Privilege Walk Essay
By Caleb Stowers
A while ago I was assigned to a lesson where I would do something called a privilege walk. It would teach us about what we have and what we don’t have. Today I will tell you how this lesson affected me.
The way the lesson made me feel was introspective. What is privilege? Is it confined to the borders of money, or does it spread to all branches of the human experience? Is the gift of life itself a privilege? Is our intelligence a privilege? And if so, who gave it to us? Or is privilege just a figment of my mind? Like i said, introspective.
Did it change my view on privilege? Not much. The truth is, I knew that in this world some people get more than other people and take that more for granted. Do you know why so many people immigrate to the U.S? Because they think that when they get there, they’ll be financially secured. “Anyone can go from rags to riches in America,” is what they think. And yeah, for a very small percentage of people, that happened. But for the rest, not so much.
Do I ever feel like my amount of money inhibits or allows certain things? Of course. I may not live in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, but I'll get a decent house. I don't have 200 servants waiting on my beck and call because I can do my own stuff myself. I may not have the fanciest new gadgets, but I have a laptop, kindle, and phone, so I'm good. I’m happy where I am.
And so, in conclusion, that was how the privilege walk made me feel.
I thought about what privilege is. I thought about what I knew about privilege. I thought about my own privilege. It helped me to see the big picture. So thanks for opening my eyes.
By Caleb Stowers
A while ago I was assigned to a lesson where I would do something called a privilege walk. It would teach us about what we have and what we don’t have. Today I will tell you how this lesson affected me.
The way the lesson made me feel was introspective. What is privilege? Is it confined to the borders of money, or does it spread to all branches of the human experience? Is the gift of life itself a privilege? Is our intelligence a privilege? And if so, who gave it to us? Or is privilege just a figment of my mind? Like i said, introspective.
Did it change my view on privilege? Not much. The truth is, I knew that in this world some people get more than other people and take that more for granted. Do you know why so many people immigrate to the U.S? Because they think that when they get there, they’ll be financially secured. “Anyone can go from rags to riches in America,” is what they think. And yeah, for a very small percentage of people, that happened. But for the rest, not so much.
Do I ever feel like my amount of money inhibits or allows certain things? Of course. I may not live in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, but I'll get a decent house. I don't have 200 servants waiting on my beck and call because I can do my own stuff myself. I may not have the fanciest new gadgets, but I have a laptop, kindle, and phone, so I'm good. I’m happy where I am.
And so, in conclusion, that was how the privilege walk made me feel.
I thought about what privilege is. I thought about what I knew about privilege. I thought about my own privilege. It helped me to see the big picture. So thanks for opening my eyes.