A long discussion happened this week, over the term privilege. What it means, do you have it or not have it, does it exist, ect.
Most people can identify that privilege (all sorts of kinds) exists. Ethnic or racial privilege, especially. I can certainly say that depending on where I am in the world, I have privilege. For example, in some parts of Latin America, people aren't exactly as politically correct as they are in the US and that can make Americans feel uncomfortable. It definitely makes me uncomfortable that my dad would be considered "successful" for having married a white European woman and having mixed kids (who wound up having a bunch of white kids themselves). This makes me feel icky. For one thing, I always liked the fact that I was mixed because I felt like I was getting the best of both worlds. A year-long tan? Score. A strong profile? Double score. I'm lucky both my parents come from two completely different places because this gave me a perspective on what it's like to live both as someone who is not white, and, to some people, white.
Coming from a predominantly black neighborhood, I was called "white" often. I was considered white and treated as they would treat a white person, which in a lot of cases wasn't great. Growing up, this was annoying and made me kind of bitter. But we all grow up and learn from our experiences, and when I moved to Northern Virginia and got my first job I started having some different ones. Like when I went to West Virginia and a dude leaned out of his truck to yell "HEY PORCH MONKEY" at me. I know, I know, "porch monkey"? Dude, your horrible racial slur is flawed. I'm not black. I'm not close to black, but to this jack off anyone who isn't white is black, which sounded awfully familiar to the "anyone who isn't black is white" mentality I faced as a kid. There was the "go back to your own country" old lady at the grocery store, the "where are you from? No, really" conversations I got from 9/10 of the new people I met, and the countless people who assumed I didn't speak English.
It's funny how, depending on where you are, you are treated like a different class. I can go from looking like an educated affluent person to an uneducated person working minimum wage just by going from one area to another. I am privileged by this experience because it gives me an insight that a lot of people don't have, so I understand when people don't comprehend privilege and what kind they have. I get it when people are offended by the idea. It's not like I didn't work hard for the things that I have. It's not like I didn't go to school and it's not like I'm not a workaholic who has anxiety issues whenever I take any time to not work. All of these things are a part of my character, but my privileges have helped to shape my current state.
Would I have gotten that first job if I didn't have the privilege of being a well-spoken person with an education?
Would I have been able to make connections if I didn't have the privilege of charisma?
Would I have ever been able to travel to Europe and see the world if I didn't have the privilege of having a European mom who valued her culture and wanted to share it with her family?
I've had all of these privileges, but it doesn't diminish my work. That's something I think we all need to grasp. It's being humble. I know I know, I'm not the most humble person in the world, but I can definitely recognize that I've had it good, especially when you consider where I come from. I've heard Americans my age complain about where they're from when they had the privilege of going to a high school with great teachers and no need for police officers on campus. When I hear my peers whine about their colleges (that their parents paid for), or their home-town (where they could safely play with friends OUTSIDE), I think, dude, you had some really nice privileges I never had. It's all perspective. You're lucky, you just don't know it yet.
I totally know it. I was lucky and I am lucky. I recognize that privilege and the privileges that I will pass down to whatever spawn I eventually create, and I just hope he/she will learn to be as humble as I am and not take those privileges for granted.
