How to turn your privilege into a superpower

I have heard so so many white cis males complain about the non existence of the mystical privilege. Like yes, there are white males who live in poverty – we all know this. But a white man in poverty will still have more advantages than a man in poverty who is not Caucasian. Lets set it straight. What you need to understand is that WE ALL HAVE SOME FORM OF PRIVILEGE. Recognizing it is the first step you will take towards helping others without the same access. Here are some forms of privilege other than being white (so that you can feel less guilty *sigh*)

· Living without a physical disability

· Living without a mental disability

· Being heterosexual

· Identifying with your assigned gender of birth

· If you are living in the country you were born into

· If you speak the local language fluently

· If you are employed

· If you are able to afford all of your basic needs

· If you have a car

· If you affiliate with the dominant religion of your country

Think of privilege as a key, and that key can help you get through doors, special treatment, a system that has been designed to make your voice the loudest on every platform. You receive opportunities etc. Not everyone has the same key as you. The same doors will not be opened to others. You can pretend like your key doesn’t exist and go about opening your doors through life. OR you can put a door stopper in and leave that door open behind you to let the rest of us in…. also point out to your friends when they're locking the doors!

Silencing minorities and minimizing the prejudice and discrimination that other people experience is creating a culture of anger and resentment. That turns into hatred and ignorance.

Lets get a little deeper. And cover prejudice and discrimination.

Prejudice, is disliking or judging someone on the basis of their: ethnicity, gender, sexuality, education, class, disability or religion.

Discrimination, is treating them badly because of prejudice. Discrimination is the act of limiting someone’s social experience, using racist slurs, exclusion, bullying and abuse of any level.

Every person has some form of privilege: You can however use this to help those who do not share your access. How? How can we help those that do not share our privileges? There are SO MANY WAYS. Small and large. These are the following ways you can ensure a little more equity in your community.

· Make an effort to find friends who come from different backgrounds.

· Listen to peoples stories, empathize.

· Learn about other peoples life experiences. Reading, socializing, networking.

· Call out xenophobic bullshit!!!

· When you see someone experiencing discrimination, stand up for them. Not everyone is in a position to fight for themselves. For many reasons, not stepping in is just as bad as being apart of it.

· Travel (if you have the opportunity)

· Open doors, figuratively and literally. If you know you can help someone get a job, get into a course, get into an event that would improve their life - DO IT.

· Share your own knowledge about living a better life: Not everyone knows what you know.

· Encourage the ones around you to do the same.

· Defend the undefended.

Adjust your perception where it is needed. Not everyone is born into the same opportunities but we all can help make the world a better place. Recognize your privilege so that we can dismantle the system that had disadvantaged so many <3

With love always,

Z