intersectionality

The topic of intersectionality was one that I struggled to grasp until discussed in class. I felt that I didn't fully understand the topic because I felt that I was far more privileged than oppressed as an individual. After the readings and hearing others thoughts in class the concept started to make more sense to me. Even after completing my flash card I still found that I viewed myself as more privileged than oppressed, but the point of intersectionality is that individuals experience privilege and oppression in varying degrees. What I found most interesting was when someone viewed their privilege and being a woman in the United States, my oppression was being female but when put into perspective of what country I live in I no longer saw it as oppressive.
I saw myself as privileged in many ways because of the opportunities that I didn't have to work for and was instead just expected to follow through with, such as college. No one asked if I was going or not they just asked where I was going, I think that this is very telling of the norms that people in my town follow. My job is another place where I see my privilege come into play in a strong way. I work at an overnight camp for kids from age 7-16. A lot of the kids that come to camp come on scholarships or what we refer to as "campership". Some of these kids aren't even able to afford the sneakers and bathing suits that are needed to make the most out of this experience and I was able to go to camp as a kid as soon as I wanted. It is largely a cultural difference that I never noticed until it was right in my face, this is one of the reasons I appreciate an education that allows for me to dissect and analyze the parts of privilege.