Defining Privilege

Lately, I’ve been struggling with the topic of privilege.

I recently watched a video by Buzzfeed that played the ‘privilege game’. This activity had a group of individuals with different genders, ages, ethnicities, and income status stand in a line. As the activity ‘facilitator’ read statements, participants would take steps forward or backward based on whether or not they resonated with a statement that characterized privilege.

The statements read by the facilitator covered a broad range of topics from racism to employment. It demonstrated that privilege is multifaceted – it cannot be contained to a single event or action, but has the ability to infiltrate each aspect of one’s life. It demonstrated that each person may experience more privilege in certain parts of their life and less in others.

The facilitator stated, “if your parents worked nights and weekends to support your family, take one step back” and “if there were more than 50 books in your house growing up, take one step forward”. Many of the other 33 statements similarly inquired about marriage, family vacations, diagnosis, and bullying.

I do not deny that these questions exemplify privilege. However, I would argue that this portrayal is incomplete. In fact, it may even demonstrate privilege in and of itself. 

Let’s try a different scenario. Suppose we took the same set of 35 questions to a group of people living in war-torn Sudan, poverty-stricken areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, or the slums of India. Ask yourself realistically, how relevant would questions about family vacations and expensive medical diagnoses be to defining privilege in their lives?

In 1948, the United Nations proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a document composed of 30 articles identifying the rights that each person is entitled to simply because they are human. How devastating is it then that the news is slathered with violations of these rights with reports of mass killings, torture, and a lack of access to basic food and water needed to survive?

To billions of people around the world, privilege is simple. It can mean having access to the basic necessities of life, such as food, water, and shelter. In a recent article written by Meghan Markle, it stated that to many women, privilege can mean having access to feminine hygiene products so that they feel secure enough to seek an education. To them, privilege means attaining the basic human rights that we may take for granted at one time or another. 

Don’t get me wrong, I do not assume that all Canadian citizens automatically have access to adequate food and medical treatment. In fact, I believe that this problem is very prevalent in Canada. But how are we supposed to honestly acknowledge this if we primarily define privilege by ‘extra’ things such as vacations and books?

I believe that privilege is when people do not see, seek to understand, or strive to engage in others’ experiences because “it doesn’t affect them” or “it doesn’t impact their lives”. In fact, it is simply having the ability to say “that’s not my problem”.

To put it bluntly, the most basic level privilege is not having to think about whether or not your basic human rights have been attained. It can be not needing to think about it because you have it and are surrounded by people that have the opportunity to experience these amazing blessings. It’s having the ability to think that “other people whine too much” when they feel hurt or less than because they have experienced human rights violations.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not trying to demean the thought-provoking video, or to shame people that don’t think about human rights on a daily basis. A study conducted at the University of California, Berkeley, and NBER found that individuals from individualistic countries (e.g. US, UK, Canada, etc.) describe themselves through statements exemplifying their personal psychological and personality traits and abilities. In contrast, individuals from collectivist countries (e.g. Africa, Malaysia, East Asian, etc.) describe themselves through relational roles in society. In Canada, it is, in some ways, ingrained in our culture to view issues and resource distribution through a lens confined to our personal lives.

This isn’t right or wrong, it’s just different from the lens used by other countries.

But I want to challenge you to honestly ask yourself: when was the last time that you acknowledged your privilege because of your ability to turn on a tap of clean water, drive or walk to the grocery store, or go home to a cozy bed?

I challenge you to use your privilege to use the internet or the expertise of professionals to educate yourself about global issues and seek ways that you can help for Galatians 5:13 says, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But don’t use your freedom to indulge in sinful nature; rather, serve one another humbly in love“.

The next time that you find yourself measuring your privilege based on things such as books and vacations, take a moment to be thankful that you may have the things necessary for survival. At the end of the day, whether we acknowledge it or not, we’re all striving for one thing – the ability to live another day to love our loved ones and pursue our dreams.

Don’t people all over the world deserve the same?