Rhetorical Situation by Paraskevi Kontomaris https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9 With no more than three members to a group, read and dissect Ijeoma Oluo's chapter on privilege. Using one shared Padlet, identify the following: WECAMP, tone, primary rhetorical devices (at least three), and what you regard as the most impactful passage--please use developed textual evidence (an explanation for why, when warranted). Please also use relavant images (author, context, etc.) and title your Padlet. BY: Evi Kontomaris, Zavior Brown, and Ananth Arunkumar en-us 2021-11-19 14:35:09 UTC 2025-03-01 02:16:27 UTC hello@padlet.com Writer kontomarisparaskevi https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902242553 Ijeoma Oluo, an African American, queer, light-skinned writer. She has a degree in political science, is a single mother, and promotes social activism.]]> 2021-11-19 14:48:33 UTC https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902242553 Exigency kontomarisparaskevi https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902242788 Her observations about social activism and activist conversations ("'I bet this is where you tell me to check my privilege with the eye-roll-filled sarcasm seeping through"), her experience in college ("I probably worked harder than many of the other students in my class, being the only black female single parent there"), and her background (including her race, sexuality, gender, etc.). ]]> 2021-11-19 14:48:38 UTC https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902242788 Context kontomarisparaskevi https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902242985 2010 era, major discussions about political and social activism occurring worldwide.
"Check your privilege" is a common phrase, but rarely well-received. Many Americans believe "checking your privilege" is condescending and unnecessary. 

"Often people will preempt requests to check said privilege in heated social justice conversations, by saying "...check your privelege'" ]]> 2021-11-19 14:48:43 UTC https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902242985 Audience kontomarisparaskevi https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902243282 The general American public, those interested in social activism, privileged individuals opposed to "checking their privilege."

"Often people will preempt requests to check said privilege in heated social justice conversations, by saying "...check your privilege" ]]> 2021-11-19 14:48:50 UTC https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902243282 Message kontomarisparaskevi https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902244718 Checking your privileges increases your empathy and ability to realize pertinent situations. It may seem insulting, but without it you will perpetuate a system of oppression. 

"A privilege has to come with somebody else's disadvantage -- otherwise, it's not a privilege." 

"When we are willing to check our privilege, we are not only identifying areas where we are perpetuating oppression in order to stop personally perpetuating that oppression, but we are also identifying areas where we have the power and access to change the system as a whole."


]]> 2021-11-19 14:49:23 UTC https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902244718 Purpose kontomarisparaskevi https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902244959 To encourage the audience to check their privilege, stop the cycle of oppression, and promote social activism and empathy. "So yes we all need to be checking our privilege" (65). ]]> 2021-11-19 14:49:29 UTC https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902244959 Rhetorical Questions arunkumar_ananth https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902256297 Throughout the passage, Ijeoma asks rhetorical questions such as "So what is Privilege?" and "Is it 'good shit you should feel bad about having so that other people can feel better about not having it'". These questions help make the argument clearer and concise while also establishing a more casual tone]]> 2021-11-19 14:54:21 UTC https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902256297 "This right here, the realization that we may be a part of the reason why the deck is stacked against others, that we may have been contributing to it for years without our knowledge, is why the concept of privilege is so threatening to so many" (Oluo 63). brownzavior https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902257754 In this passage, Oluo comments on why accepting privilege proves difficult for some. It makes us realize that we benefit in certain aspects in comparison to others and we may contribute to the oppression they face without fully knowing. As a result, people tend to disavow privilege in an attempt to avoid the difficult conversation and self-reflection that coincides with it. ]]> 2021-11-19 14:54:58 UTC https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902257754 kontomarisparaskevi https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902271515 As evidenced by "If you can think of any more, please email me because it would make me feel a lot better about these student loans I'm still paying," the author consistently employs a conversational, incisive tone allowing the audience to follow their points easily and with good humor.  The tone encourages agreement and open-mindedness.  It also allows for easy interpretation of her statements and claims.]]> 2021-11-19 15:00:31 UTC https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902271515 "When we identify where our privilege intersects with somebody else's oppression, we'll find our opportunities to make real change" (Oluo 65). brownzavior https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902272156 Oluo conveys the idea that acknowledging privilege can serve to eliminate oppression and elicit change in society. People with privilege can come together to eliminate the discrimination within the system they have most priority in. Therefore, less oppression will foster as those in power work to provide equality within an inherently bias system.]]> 2021-11-19 15:00:48 UTC https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902272156 Parallelism arunkumar_ananth https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902272296 Ijeoma utilizes parallelism by repeating "It's a phrase..." in the first paragraph. This repeated structure emphasizes the concept of "privilege" and how it's used in society. ]]> 2021-11-19 15:00:51 UTC https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902272296 LOGOS arunkumar_ananth https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902297134 The author establishes LOGOS by using logic to communicate the idea of privilege. She uses examples such as how accepting advantages promotes the discrimination of those who are at a disadvantage. This is evident when she says "Because my advantage over that coworker helped me and hurt him, I would have to buy into the entire system in order to believe that my reward was 100% deserved". She argues that analyzing personal privileges and disadvantages can help you build empathy using rational examples]]> 2021-11-19 15:11:11 UTC https://padlet.com/kontomarisparaskevi/qloce2fd8pyxrns9/wish/1902297134