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Privilege In First They Killed My Father

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Privilege is a beast of many disguises. Those in a privileged position can often be, intentionally or other otherwise, fooled by it, lulled into complacency under the lie that everything is alright, and they have done nothing wrong. It is easier to see oppression, but much harder to see that which is right in front of you in your own life. Recognizing privilege in daily life is vitally important, and one of the best ways to recognize the beast is to study up, to watch privilege in action at the very highest rungs of society, or in our case, in the life of Angelina Jolie. When viewed through the lens of intersectionality, it becomes clear how much Jolie’s privileges benefit her. As intersectionality applies to oppression, the more levels of …show more content…

With this amount of privilege and financial resources on hand, regardless of the purity of intentions, it is easy for people to fall in the “white savior” trope. In some ways, she does well: she uses her privilege and platform to highlight “obscure” areas of history that generally overlooked, and she does this in her film “First They Killed My Father” in a good way. She based the plot on the true story of her friend’s life, a survivor of the Cambodian genocide, and worked closely with the Cambodian film director Rithy Panh. Jolie also sought to make the film as authentic as possible, enlisting “thousands of Cambodians” to play the roles of extras, and was careful to be sensitive to the culture of the country, “arrang[ing] for monks to pray and set out incense and offerings beforehand” (Buckley …show more content…

In the very movie that couple fell in love, Brad Pitt made twice the amount of money ($20 million v. $10 million) as Jolie, even though they were co-stars with similar amounts of screen time (“Angelina Jolie Net Worth” 2017). As female film director, Jolie is also under higher pressure for her films to succeed. She is a woman in a male dominated field, and as actress Cate Blanchett remarks in an interview on sexism in Hollywood, women are not allowed to “screw up” in the film making industry (Bloom 2015). There are high amounts of “second-time male directors,” Blanchett comments: “If for some reason their film doesn’t do well, in eight to 12 months they’re back in there again, someone backs them,” whereas when a woman messes up, she is written off as just being a poor director (Bloom

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This week we were assigned to read to different articles. The first article was written by Peggy McIntosh titled, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”. Throughout the article, Peggy showed the readers what it means to have white privilege. She showed the readers 50 different types of “advantages” that whites get over other races, such as African Americans. This is the biggest theme throughout her entire piece.

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In “Intersectional Resistance and Law Reform,” Dean Spade proposes that the United States was founded through “racialization…(which) continues to operate under new guises… that produce, manage, and deploy gender categories and sexuality and family norms” (16). More over, these laws and norms tend to maintain the “status quo,” and employ an inherently flawed justice system that is only equipped to address single-axis discrimination issues (5). Thus, the intersectionality movement is largely dismissed by the social and justice systems, as it utilizes “critical intersectional tools… that are often (too) difficult for legal scholars to comprehend” (17). Interstionality’s progress is also impeded by advocates leaving to support single-axis issues. However, Spade warns that this approach is ineffective, as it fails to protect the most marginalized members of society.

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White privilege negatively impacts social justice which can lead to irreversible actions. Hillary Clinton once said, “If a country doesn't recognize minority rights and human rights, including women's rights, you will not have the kind of stability and prosperity that is possible.” We are all equals, whether we are woman, have a disability or are coloured. We all deserve the same rights. Without social injustice, life would be made fair.

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(page 1, par. 3). As he continues to write, he uses the word “privilege” liberally throughout his essay. In this essay, I will be analyzing how the author uses the word “privilege” in his essay to gain credibility and an emotional response from his readers.

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First they Killed my Father, by Loung Ung, is a story told from the eyes of a young girl who lived through the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia. As you read this book you begin to find yourself learning valuable history, straight from the source. Loung explains how her and her family were forced out of their home town in Cambodia, when Khmer Rouge began to takeover. A few days after Khmer Rouge took control in 1975, the Khmer Rouge forced roughly two million people in Phnom Penh, and other towns/cities into the countryside for agricultural work. Thousands of people died and were executed during the evacuations.

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Loung Ung’s First They Killed My Father is a vivid, detailed memoir of a young girl’s experiences in Cambodia throughout the Khmer Rouge era. It records in expressive detail the horrors suffered by the Ung and her family while living under the oppressive rule of the insane Khmer Rouge. Meanwhile, First They Killed Her Sister by Soneath Hor, Sody Lay and Grantham Quinn is a lengthy criticism in direct opposition to the aforementioned memoir. Although the authors of First They Killed Her Sister made some excellent points throughout their assessment of First They Killed my Father such as showing how Ung having misrepresented some aspects of Khmer culture and history, they completely and utterly failed in their attempt to discredit her based on the claims that she perpetuated racial tension and distorted what really happened in 1970s Cambodia, which breaks down the few good points they did have. The critics correctly assert and prove that Ung misrepresented certain aspects of Khmer culture and history, showing that at times, Ung’s description of what had happened was distorted or partially fabricated.

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Loung and her family now have to run and lie from the Khmer Rouge and try to be safe. The intended audience of First They Killed My Father are the people who lack knowledge of the Khmer Rouge incident as they may be able to sympathize with Ung and her life. The purpose of this memoir

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It might not be seen but still operating. White privilege, is often rendered invisible but is one of the most common forms of racism and racialism. Most successful businesses and companies are often (96%) run by men (Power, SWLF-3446-FA501_2015 (Women and Social Welfare ( BRACE )), 2015). After analyzing Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” I realize how many of these quotes and statements that I did not realize as a white female I either felt or was surprised people have to deal with. For example “I can chose blemish cover or bandages in flesh color that more or less matches my skin.”

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Whites are privileged because we are seen as the average American. We do not get second glances, because nobody suspects we are doing anything but living our lives. Though since we are not subject to this intense scrutiny we do not realize that we in turn do this to African Americans, just simply living their daily lives as well. McIntosh (1988) points out that she repeatedly forgot each of the realizations on this list until I wrote it down. For me white privilege has turned out to be an elusive and fugitive subject.

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Moreover, demonstrate consequences are taken to oppress racial and ethnic minorities to keep them in a subservient position. Overall, this film has provided me with a visual depiction of how stereotypes are a mental tool that enforces racial segregation and self-hate. The label of “White” became a necessity for Sarah Jane to achieve in society. To attain it she needed to move to a new city, change her name and deny her mother.

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Without applying intersectionality in analysis, oppression can only be understood in general terms, which can cause forms of oppression to become undetected (Mattsson, 2014). Instead, intersectionality, demonstrates the complexity of gender, sexuality, class, and race avoiding stereotypes as a whole, rather than simplifying an individual based on one characteristic (Mattsson, 2014). For example, when I was working at a Community Centre in the Jane and Finch area, I had a conversation with my co-worker. He described the barriers and struggles he has faced because of his race and socioeconomic status. It was through this conversation that I realized the pre-conceived notions my co-worker had about me, as a white individual who did not grow-up in the same neighbourhood.

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I live a life of considerable privilege. I am a white, upper middle class, straight, young adult, living a comfortable life. I have learned to recognize these facts, and thought I understood the meaning of my privilege; until I read this novel. The Other Wes Moore gave me a new perspective on the meaning of ‘privilege,’ and how it affects the workings of our society. This novel really opened my eyes to some of the troubles in this world, and how everyone has a story that isn’t seen on the surface.

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In 1975 the Khmer Rouge came to power in Cambodia, with the promise of a equal and classless society. The book First They Killed My Father, tells the story of a little girl and her family. The little girl, Loung, and her family are from the city of Phnom Penh. She lives a privileged life looking up to her father, until it is all striped away to rice and hard labor. In the memoir, First They Killed my Father by Loung Ung, Ung explores how relationships are important in her journey in order to demonstrate how her relationship with her Pa makes her committed to survive.

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She explains how the lack of awareness about intersectionality skews the data behind studies on controversial

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