Privilege and it's fluidity

     Privilege is an interesting concept and one not commonly fully understood or discussed. It has been given the narrative of being something branded on you. Who has the most and least privilege can either be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what groups you surround yourself with. It is a complex and much more fluid term than it is often described as. Who is more privileged: the child of a prominent, wealthy black family, or a child born into an impoverished white family? This is why privilege is fluid; it shifts at whatever perspective you view it from, what circumstances play a role, and what society is like at that particular moment in time. It is entirely detached from being so black and white as to decide who deserves sympathy and who is fed from a silver spoon.

The most important thing when considering privilege is reflection. Who are you? Who does the world see you as? How does that affect you? For myself, I am a queer, white, American-born, lower-middle-class, cis woman. I have had many privileges in my life, being able to sit her are type on my MacBook bought for me and participate in this college curriculum is one of those privileges. As a white person, I can confidently say that many of my peers still view privilege as an accusation. They will find any excuse as to why their life is also hard, and while yes, we all have shortcomings, this does not excuse us from privilege. I grew up in a lower-income family, moving constantly just so that my parents could support us all. As much as that has affected me, it cannot necessarily compare and contrast to being born into a minority family. We do not need to compare disadvantages, only learn from each other so that we can form a bridge of understanding between different groups rather than increasing sectionalism. 

Where I come from, the population of Hispanic Americans or immigrants is around 40-60% of the town. All of my closest friends back home are Hispanic, and they view me in a way that is different from perhaps what others who do not know me may perceive me. I am often surprised when I meet people and am reminded that despite being very in-tune with Mexican culture and customs through my friends and hometown, obviously looking at me does not communicate such a thing. Privilege has a lot of influence over our lives, but can be used in both negative and positive ways. As a white person when I speak about how latinos are being demonized in the media, other white people find me easier to believe than the actual Latino's first hand accounts. It is not ideal, but it is unfortunately effective. This is why using your voice to uplift groups that are ignored is so incredibly important, more than ever.