The Importance Of Social Location

Social location is defined as the point from which you perceive reality from. We each have a different set of social locations depending on various factors we either do or don’t have, including disabilities, ethnicity and gender. Our social location can therefore determine the perception of our entire world. There are a couple of variables that make my social location specific to me.
The most apparent of these factors is mental illness. I grew up depressed and anxious. Because of this, I can relate to and sympathize with the experiences of mentally ill and disabled people more than the general population. Other population subsets, like lower-income families and the less educated, I can understand as well. It was largely my being mentally ill that lead me to consider a career in nonprofit work. I can’t look at a situation and assume the backstory to it. Social welfare
Since I have been homeschooled my entire life, I attended a “co-op”, or when other homeschooled kids meet at a church to take elective classes together and socialize. Although it wasn’t explicitly stated that you must be Christian to go there, it was heavily implied. We were the only non-Christian family that I know of, and pretended to be Christian throughout the years I spent there. If anyone asked, we went to Midway Presbyterian. Any topic had potential to blow our cover. I still have friends that don’t know I’m not Christian.
Geographic location may be an important factor in many Kentuckians’ lives, particularly in the Appalachian area. Many don’t have access to clean water or education; it’s one of the poorest areas in the United States. My life, on the other hand, isn’t strongly impacted by living in Kentucky. My social location, when it comes to geographic location, has largely been defined by the things I have. Privilege is not having to think about basic human needs, or