Acknowledging Spared Injustices

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The notion of privilege can be difficult for many people to process. It might be more helpful to understand it as spared injustice; harmful experiences we were protected from, due to our closeness to the ideals of the different, intersecting systems of oppression.

Adapted from a range of sources, this is a checklist to help you think about your own experiences of injustice and discrimination and those you have been spared from, but your colleagues, friends, external networks and stakeholders might not.

~Content Warning~

There are fifty items on the checklist, and they are shuffled for each participant. There are statements on this list that might find uncomfortable or trigger difficult emotions or past experiences. I would suggest before you start, get comfortable and ensure you have a refreshment, a fidget, or an emotional anchor nearby in case you need it.

Please stop if you need to; take a break or leave it altogether. Breathe and remind yourself that you are currently safe.

If you need to, reach out to an appropriate person or organisation. Remember, self-care is itself an act of activism!

Responses are anonymous and specifically designed act as a catalyst for self-reflection. No personal or identifiable information will be collected. Individual responses are periodically deleted.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email hello@louchiu.com. You are, also, welcome to reach out if you wanted to explore with me your reaction and reflections on this exercise.

Check off all the statements that apply to you

I have always paid my bills on time

I can talk openly about my relationships, holidays, and family planning

I have never experienced chronic pain

I do not have to correct people on my name or pronouns

I have never experienced sexually harassment or assault

I generally do not get interrupted or spoken over in meetings or social situations

I am confident that if I was report a crime against me, the authorities would believe me

I have never missed an event or appointment because I couldn't physically access the space

I have never been violently attacked for my religious beliefs (verbally or physically)

I can easily buy clothes that fit me reasonably well for a reasonable price

I can date someone without thinking about whether it is to satisfy their curiosity or identity-based kink

I do not require travel or walking aids to move around

I work in a salaried job

I can vote in elections that affect my way of life or community

I have never experienced addiction

I have never experienced homelessness

I know that I can hold my partners hand in public without fear of disapproval or violence

I finished college/ sixth form/ an apprenticeship

I am confident that I can hold my partner's hand anywhere in the world and not be persecuted

I do not have any learning difficulties

I am not neurodivergent

I have never been shamed for my body type

I have never had someone shout at me "to go back to my own country"

I have never experienced depression (clinical or otherwise)

I have travelled outside of my home country

I have never had someone make fun of my accent, dialect and/or language

I have never tried to change my gender

I have not had to work with a care professional to prepare or acclimatise to a new environment

I have never been ignored or refused service because of how I look

I finished school

I own my own home

I have an Undergraduate degree

I have never had to come out to my family, friends and/or colleagues

I have never lied about sexual or romantic preferences or activities to fit in

I feel safe and comfortable with the sex that I was assigned at birth

I can access transport easily to get where I need to go

I can easily find roles models and mentors who share my core identities

I have a Postgraduate qualification (Masters, PhD, etc)

I trust the advice and guidance that my medical professionals have given me

I have never experienced domestic violence

I was not bullied as a child for something that I couldn't change

As a child, I wasn't embarrassed to have friends over for dinner

I have never had to ask for reasonable adjustments to be made

I have never changed my name or had it changed by someone else, so it was easier for others to pronounce

When I have been off sick from work, my employers have always believed me.

I have never felt poor

That's the end of the quiz. How many did you tick off?

When talking about allyship, it's important that we are aware of the opportunities that we have in order to make changes more widely. Between us, there is no judgement about the life that you have led so far - I believe that we're all just doing the best that we can with what we've got.

The question for you now - what are you going to do with the power that you have?

Thank you for taking part and I hope that it was useful to you. If you would like to find out more, there is a list of resources around privilege and spared injustices at: https://louchiu.com/resources/

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