Saturday, February 11, 2022
“I am not privileged just because my parents are able to buy things. I face as many hardships as you in Life.”
“Yeah I am privileged, so what? I worked my ass off to get here.”
“Each one of us is privileged, it’s just grass looks greener on the other side.”"
You are only as young as the last time you changed your mind. When was the last time you changed your mind about something?
For me, it was last week, when I changed my mind about privilege. Are you aware about your privilege? Before you answer that, do you even think you are privileged? Why is it important to think about privilege? And why is it hard?
I have often heard people saying - “It’s not my fault that I belong to the riches. And if it makes it any easier for you, I have more difficulties in life as compared to you.”
This is the crux of the issue and how we often fail to misunderstand privilege. Being privileged does not mean immune to the hardships of life, but it does mean having some unearned advantage in the society over others. As a privileged person, I realise society has conditioned us to think about privilege as putting someone at a disadvantage, but we haven’t been taught to see one of its corally aspects - that my privilege puts me at an advantage over others. Everything that I write, talk about, is not my inherit understanding. This was not something I was born with, but rather a reflection of the knowledge I have gained through friends, mentors, teachers and observation. The fact that I got this exposure states how privileged I am. The mere fact that you have a email id where this newsletter gets delivered every Saturday is a privilege.
The fact that your friend comes from the riches and has the privilege of buying all the material thing to satisfy their interests does not mean that you are unprivileged. Just because you got the exposure to a good network of people doesn’t mean your long lost friend is unprivileged. It’s important to understand – just because we have don’t have certain kinds of privileges, it doesn’t mean that we don’t benefit from other kinds of privileges. Our identities are nuanced and intersectional.
We all lose when people are treated unfairly and not on the merit of their person. Men have social and economic privileges over women. This is created from a deep rooted patriarchy that prioritises men over women. Male privilege isn’t helping anyone ultimately though - it doesn’t help families where mothers make less than male partners, and it doesn’t benefit women in helping to advance. In order to move from a space of marginalisation, people need to confront their privileges and recognize that inequality helps no one.
One of the most important thing while discussing your privileges is not to feel guilty or defensive. Guilt is a feeling that ultimately does nothing in bringing about change. Each one of us is able to undermine the system by ignoring our privileges. By discussing and realising our privileges, we have the potential to change the status quo.
Reflect on the privileges you have, and the privileges you don’t have. Extend this conversation with people around you to build a world that is equal and fair for everyone. Because as of now, LIFE IS UNFAIR!
See you on next Saturday, until then have a great weekend :)
Cheers!
Some things that you may find interesting-
Article: What is a SpamBot
Podcast: Spam Botnets
Song I am listening to: A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
Thought of the week: “If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me.”
Here are the last three posts if you were too occupied to read them: