do not suffer from any illness, and have full use of my body. I can only imagine how difficult life can be without such mobility and I feel more powerful because of this. I feel very fortunate to be a member of a loving family, I am also very grateful for my friends and the close relationship I have with both of these socializing agents. I also feel very privileged to know that I do not have to struggle to provide any necessities because my family provides me with everything. Although I work, I know that if I ever need financial support, my family is willing and able to help. One of the most important values my parents instilled in me is a love of knowledge. As a result, I was able to complete my university degree, and I am now pursuing a diploma in journalism. My strong educational background makes me feel like a strong competitor in the workforce. I don’t think I have a very strong sense of prestige. I know that economically I am able to live more comfortably than some people, but I do not go through my day thinking about what a greater status I have than others. This is because to me the term prestige has a bit of a negative connotation, I ten to associate it with arrogance, or vanity. As a result I don’t view myself as “prestigious”. I think I have a positive reputation and am well liked and known to be considerate, respectful, friendly and polite. I don’t think I would be described as “prestigious”--although, I would like to be known for earning something prestigious such as an award, merit, or title.
I believe my socio-economic status is changeable or fluid depending on where I was in life. For example, when I started working I had very little money and needed to rely on my parents for EVERYTHING. Now, although I still live with my parents, I do so out of custom rather than necessity or reliance. This “custom” of having me stay home until I get married is something that is important to my parents, and because I respect and love them, I honor their wishes. However, it can sometimes make me feel a lack of autonomy because I am not able to have the same level of independence that many people of my age group experience.
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