Barrier 3: A Sense of Privilege and Entitlement

Barrier 3: A Sense of Privilege and Entitlement

A sense of privilege and entitlement arises from indifference to benefits that accrue solely by one's membership in a gender, race, or other cultural group. This barrier encapsulates the practice of denying one group's societal benefits while awarding those same benefits to others. It recognizes that benefits gained by the dominant group accrue over time and pass from one generation to the next. For example, denying you the right to vote essentially gives me two votes—mine and the one denied you. Likewise, the same applies to educational advancement in schools. It is common to see historically oppressed populations of children—African American, Latino, and Native American—clustered in low-level academic courses while ...