Dr. Langan 31 March 2014 Standpoint Theory Everyone has a standpoint, but our views differ greatly. Everything about who I am contributes to my standpoint, and never before have I been more grateful for the vantage point on our societal structure that I have come to realize I possess. Its easy for me to come to Wheaton, though, and think that I am distinctly unique with my big picture view of the structure, but reflecting on my interactions with others, I can recall quite a few people who would be able to add to my perspective of the structure on which society is built. Our standpoints can be affected by gender. I met a dear friend this year that came out to our small friend-group. For him, being gay makes him a member of a marginalized group at this school, and his ability to understand more deeply the ways in which that section of the structure works allows him to step back and see the greater picture. Family life affects our standpoint. I then think about a girl on my floor whose parents are divorced. As part of a group of students with broken families whom we dont hear from very often on campus, she is marginalized and therefore has a greater picture of how the structure of family works in our society, and in our Wheaton context. She experienced what a good majority of students here have two parents but she has also now experienced life with one parent, and therefore her perspective has been broadened. Cultural background and experiences that isolate us affect our standpoint. Another one of my friends was abused as a child and moved here from the Philippines. He has been marginalized by his experiences which many do not understand, but also by his race now that he lives in the US. He has another particular outlook on the structure of society that I do not have. Socio-economic class affects our standpoint. I come from a working class family, and neither my parents nor my siblings went to college. I am less powerful in this institution because of my economic status and academic upbringing, however, because I was raised in that environment, I feel as though I have greater glimpse of the bigger structures that make up the middle class and educational systems. To think about the Standpoint theory is humbling, because as we do, it becomes so easy to recognize that the glimpse of the big picture we have is never the full story. It is also evident that this view can always be expanded by someone who experiences even greater marginalization. As Harding and Wood would suggest, this reality should compel us to ask them more questions to see their views on necessary societal change because they are the ones who can truly see from the ground up.