Race & Privilege: A Social Experiment | Regardless Of Race | CNA Insider

We say the words, "Regardless of race, language or religion." But majority privilege may be more real in Singapore‬ than some would like to think. Watch what happens in this experiment - and how participants react.

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About the show:

[christianbrown]

This was a very poorly constructed experiment.

[swiggynutmcgee]

None of those statement have anything to do with privilege

[ktheai]

“is your boss the same race as you”

that only matters on the racial diversity based on your neighborhood... *it has NOTHING to do with corporations being racist.*

[jamesclow]

I don't understand why questions such as "is your boss of the same race" or "have you been the only person of race in a room" is relevant to the concept of privilege. What is it that an individual gains or loses if the answer is yes or no?

[stevepitbull]

Very unprofessional way for experiment. Absolutely in accurate.

[countsmyth]

I'm white and from Ireland, I work in South Korea for the last 13 years. If I took part in this experiment I'd be close to the back. Not sure what this proves!

[flogrown]

for those who are having trouble understanding the experiment, this is about most of the "privilege" people receive is NOT based on race, but being a part of the majority. If you used this same experiment in Africa, black people would be a the front of the room, if you did this in America or England, white people would be at the front, if you did this in japan, Japanese people would be at the front and so

[theatheistattitude]

I'm a straight white guy, and I'd be at the back of the room with these dumb questions

[junchen]

Privilege is having it easier than others like when you get into Harvard with SAT score below 1000

[maxchavez]

I am not sure exactly what they proved.

[rompolskis]

This is like taking every race and dropping them into a tic tac toe game then shaming the winner

[ramdelosreyes]

75% of the statements (9 out of 12) in this "Social Experiment" DO NOT reflect actual privilege. Here are my individual comments on each statement to discuss my personal thoughts on the topic.

1. In the last one week, I have seen an advertisement with a model of the same race as me.
INVALID: It is expected that advertisements and marketing strategies would appeal to a target audience which is at most times, the majority. As long as no one is forcing you to purchase products you don't like or perhaps, stopping you from buying things you like, then this will does not prove social privilege.

2. My boss is the same race as me.
INVALID: This statement is actually racist because it implies that all bosses secured their positions based solely on the color of their skin and not on merits.

3. I have never been the only person of my race in a room.
INVALID: The only thing this proves is your race is most likely not the majority in your location. Unless other people are prohibiting you to enter a room only because of your race, then this statement stays INVALID.

4. In the last month, you tried to get food and the person spoke to you in a language you didn't understand.
INVALID: If you emigrate from another nation, you are expected to assimilate yourself to the nation you are emigrating to. This is to pay respect to the culture and heritage of the citizens of the nation you are entering. You don't expect all of them to adjust for the newcomer.

5. Your friends in conversation used the words "you people" to you, meaning your whole race.
INVALID: This does not prove social privilege because you could also say "you people" to your friends. Besides, they're your friends and they most likely are joking and do not intend any harm. If they do, then find new friends. :-)

6. You've done something well and you've been congratulated because you're a credit to your race.
VALID: This is valid because it implies that your race is being generalized as somewhat subpar or incompetent, thus, you being congratulated for being a credit to your race seems a valid statement to me.

7. Your race has been brought up in a job interview.
INVALID: The only way this becomes valid is when you get approved/rejected based solely on your race. Simply bringing up your race in a job interview does not prove anything other than being a personal talking point.

8. Someone's made fun of you at school because of the color of your skin.
VALID: This must be the most valid statement among the list.

9. At school or at work, you have two or less food stalls where you can get food you like.
INVALID: Food you like is very subjective and may even have nothing to do with your race. You could be asian, but like french cuisine. If this statement specifically stated "Food related to your race and has found zero food stalls serving them, " this could yield a more objective result. Although naturally, you would find native/local/national food more prevalent in the area.

10. You've ever been asked to stop loitering at the void deck.
INVALID: The statement is vague. The only reason this will be valid is if you we're asked to stop loitering based solely on the color of your skin.

11. You've watched a racial stereotype on TV and you thought it was offensive.
VALID: I'll consider this valid but should be taken carefully. Being offended can be subjective especially when it comes to jokes, although I will agree that inappropriate jokes exist.

12. You've heard your friends make a joke about race, make a joke about a racial stereotype, but you we're too afraid to say anything, you didn't want to cause offence.
INVALID: The only person stopping you here is yourself. The difference between this and the previous statement is, you can talk to your friends here and also, they are your "friends". If they are truly your friends, they will understand that you took offense and they will be more careful next time. If they are offended with you confronting them, then find new friends.

From my understanding, privilege is an advantage or special right given only to a specific group of people, in this case - race. The determining factor in each statement should be your race to qualify as an objective assessment point. In my opinion, I found that most of these statements do not qualify to obtain a more accurate result to the experiment.

If anything, the experiment, to an extent, harmed the participants by making them think they are somehow victims or oppressed which is not a healthy mentality. Even the paticipants themselves are surprised by the results, and they are the primary witnesses of their personal experiences.

[catmonster]

Woah all the previous comments got deleted.

[gambit]

Im pakistani american. And i stepped back on nearly every question. But to be fair I’m doing well in life and am 10 years out of high school and doing much better than majority of kids who i went to high school with who were mostly white so i guess if u just work hard and try not to pay too much attention to race, you can still have a pretty good equal life

[whoblitzell]

What is Privilege????
1) Privilege is wearing $200 sneakers when you’ve never had a job.
2) Privilege is wearing $300 Beats headphones while living on public assistance.
3) Privilege is having a Smartphone with a Data plan, which you receive no bill for.
4) Privilege is living in public subsidized housing where you don’t have a utility or phone bill and where rising property taxes, rents and energy costs have absolutely no effect on the amount of food you can put on your table, which is largely covered by Government Food Stamps.
5) Privilege is having free health insurance for you and your family that's paid for by working taxpayers who often can't afford proper health coverage for their own families.
6) Privilege is having multiple national organizations promoting and protecting just your race alone -- that are subsidized by federal tax dollars.
7) Privilege is having access to a national college fund that supports only one race.
8) Privilege is having a television network that supports only one race.
9) Privilege is having most of the media news networks refuse to cover incidents wherein one race (one-eighth of the population) commits 50% of the crimes.
10) Privilege is the ability to go march against, and protest against anything that triggers you, without worrying about calling off from work and the consequences that accompany such.
11) Privilege is having as many children as you want, regardless of your employment status, and be able to send them off to daycare or pre-school you don’t pay for.
12) Privilege is being able to vote in many states without showing a driver's license, voter ID card or other credentials -- just because your race claims they should be exempt from such requirements.
13) Privilege is being able to riot, loot, commit arson and tear down historic monuments without consequences -- just because you don't like folks such as Columbus, U. S. Grant or even Lincoln.
14) Privilege is being able to get into almost any college of your choosing based on your race, not your grades or merit.
15) Privilege is having most of your life paid for by the working men and women who DO HAVE TO DEAL WITH RISING TAXES AND COSTS! you know, those you now call “PRIVILEGED.”

[RextheRebel]

4:11, if you are a minority in a country that speaks another language than you, that's not privilege, that's called logic. Speaking English isnt a privilege in countries that speak english, that's there native tongue. You are not a native... that said, the fact that you can speak English as well as other languages in a privilege. And as for the lady after him, what the fuck? I felt bad for the older guy.

[Fishroads]

in singapore chinese people prefere chinese people thats a fact, experienced it on my own

[dutchboyslim]

My privilege comes from:
listening to parents
listening to teachers and coaches
listening to police
studying hard
investing in my own education, financially as needed
working hard to get and keep jobs; did not always happen
not giving up; when I failed, trying again or trying different tool
not getting drunk or high
not selling drugs or illegally buying alcohol
not vandalizing
not looting or stealing
not looking for fights
not getting someone pregnant
respecting people around me, including superiors, peers and subordinates
not making racial or religious slurs
not making fun of people's hindrances, be they physical, mental, other
not calling myself a victim when I didn't get my way (it's called life)
not using an unfair or unpleasant experience as an excuse to do whatever I want
These are just some of the rules to live by; follow them and you will be largely "privileged" too

[JohnAndJaneDoe]

U ask questions like ‘ is ur boss of the same race’ or ‘ have u been the only person of that race in a room’. Of course there is higher of a chinese having a boss of the same race and an indian guy being an only indian in the room. It’s simply because they are more chinese and less indians in Singapore... how is being a majority race “ social privilege “? How is this movement going to change the fact that a chinese will always have a higher chance of having a boss of the same race?

And questions like “ only have 2 or less food stalls u can choose from” ... this is obviously targeted mainly at malays because majority of them are muslims and hence can only eat from halal certified stalls. So how are u going to solve this? Make all food stalls halal? Racial discrimination is having a hawker center or food court with NO halal stalls at all.

[keithherrera]

If your IQ is so low that you fell for this totally subjective experiment please take a step forward. This is so easily debunked. The questions are subjective. Who says those things make you priveleged? You can ask a whole different set of questions that would give you the opposite result. No one actually cares about stereotypes btw.