Why Waste Your Time Calling Out White Privilege! When You Already Have Privilege. Privilege Does Not Belong To Only White People!
It's all a sham to keep people at each other throats!
The other day me and the Wife were having a heated discussion about something, I can’t remember right now. It's probably about something that most committed people argue about! Who’s controlling the remote, what are we going to eat, politics, etc! lol
During one of those heated conversations the talk went straight to privilege and who has it and why. I was like I don’t have privilege because I grew up in the Bronx, and I went on and on and she looked at me and told me that I needed to shut up and not talk about privilege because I, according to her, grew up privileged!
I was confused about her statement and fought back and told her she was crazy and that only White People have privilege!
She said nope! You are privileged and from there, she went down the list on why I grew up privileged!
- Raised with Both Parents:
According to her, I’m privileged because growing up, I had both my parents in my life. I began to think back to those days when I was a kid having my little school friends, and I remember that many of them came from single-parent households, and some were being even raised by their grandparents.
I never really realized that when I was growing up I thought that was something people chose to do and not something that happens in life. It is said I don’t know if it's true or not that many of the people raised in single-parent households have a harder time with life due to the obstacles of not having a male figure in the house. I don’t know if it's true or not, but that is what is said.
2. I had a Stay at Home Mom
Growing up with privilege I guess means that you also had a stay-at-home mom who would send us off and greet us from school each day as well as make sure we were fed, and when we fucked up, she laid out the cans of whoop-ass on us when needed.
My mom worked when she was single way before we came into the picture, but once she met my dad, she no longer had to work because he made more than enough with his salary that she did not have to work.
I guess my wife was right on that since her mom had to work while they stayed home alone without any supervision, which was dangerous! I guess you either take the risk or starve and her mom (my mother-in-law) chose to work.
3. We Lived in a Private House
At first, growing up we lived in apartment buildings like most New Yorkers, but then one day, I think it was a Saturday, my Dad came home and sat us down in the living room and told us what he did!
He bought a house! I remember how happy we all were and how my mother was shocked wondering where the hell the money was going to come from! But my father being the “Risk Taker” that he was said “Fuck it!” and went and bought the house.
Living in a house was way different than living in an apartment building. We had the freedom to go outside and play in our very own yard! Not having to worry about hoodlums and street thugs trying to mess with us. There was a driveway where we could park at least 4 cars with a 2 car garage. I even had my own room and did not have to share a room with my brothers. We even got a new addition to our family! Dad got us a dog to watch the house and protect us.
I guess she was right here as well!
4. Dad Held a 6 Figure Job.
I had a stay-at-home mom, a house to live in, dogs to play with, and even my own room, and then my father held a 6 figure job, which helped pay for the whole thing. But mind you, this was not instant as he worked his way up the company as well as the Labor Union he belonged to.
I really don’t remember ever not having anything because as far as food, clothing, and the like, we were taken care of.
Dad worked hard every day and when he got home at the end of the week, he would give my mom the paycheck to pay the bills, so mom became really good at bookkeeping! She taught us how to write checks and schedule the billing on who gets paid what and at what time. My mom was the Accountant of the family because my dad had a hole in his pocket.
At the time, I never knew he made so much money back in the 80’s! We could have probably been living up in Westchester, but we stayed in the Bronx. Why? I don’t know, I guess it was because everything in the city was within walking distance.
5. Grew Up in a White Neighborhood
Yes! Even though I grew up in the BX there are neighborhoods there where White people lived! Usually, many of these neighborhoods were residential, but yes, I rubbed shoulders with them, and at times, my brothers and I got into fights with them when one of them felt like calling us Spics, and they would get a beat down for it.
While driving through the BX, a bad neighborhood can quickly change into a nice area in a matter of minutes. There were what I call poverty lines where certain areas the poor lived, and there were areas where the well-to-do lived. We went from the poorest area to the more well-to-do area. Even though we went to Public School, the schools in the area tended to be better than those in the poorer neighborhoods, not by much though.
Growing up in an upper middle-class area, we could walk to school by ourselves and not have to worry about any craziness though we always kept our heads on a swivel just in case, but for the most part, it was not as bad as living in the ghetto.
6. We Went on Vacations During the Summer
My wife was like, how are you not privileged when you went on vacations to Puerto Rico and to Spain for the Summer! Yes, it's true, I was losing this conversation fast! We did go on Summer vacations to Europe and the Caribbean. It was fun packing our bags, going to the airport, and heading over there — it was an exciting time!
We went on road trips to Virginia, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Maine from time to time as well!
Damn, she’s right about this as well!
I can go a few more, but by this time you already got the hunch! In the end, she won the battle, but I will continue to fight the war!
Privilege does not Belong to just White People
Now looking back and thinking that I grew up privileged, then why do so many people like to say that only White people have privilege when that’s exactly not the case. I have seen upper middle-class families like mine, and there were not any differences from each other. My parents knew their neighbors and the neighbors knew them. We played with their kids and basically had the same shit they did.
Privilege belongs to everyone if you take the time to strive for success as my dad did. He knew that he did not want to live in a shitty neighborhood forever. With his ambition, he knew that eventually, we were going to move up in status.
I think many people are confused with privilege. I believe anyone can have it like I said before, you just have to work to get it. You have to position yourself in life to receive it because it will not come to you. We have so many obstacles in the way that prevent many people from moving up. You have to learn to find your own way! Much like my dad and mom did.
Stop listening to the media because trust me not all White people have privilege! I remember the times driving through DelMarVa’s back roads and seeing some really poor White people. House falling apart, looking mad ghetto living in the middle of nowhere! Believe me, if you have ever taken road trips and gone through small towns, and seen the people there, it would surprise you. Much like Blacks, Asians, and Latinos, we have those who live privileged and those who do not.
So, yeah privilege belongs to those who succeed in life, and it's not given to you!
Stop blaming and pointing and yelling how unfair it is that they (White) have all the privilege, and no one else can have it. Apparently, I thought I was not privileged, but according to my wife I am privileged and I’m Latino!
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