Privilege Knapsack

It has never been a secret to me how lucky I was to get the cards that were delivered to me. Not only do I feel privileged compared to many other American's, but being born a US citizen, we are all already lucky. When trying to fully understand all that has been given to me without my even asking for it, you have to go back to even the most basic necessities that are taken for granted.

Lets start with the big three to survival in general; food, shelter, and clothing. When it comes to these three basic things I have been in the upper echelon of privilege. Until college, I never even had to give thought to eating or shelter, both of which were presented to me on a daily basis without question. Even once I entered college life the tools were always provided for me to fill these needs, and while it didn't always lead to satisfying them, the privilege was still present. As far as clothing goes, it has always been a luxury to me, not a need. So while I pay for my own clothes, I've been privileged enough to not even consider clothing a necessity. 

While there are many levels of life I'm taking for granted (as most with privilege do), I move on next to my childhood. My parents have never struggled with money, and while I wasn't given nearly everything I wanted growing up, I never was missing anything needed. This brings me to a privilege that less than 50% of Americans enjoy, that being 'happily' married parents. I was actually even lucky enough to have memories of all my grandparents as well. A quality education was provided by my parents, not to mention meeting other peers of similar privilege; something that goes far too unnoticed in the power community's (having other privileged friends). A peaceful suburban community surrounded me where I could roam the streets and fields without fear, and I'm particularly grateful for the ability to go to summer camp and play sports. This is clearly not even close to a good representation of how privileged my childhood was, but it does give one a general idea.

Finally, the innate privilege I have in this world due to my heritage. This starts with what is probably the most important piece to privilege in the US, being (basically) white. Entire books can and have been written on how important this happens to be in the US. What is the most shocking about the privilege of being white is that the benefits are, for the most part, unknown to whites. This type of privilege is only truly seen when compared to those of us who are not born white. In a very brief analysis, whites get none of the stereotyping, profiling, and racism that those born of color receive. Other similar privileges come from being born (or developed into) a heterosexual male. Just as with my race, most of these benefits are only realized when compared with those that are not heterosexual or male. As with race, being in the subordinate group of gender or sexual preference leads to a huge increase in persecution and profiling. Lastly, I am privileged to be a kind, mildly intelligent, easygoing person. I wish I could believe that it was because of these characteristics that I am where I am today, but realistically it is only a minor part of my privileges.