If someone tells you to check your privilege, how do you respond? Does an immediate sense of guilt wash over your body? Do you stop to evaluate how this might be true? Or do you simply ignore it and carry on. Every day in our lives, whether we are aware of it or not, we are confronted with the notion of “privilege”. But what does it mean? With so many views and perceptions on the subject, it is difficult to understand the weight and connotation of this word. Privilege is not something that is not a right, nor something that is earned, but a predisposed advantage that one group or individual has over another, that is out of one's control.
The ability to own a book, speak your mind, or even show your face in public, are things that Americans don't even think twice about in our everyday lives. Although as Americans, we view education, freedom of speech, electing our government, and even the right to our bodies as obvious rights, we are privileged to live in a nation where these rights are valued and ensured. Millions of people around the world live in countries that are ruled by oppressive leadership or have no access to necessities of life. For example, people in North Korea have no say in …show more content…
As a white female I have witnessed both the privileges and hindrances that come with this. I do not have the inconvenience at airports like that of Ms.Syed; a Muslim Yale Law School graduate who “more often than not... [is] pulled aside at security check-ins for secondary screenings and pat downs,” (NYTimes). I can walk down the street with my hood up without worrying about being stopped by the police. Both of which are privileges I receive as a member of the white community. However, as a woman, I have fallen victim to the fear that women face of a man walking behind them. I have witnessed the pay gap between men and women that is based on nothing more than
The ability to own a book, speak your mind, or even show your face in public, are things that Americans don't even think twice about in our everyday lives. Although as Americans, we view education, freedom of speech, electing our government, and even the right to our bodies as obvious rights, we are privileged to live in a nation where these rights are valued and ensured. Millions of people around the world live in countries that are ruled by oppressive leadership or have no access to necessities of life. For example, people in North Korea have no say in …show more content…
As a white female I have witnessed both the privileges and hindrances that come with this. I do not have the inconvenience at airports like that of Ms.Syed; a Muslim Yale Law School graduate who “more often than not... [is] pulled aside at security check-ins for secondary screenings and pat downs,” (NYTimes). I can walk down the street with my hood up without worrying about being stopped by the police. Both of which are privileges I receive as a member of the white community. However, as a woman, I have fallen victim to the fear that women face of a man walking behind them. I have witnessed the pay gap between men and women that is based on nothing more than