"Life is not fair. Get used to it." —Bill Gates
Do you ever remember a time in your life in which you felt completely content with what you had, where you were, and with whom you were with? It's a question that many Americans struggle to answer. It's human nature to desire more; more friends, more money, more equality, more job advancements, etc..
It's also human nature to compare what we have with others, only left to formulate some sort of opinion on what others seem to have vs. what we currently have. We never feel completely content, and when we are tossing and turning, uncomfortable with our privileges, we start to look at what we don't have and desire more.
What we don't realize is that we are ALL privileged here in America.
Sure, I might not be as privileged as the white man standing next to me, but that doesn't mean I am not privileged. Rather, he may be unemployed, desperately seeking new income. Or, perhaps that black man across the street has a higher paying job, and is further educated than me. Who is to say I am more privileged because I am white? Society? The Media?
Assigning privilege to someone based on gender and race is a form of racism and sexism in itself. Sure, statistics show that I have a better chance of snagging that high paying position than the black woman who is equality qualified, however, that statistic may not fit my experiences in life. We need to stop generalizing privilege.
We all have the privilege to vote, we have the privilege of free K-12 education, we have the privilege of government assistance, we have the privilege to borrow money, we have the privilege of police protection. And yes, there will be inequalities and corruption within these systems. Is is morally right? Absolutely not. But we cannot define the hateful actions of some on all.
In the last eight years, we have done nothing but divide each other. We've classified all police officers as being corrupt, all white people privileged and racist, and all black people criminal. Why? Because those are the only stories the media is covering.
It's human nature to see what others have. I mean, heck, I would love to not have to work, I'd love to not have to look over my shoulder every time I walk at night, I'd love to have a smoothie machine at my apartment, in which all of my delicious smoothie ingredients are free (because have you seen the price of fruit lately?).
Some people have all of that. But I am not hateful towards them, nor do I look at myself as a victim. I don't create a Twitter hashtag against them, and I don't group myself with others like me. Why? Because I realize that people will always have more than I do. There will always be someone with a better job, a better education, a nicer apartment, wealthier, or in a better socio-economic class than I.
But with those people who have it better, come those who have it much, much worse. I'm talking genocide, nation-wide starvation, AIDS ridden streets, and members of the Drug Cartel digging mass graves for thousands of innocent lives.
I think we all know America isn't perfect, nor will it ever be. Heck! It isn't even close. But you cannot deny your privilege of being an American. In every country, there will always be corrupt police officers, there will always be racist people of all skin shades, there will always be those who are committing crimes, that happen to be of a minority status. But that does not define that "group" of American.
How would you like to be defined by a radical, hateful person (in whom you've never met) that caused extreme pain on others? Were those your actions? Were those your beliefs? No. We need to stop labeling other people's radicalism and hate on people of that race, religion or gender.
There will always be evil in the world. There will be those in whom we are shameful of. But rather than grouping individuals together, chose to see evil based on the individual person. And never stop seeing the privileges we have day in and day out.
