In an attempt to visually showcase the spectrum of privilege in Singapore, a “student-led, socially-minded arts collective” called UNSAID decided to conduct a social experiment. Entitled ‘The Privilege Walk’, it gathered 16 people between the ages of 21 to 26 from myriad racial, religious and family backgrounds to participate.
‘There’s a lot about privileged Singapore that’s not said,’ commented one person. ‘It has to do not only with your race, but [also] your social class.’
Everyone started out holding hands, standing on the same line. But with each answer, they would either move forward or backward, until the 35 questions on privilege (or the lack thereof) were completed. Questions ranged from simpler ones like, ‘If your parents ever had to work more than one job to support your family, take one step back’, to tougher ones like ‘If you were uncomfortable about a joke or a statement you overheard related to your race, gender, appearance, or sexual orientation, but felt unsafe to confront the situation, take one step back’.
It’s interesting to see the reactions of the participants at the end, when they looked around and gauged the differences in their relative positions on the privilege scale. Sure makes you think about where you stand and the disparity between you and others in society.
