I recently wasted some time on an Internet quiz and revealed to myself that I have very little privilege. As a white lady, I thought I was pretty well off in those terms, but I’d forgotten about a big part of my life. Because bi-poly-pagan.
I haven’t been able to exercise my religion, relationships, or sexuality openly without ostracism, mockery or engendering distrust. I’m on lists and it could affect my ability to earn a living. About 75 percent of my life is off limits at any given moment, in a way it isn’t for many other people. I don’t go around hating straight monogamous Christians. I have much more creative reasons to be a hater.
I also don’t think I’m more equal than you, have better taste in shoes, am entitled to full and unquestioning forgiveness when I don’t replace the empty toilet paper roll, or should have a Lifetime Movie Network opus made about me. I didn’t work hard to get my less-privileged status. My ancestors didn’t work and slave to ensure that I would be a many-lovin’ witchypoo and therefore have to play social dodgeball at the office party forevermore. I just came that way (so to speak). And you simply may have more or less privilege than I do, through the same lack of design and foresight.
If we both become and remain aware of our privileges, we can live our lives on more of a foundation of reality. This is the motivation behind the phrase “Check your privilege,” although I’m also willing to admit it might be pressed into service as a passive-aggressive shiv as often as not, and as social weapons go, it’s a pretty useful tool, especially in a college classroom. That doesn’t mean “checking one’s privilege” is not a valuable activity nonetheless.