Coming to Terms with Privilege

At the Cafe Philosophy meeting last week, one of the women said white men had no idea how privileged they are. I silently applauded her for having the courage to say that because I didn't. But, the issue got me thinking about the many-layered concept of privilege. In my opinion, the only people who think about privilege are the underprivileged. And, as the woman in the discussion said, most privileged people don't realize how privileged they are. I can understand why a white man who isn't professionally successful or doesn't get attention from the opposite sex doesn't see himself as privileged. I personally became aware of my  privilege as an upper-caste Indian male when I moved to Europe and was treated differently than I am at home. I am not sure I would have otherwise although I am sure more reflective and sensitive men don't need to experience lack of privilege to acknowledge their privileges. 

Of course, an experience of discrimination need not sensitize one to other forms of exclusion or discrimination. It can lead to reactions, such as "I or my group deserve to be treated better" which is well and good, until it leads to you discriminating against people who are less privileged than you or underprivileged in different ways. For instance, white feminists who discriminate against people of colour. When it comes to white heterosexual men, I imagine it is really difficult to understand privilege. Those who are unhappy with their lot in life consider themselves underprivileged, and those who are happy think they, as individuals, deserve it. 

Of course, listening to other people with an open heart and mind is also an option. You don't need to experience someone's pain to empathize with them. You don't need to put yourself in someone else's shoes.