Is “Privilege” Just A Means Of Passing Blame?

Recently I’ve been reading about white privilege and female privilege. While these articles were well written they were not informative, nor were they eye opening. They were targeted, self-serving and patronizing. They aimed to make me feel guilty for being born into the body I had no say in choosing.

Now, every fiber of my being wants to go off and defend myself in the same fashion as my preceding writers. Instead, I want to address the underlying issue at hand: blame.

As a culture we love to put the blame on anyone else. WE aren’t lazy; it was the television made us this way. WE aren’t fat; our food did this to us. WE aren’t uneducated; it was the education system that failed us. It isn’t me, it isn’t me! Find the scapegoat, quick!

I think it’s time someone said enough is enough.

And I think it’s time we face who we really are. It is time we stop displacing our own failures onto anyone and anything else. It is time to own up to our mistakes, our misgivings and our faults. We are all members of this planet trying to thrive and survive. If calling someone fat doesn’t make you skinny, what good does it do to say someone else has it easier than you? While it may be true, it won’t make your journey any less of a struggle.

Each person is born with a set of his or her own challenges to overcome. Yes, some have less hurdles and obstacles along the way. Facts are facts. But that is not a reason to tear that person or group as a whole down. Don’t look at a white females as privileged because you don’t know what kind of trials she faces every single day.

Don’t look at anyone and think for even one second that you know what it is like to live, breathe, walk or exist as them.

Each morning you must wake up as yourself, and each night you must fall asleep the same way. Telling yourself that you have it harder will not get you further. Cut the ties you have with negativity and prosper none the less. Accept your challenges and overcome them anyway. Don’t let race, gender, society, parents, or friends dictate whether or not you find happiness and success. At the end of the day, it all comes down to you.