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Power as a social construct

Social constructs are overlayed by power. By power I mean, access to and through the various social institutions to include the government, work, education, family, law, media, and medicine, among others, and the process of privileging, normalizing, and valuing certain identities over others. Power in American society is organized along the lines of gender, race, class, sexuality, ability, age, nation and religious identities. Some identities are more highly valued and or more normalized, than others. Take for example the LGBT community. Typically, the idea of power is contrasted to identities thought to be less valuable or less 'normal'. That is obviously not true. As we are all human an should have equal rights no matter the multiple identity, and experience some with more privilege has due to their socially valued identity statuses and disadvantages due to their devalued identity statuses. A great quote by Tony Webster states the following, "Privilege is when you think something is not a problem because it is not a problem to you personally."

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