It seems to me that people are slowly, ever-so-slowly, coming to terms with the idea that there are ways in they have certain privileges that make their lives easier and more successful in ways that they can’t see.
I myself have an incredible set of privileges. For example, because I am a white male, I know that I am more likely to receive an employee job referral, higher salary when I get a job, and I am less likely to be harassed and assaulted.
I grew up with parents who loved and supported me and gave me a safe environment in which to thrive. I live in the United States, which means I have a higher life expectancy than in other parts of the world. And as a bonus, I’m also less likely to be eaten by a lion.
These, and other privileges, have benefited me in ways I am completely unaware of. Would I not have gotten the job / into that college / gotten off with a warning if I had had a different skin color?
Privilege is tricky to talk about, because so much of it is invisible, and therefore people act as if it doesn’t exist. (Listen to anyone talk about how they are “self-made” and “got where they were with hard work alone” to see just how pernicious this is.)
But it needs to be talked about.
And so today I ask: is living without a smartphone a sign of privilege?
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