And being defensive isn't going to do anything about it.
Okay, it makes sense. If someone comes up to you yelling about your privilege, of course you'll get defensive. It's only natural. But here me out. I'm here to tell you two simple things. First of all, most of us are privileged in one way or another, and it's okay. You don't have to be sorry that you are, I'll explain how you might not even be able to help it, but you do need to become self-aware about it. And secondly, it should lead you to do something. We'll talk about that last.
Recommended for you
So I'm privileged? But I've had to work hard for myself too! So how?
Probably, yeah. You've worked hard for what you have, and I'm not denying that. But for starters, you're privileged just by being born in or living in the United States. You're a lot better off than someone in North Korea is just by living in this country.
Now you may say, "Well, I didn't really have a say in where I was going to be born, so I can't really help that in some cases." Exactly! That's where my argument comes in. You don't necessarily have to be sorry that you're privileged, and privilege doesn't need to have this stigma behind it that causes you to defend yourself, rather than here people out who are less fortunate than you or me.
In America, you're privileged if you were born a man. If only for the simple fact that you make more money, a dollar to every 80 cents a woman makes (a statistic from 2015). You may not like it, and you also can't help that you're a male, but that's how it is.
You're privileged simply if you're not disabled. Having a disability affects one's transportation, how others treat you in the workforce, at school, and in regular life, disabilities affect the finances of families and individuals, and so much more. I'm privileged because I'm not disabled and can only imagine what it's like living with a disability and the struggles those who are disabled may face in their everyday lives.
So, if we recognize our privilege and know that we have it even if it's due to circumstances beyond our control, and we don't even have to be sorry for it all the time, what's there left to do?
We DO need to be empathetic
So we've determined the first point. You don't have to be sorry for what you have, especially since we've decided that a lot of the times you can't help where you're at, but you do need to recognize that there are others less fortunate than you. I think we all can agree on that, and we realize it when we try to give to charity or help out others in need. We need to try to understand what we've never had to go through and put ourselves in others' shoes, and being defensive does nothing for that.
People like to make things black and white when it comes to things like this, but it is anything but that. There are a lot of both choices and circumstances in life that lead us to where we are today and so many gray areas. Being understanding is important in simply living as a kind human being and recognizing others as human beings too, even those less fortunate, whether by choices, circumstances, or both.
We can become allies for those less privileged.
On to my second point, similar to how the United States has intervened in world wars because we know we've had the resources to help other countries, we can, and should be led to, become allies for those less privileged than us, and the first step is recognizing how we are privileged compared to them.
We can be allies by lending a simple resource, our ears, and taking the time to listen to the struggles others face. We can use our voices to speak out against injustices and address the problems others face. We can express our feelings and let others know they are cared for and deeply valued as human beings. We can use our efforts to try to help in any way we can, and these are the steps that we can take to do it.
