My Favorite Definition of Privilege
My Favorite Definition of Privilege
My favorite definition of privilege is 'thinking something's not a problem because it's not a problem to you.'
This is embodied most poignantly to me by the fact that most people
in our culture consider activism to be optional- something they can take
part in or not, like bowling or biking, rather than something essential
or necessary.
The thing that I see uniting many people across privilege and
oppression intersections is the cultural tendency for individuals, when
facing a personal problem, to seek individual solutions, not collective
ones.
This is just a large part of the population - whether privileged and
insulated from so many problems, or oppressed and just trying to get by
and survive within the logic of the system.
This belief in seeking individual solutions seems to be the reining ideology in our society.
I'm thankful for the people who are rejecting this logic - both the
underprivileged who become activists as a matter of survival as well as
the privileged, who have enough empathy to fight for a cause that may
not directly impact them. They see that belief is illusion. The
suffering of others does impact them and it compels them to action.
Long story short- kudos to everyone who chooses to be an activist and
rejects the ideological hegemony of Western society, which benefits
from us all being apathetic.
