I was born with privilege. Look at me - bold statement maker - like a pot-stirring, troublemaker. Seriously. There is no denying it. Since “privilege” carries so much baggage, I looked up synonyms and antonyms. Defining the word brings me fresh perspective. See the entire list here.
Synonyms for privilege: advantage, authority, benefit, exemption, freedom, immunity, license, opportunity, right, boon, chance, favor, grant, liberty
Antonyms for privilege: disadvantage, handicap, hindrance, misfortune, restriction
Why do I consider myself privileged? Even though I did not grow up rich. (I only had one pair of Levis in 7th grade - a huge deal to me in 1977) We lived in a trailer park for a few years and in an apartment in the basement of our restaurant too. But we also lived in a house with a barn and we boarded horses. That was my favorite.
I was born lucky - many times over. I was born in a safe place (not in a third world country embattled in on-again, off-again civil wars or ruled by terrorists or corrupt governments), to a white (if you don’t think this is an advantage I’d ask you to dig a little deeper) family that was able (my mom and dad had jobs, sometimes multiple jobs) to provide us with a safe place with shelter and sustenance. They wanted (I was celebrated and loved my many) to take care of me and teach me how to be a good person and they set an example (by demonstrating their values) for me. All of those little pieces gave me a million chances and a long head start. Take away any of those bolded items and my life would be wildly different. Of course any change in our circumstances changes our projection but I am talking about how the LUCK of where and how and to whom we are born makes a difference in our advantages, opportunities, and freedoms. FULL STOP.
Yes I know we make our way too - decisions and choices, effort, hard work, etc. But the luck of the draw contributes to the big picture.
There have been obstacles - being a female has been a disadvantage a couple times. But we have come a long way. During my lifetime women have gained some ground. I was on an aircraft carrier in the Navy -
the USS Lexington (AVT-16) and served from ‘84-’86. That’s just 4 years after the women were assigned to the ship in 1980! You can probably imagine there were people who didn’t agree with that big gnarly change to their Navy and their ship. Change is hard. It just is.
But there were plenty that supported it - celebrated it - and it was an exciting time.
We all stand on the shoulders of people who protested, argued, were determined to make changes, and maybe didn’t live long enough to see it happen. Laws have been overturned because of their determination and grit. Thank goodness.
So before we get our panties in a wad over the word privileged - let’s think about what we inherited or were dropped into and how that has shaped who we are.
Not everyone starts at the same place.
Just some food for thought.
Buckets of love coming atcha.
Go Navy.