Privilege is Not a Bad Word

Many people I love and respect have strong reactions to the concept of privilege. 

It makes some of my friends feel guilty, for the privileges they have.

It makes some of my friends feel angry, for the privileges they don’t have.

To the point that “privilege” itself is treated like a bad word.

But I don’t think it is.

At its core, privilege is a type of power. When we unconsciously or consciously begin to connect feelings of guilt and shame to notions of power, we do not create a healthy environment within ourselves to support and cultivate the power we have inside us. 

“That is easy for you to say Darius, you have so much privilege!”

You are absolutely right. 

• As a man I have privilege.

• As a person who lives in North America I have privilege.

• As an able-bodied person I have privilege.

• I have many other privileges.

I did nothing to earn this power. That’s how privilege works. This power is given to me and re-given to me every single day.

Yes, I could feel guilty and attempt to dim my power.

Yes, I could deny I am powerful. 

Yes, I could subscribe to a scarcity mindset, fearful of anyone else in pursuit of power. 

But I don’t like any of these options. 

Instead, what would happen if I decided to:

• Acknowledge that I have been given many head starts in life, that are not based on my own merit, which put me at an advantage over others. 

• Show and express deep gratitude for the power I have. 

• Look at my fellow humans and ask, “How could I use my privilege to create opportunities for others to grow and prosper as well?”  

For me, I want to use all the power that has been given to me to create a world where people of all body types, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations and ages can see how fucking beautiful they truly are. 

My privilege gives me the tremendous opportunity to use my time on earth to distribute my power to others and hopefully leave this place a little better when I am gone.

So… what’s YOUR relationship with privilege? 

How much do you have? 

How do you feel about it? 

What are you doing with yours?