Hello Everyone, (Debbie this one is for you)
Since in my previous post I spoke on the concept of social location, I though it would be a great idea to discuss the concept of choice and how the two link together. What many may not yet understand is that there is no such thing as free choice when you are in a social location that is disadvantaged. Now I will explain the concepts through an example which will make this post a lot clearer. Many may believe that the woman of color working at Tim Horton’s has a choice about whether or not she wants to work there. Or they may even assume that if she is treated badly then she has the open choice of quitting and finding work somewhere else. Well this is easier said than done. That woman of color has a college degree in administrative studies, but is still unable to find an employer that will hire her. The employer has the choice of choosing the ‘white’ woman or the woman of color than it is highly likely that the employer will choose the ‘white’ woman. The woman of color has to get a job in order to help support her family; since her husband is also working a precarious job she has to pitch in to make ends meet.
This woman of color is my mother, and I have seen her struggling for the past couple of years. I initially assumed that she was unable to find a job because there was a lack of jobs but this course has taught me a lot. No one wants to hire her because of her skin color and accent and also because they would prefer to keep their company image less urban. She specifically got a college degree so that she could make a better future for her children; little did she know that when she decided to come to the ‘land of opportunity’ she was sinking herself into a hole she could never escape from. I hope this is making clear exactly how much ‘choice’ my mother has. She does not want to work at Tim Horton’s but at this point she can not risk being jobless. Had my mother been a ‘white’ woman who had a college degree things would have been very different for us. We could have been afforded certain privileges, which are saved only for the ones who hold the power in society. Opportunities are handed to those who have money, power, respect and the ‘right’ skin color and it passes the others by without looking back. I have learned that there is no such thing as free choice, especially for those who are disadvantaged through race, gender, class and ethnicity.
Since in my previous post I spoke on the concept of social location, I though it would be a great idea to discuss the concept of choice and how the two link together. What many may not yet understand is that there is no such thing as free choice when you are in a social location that is disadvantaged. Now I will explain the concepts through an example which will make this post a lot clearer. Many may believe that the woman of color working at Tim Horton’s has a choice about whether or not she wants to work there. Or they may even assume that if she is treated badly then she has the open choice of quitting and finding work somewhere else. Well this is easier said than done. That woman of color has a college degree in administrative studies, but is still unable to find an employer that will hire her. The employer has the choice of choosing the ‘white’ woman or the woman of color than it is highly likely that the employer will choose the ‘white’ woman. The woman of color has to get a job in order to help support her family; since her husband is also working a precarious job she has to pitch in to make ends meet.
This woman of color is my mother, and I have seen her struggling for the past couple of years. I initially assumed that she was unable to find a job because there was a lack of jobs but this course has taught me a lot. No one wants to hire her because of her skin color and accent and also because they would prefer to keep their company image less urban. She specifically got a college degree so that she could make a better future for her children; little did she know that when she decided to come to the ‘land of opportunity’ she was sinking herself into a hole she could never escape from. I hope this is making clear exactly how much ‘choice’ my mother has. She does not want to work at Tim Horton’s but at this point she can not risk being jobless. Had my mother been a ‘white’ woman who had a college degree things would have been very different for us. We could have been afforded certain privileges, which are saved only for the ones who hold the power in society. Opportunities are handed to those who have money, power, respect and the ‘right’ skin color and it passes the others by without looking back. I have learned that there is no such thing as free choice, especially for those who are disadvantaged through race, gender, class and ethnicity.
