Adult Privilege Checklist
The following checklist was written by Quinn Norman Capes-Ivy on his blog Shut Up, Sit Down. On this particular blog post, he lists "The Adult Privilege Checklist." He writes:
As a child:
- I am not legally allowed to vote, even though government makes decisions about me and people like me.
- If I need a caregiver, he or she will not be my peer.
- It is often considered acceptable, appropriate and even desirable for my caregiver to physically assault me if I do not please them.
- In many places I can legally be physically disciplined in my place of education.
- If I am hit, even once, by a loved one, that is not normally legally considered abuse.
- It is likely that I am smaller than the person assaulting me, and that I will be unable to defend myself.
- If I am behaving in a way others do not like (or my caregiver has decided they no longer wish to be in a certain place), it is considered acceptable to physically pick me up and forcibly remove me from the area/situation.
- If I am routinely yelled at, criticized, and belittled in my own home, this might not generally be recognised as abusive behaviour.
- My physical and emotional needs are often not treated as reasonable and important.
- If I am angry or upset, this is often not taken seriously and I am often condescended and patronised.
- I am almost always dependent on others for my economic support.
- I do not get to make choices about family finances, when to spend money and on what.
- If I am allowed to earn money at all, it will be at a lower rate than adults doing exactly the same work.
- I am routinely ignored or told to be quiet.
- If I am the only child in a group of people, I will often be shut out of the conversation or patronised.
- It is considered acceptable to talk over me or to interrupt me while I am speaking.
- When I display age-appropriate behaviour, other people find it unacceptable.
- I cannot be ‘noisier/more active than average’ in a public place without people questioning my right to be in that place.
- If I am ‘noisier/more active than average’ in a public place I risk myself and my caregiver being thrown out.
- I cannot speak in public to a group of people without putting people my age on trial.
- I do not have free choice with my language. If I use ‘unacceptable’ words I will often be punished.
- If I am suffering from mental health problems, I am often dismissed and have them put down to my age.
- Adults often feel they have the right to harass me.
- Adults feel it is their right to talk to me even after I make it clear I do not wish to talk to them.
- Adults feel it is their right to touch me (tousle my hair, pinch my cheek) without my permission.
- Society and the media often portray people like me in a negative light.
- The media often describes people like me as lazy, ignorant or criminal.
- People often make decisions on my behalf and tell me that they know better than I do what is best for me.
- The world is not generally sized to fit me:
- I am not usually able to find a seat which is made for somebody my size.
- Light switches, windows, sinks and toilets are not usually positioned for someone my size to be able to reach easily.
- I cannot be certain that I will be able to lock the door to my bathroom stall or reach the toilet paper once I’m sitting down.
- It is very possible that I might find myself trapped somewhere that I cannot leave without assistance.
- Silverware, plates, and glasses will usually not be sized to fit my hands.
- When eating out, or at a film, the wait time will probably not feel reasonable to me, and if I eat as I would at home I might attract stares and rude comments.
- If my wait time for food or entertainment feels unreasonable, and I complain, people will generally not be understanding and apologetic.
- I can’t talk with my mouth full without people putting this down to my age.
- I might not understand the unspoken rules of interacting in public spaces, they might not feel natural to me, and might not be able to follow them without causing myself distress.
- I may not be able to speak my native language with fluency and am often not understood by other native speakers.
- It is considered acceptable for another speaker of my native language to laugh at me for my language choices, or inability to express myself.
- I am not usually given a choice about my place of education (or whether to participate in education). If I am sent to school I am legally expected to attend, whether it is my choice or not. If I am home educated I might not be given the choice to go to school if I so wish.
- If I am late to my place of education I will probably be reprimanded, even if this is the fault of my adult caregiver.
- I am almost never permitted to choose my educational curriculum, materials, or pace.
- My educational evaluations will often be based on circumstances entirely outside my control–the actions of other students, or of my caregivers, or the learning materials available to me.
- If I am feeling ill, I might not be able to adequately express this to my caregiver. If I can, I might not be taken seriously or treated properly.
- If I need to see a health professional, I am reliant upon my caregiver to arrange this for me.
- Medical professionals often ignore me entirely, choosing instead to speak to my caregiver only about my needs.
- I am not able to make my own medical decisions. The right to make these decisions belongs to other people entirely (usually my adult caregivers).
- In some places, if I require an abortion, my adult caregivers must be notified, which can sometimes place me in great danger.
- I might not be able to attend to my bodily needs (housing, food, water, toileting, health needs, taking myself to bed) without relying on someone else to assist me.
- I am often forced to eat foods I do not like.
- People might advocate force-feeding me, and this is not often seen as abusive.
- My bedtime is set (often arbitrarily) by my caregiver, and I often do not have input on this.
- I have no choice about my living space – the house I live in, its decoration, the arrangement of furniture etc.
- I often have no choice about my outward appearance – haircuts, clothing etc.
- I am usually not given a choice about which religion to follow.
- If I wish to spend time with other people, I need the permission and sometimes the assistance of my caregiver to arrange this.
- If I do not wish to spend time with a certain person or people, I am not usually given the choice to avoid them.
- My sexual development is often not explained to me and sometimes actively discouraged.
- If my sexuality/gender identity is not cis and straight, I can expect to be told it’s “wrong,” and efforts will be made to change it. Use of force is considered acceptable in this situation.
- It is considered unacceptable for me to enjoy my sexuality.
- My belongings can be taken from me (often by my adult caregiver) and this is not viewed as theft.
- If I am in public unescorted by an adult, random adults may demand to escort me, and restrict my movements; this is considered acceptable, regardless of my own opinions or those of my legal caregiver.
- I am limited in what films I may see alone, regardless of my opinions or those of my caregiver.
- It is considered acceptable or even “prudent” for me to be discriminated against and regarded with suspicion when patronising a store or other establishment.
- It is often considered acceptable to force me to submit my belongings to a search before/after/during my visit to a store or other establishment.
(Capes-Ivy).
Source: http://shutupsitdown.co.uk/2009/11/16/the-adult-privilege-checklist/