Yup. That's me. I am, according to the above categories, a typical person here at dkos. White? Yup. Although I've been TAKEN for Black a few times, I'm White. Male? Yup. Wealthy? By any rational standard, yeah. Over 50? I was born in 1959. Educated? Sure. OK, when I was 5, a psychologist TOLD my parents I'd never go to college. But I have 2 MAs and a PhD. Straight? Yeah. Women turn me on.
Privilege privilege privilege. And I recognize it. Maybe not fully, but I am, as my brother puts it, a charter member of the lucky sperm club. Except for the education part, I was born with all those characteristics above. (Well, the age just happened, 'cause I didn't die, although I came close a couple times)
No fish recognizes the water he swims in. But we aren't fish. We're humans. We can do better than fish, can't we?
And I fit into so many OTHER categories. Just as you could call me a rich straight White middle aged guy with a PhD, you could call me a Jewish atheist with a learning disability, glasses and bad feet. Hmmm.
Why not call me Peter?
We all differ in ways that matter. But we are all the same in the ways that matter most.
You could, of course, divide humankind into boxes; smaller and smaller boxes, until each person is in a box, alone, screaming to get out.
Or you could not do that, and do something better, instead.
Not deny our differences; not even accept our differences, but celebrate them. Take it in the spirit of the child who wrote:
The races of the world
Are like the colors of a rainbow.
Would a rainbow of one color
Be beautiful?
Not compete for the title of least privileged, but ask how each of us can use our privilege to help. Not deny other people's pain, but ask how we can ameliorate it. Not say "we had it worse" but say "let's make it better".
We're all in the same boat, and it's leaking. Do you want to help bail and patch the hole, or do you want to toss some people overboard?
Updated by plf515 at Tue Mar 8, 2011, 08:42:10 AM
I have to run out for a while, will check back in later. Thanks for rec list!