Privilege is not a “new” topic, no matter how many will try and make it seem as such. Power and privilege as a concept has been apparent in most civilizations for centuries, with occurrences in modern societies, colonial America, and even medieval Europe. However, across time, privilege has been used to undermine the work and accomplishments of those who didn’t have as much privilege as those who held power.
Allan Johnson’s recounting of Rodney King’s assault still holds so much presence in our society, and for that reason it is so important to keep having discussions about privilege and power and difference because, as Johnson puts it, “if we dispense with the words we make it impossible to talk about what’s really going on… then we can’t see what the problems are or how we might make ourselves part of the solution to them.” Johnson highlights the barrage of harassment and discrimination towards BIPOC communities, as well as LGBTQ communities. In his words, we “clearly [aren’t] getting along with one another, and we need to ask why not.”
While pursuing my undergraduate degree in music, I had a number of these discussions regarding composers and the privilege that a large number of them held. Think about classical composers you’ve heard of: Ludwig von Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, maybe even Richard Wagner. These composers were (and continue to be) held on high pedestals for their musical prowess, and as a result, numerous BIPOC composers were nearly erased from music history because of privilege. To name a few examples, Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn had to publish their music under their husband’s name in order to gain any recognition—and even then, they never received said recognition! And while Florence Price, a female composer of color, had her first symphony premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra just one year after its completion, her music was forgotten for decades after her death, with interest in her works only renewing in 2009, when numerous manuscripts were discovered and soon published. I was reminded of those conversations with each page I read, and those conversations must be had, or we cannot fix the issues that are created from privilege and power.
With the systems in place that have upheld privilege and power for the few, it shows just how quickly a society can regress once it’s given the opportunity to. This has been shown in the events that have transpired over the past year. However, where there’s power to suppress, there is power to fight back.
https://www.thecollector.com/noblemen-power-privilege-medieval-times/
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