Privileged

“Don’t let selfishness and prideful agendas take over. Embrace true humility, and lift your heads to extend love to others.” (Philippians 2:3 VOICE)

Since ‘privilege’ is such a hot-button issue these days, I decided to unpack it a bit. I am below average in height. When I go to the supermarket, I cannot reach the top shelves. This means I have to either forego what I want to buy, or I have to ask a taller person for help. I do not want to inconvenience others, so I settle for whatever is available on the bottom shelves. A tall person can always bend down and access the bottom shelves, but a short person has limited options.  If you are above average height, you probably have never even thought about this issue. No one is blaming you for being tall. However, you cannot deny that you have some advantages that others may not have. Now, I am NOT comparing being slightly shorter than average to being underprivileged. The analogy is just meant as a noninflammatory way to discuss differences among people groups. 

According to the National Conference for Community and Justice, privilege is defined as: “Unearned access to resources (social power) that are only readily available to some people because of their social group membership; an advantage, or immunity granted to or enjoyed by one societal group above and beyond the common advantage of all other groups. Privilege is often invisible to those who have it.”(https://www.nccj.org/what-privilege)

In a world where ambition and independence are prized, most of us are trained to protect and serve ourselves and our own tribes. If this involves ignoring unfairness or injustice, we accept this as par for the course. Admitting that we have certain privileges that others may not have brings up issues we would rather not think about. It is uncomfortable and inconvenient. It shatters our belief system that we are part of a fair society with liberty and justice for all.