That's So Raven educates about Privilege

When I was a kid, I loved the show That's So Raven. The show about a teenage psychic girl and her friends. For those that are around my age now, so early twenties, you remember this show as well.

Recently, this episode came to my mind. I remember this episode well. It is one of the many episodes that attempted to teach young people about various social problems. In this clip that I found from the episode, Raven has a psychic vision that she did not get a job because the manger does not hire black people. She spends the beginning talking to with her friends about racism. She sends her friend Chelsea, who happens to be white, to apply and she get the job. Chelsea, who is white, gets the job and wears a hat with a hidden camera. Raven then dresses as an older man shopping in the store, and the manger tells Chelsea to follow her around while she shops. Towards the end, she tells Chelsea that she does not hire black people, and Raven and her friends end up exposing the discrimination in the store.

To view the clip click here.

This clip came to my mind because recently I have become familiar with the term privilege. The term privilege in this sense is a special advantage, immunity, permission, right, or benefit granted to or enjoyed by an individual, class, or caste. Those that are privileged are often unaware.

This system acts as a detriment to non-dominant groups that have not historically or traditionally had access to the dominant culture's institutions. Privilege can come in many forms, including white, male, and able-bodied privilege. For this post, I am focusing on white privilege.

I also want to make it clear that this does not mean white people do not experience troubles in life. This term means that systematically and socially white people experience privileges that minorities do not.

In the reading White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack by Peggy McIntosh, she lists numerous aspects of privilege that whites carry around with them and use in everyday life, but are often unaware of these tools. One of these tools she "unpacks" is the fact that she, as a white female, can often go shopping alone without being followed or harassed while in a store.

Upon blatant acts of discrimination and racism, this episode of That's So Raven obviously displays this when the manager asks Chelsea to follow Raven around the store while she is shopping. I have also witnessed this many times in my life. I remember my Latina friend feeling very uncomfortable once when we were shopping because an employee decided to follow her.

I, as a white girl, have never had this happen to me. This in itself is a privilege that I was never aware of until I became educated on this concept.

However, I realize now that this one episode of one of my favorite childhood shows attempted to educate me on this fact of life way before higher education did. I appreciate the fact that I grew up on shows that called out the problems with society, instead of trying to cover them. I think more shows should aim for this as well.

As white people, Peggy McIntosh calls that we must understand our privilege instead of denying it, and use it to change the way the system operates. I think my generation has hope in doing this, because we are realizing and becoming educated at a rate faster than any generation before us.

So the next time someone asks you to "check your privilege", don't become defensive. Instead start a conversation. Try to understand. Understanding and education is the key to change,

I realize this post is not as much about gender, but it is about show that, as a young girl, I really admired. Raven is a character that often stoodd up for what she believes in. In one episode, she also stands up to body shaming. She is as character that I was happy to grow up with.