General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I keep hearing people talk about privilege. What is it? [View all]NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)Acknowledging privilege is about recognizing that you automatically get a leg up on someone who otherwise is your equal simply by virtue of your race, gender, sexuality, income level, or religion, and subsequently erecting a filter in your brain when it comes to discussing communities that aren't your own.
Let's try a couple of examples:
You, a white man, (hypothetically) think "Why do black people hate the cops so much? They've never been anything but polite to me." You don't acknowledge that black communities are unfairly targeted by law enforcement simply because of their race. You being white statistically means you don't experience that. That's privilege.
You, a man, think "I think getting hit on is a compliment. Why do women have such an issue with it?" What you don't acknowledge is that women are harassed constantly, and are actually afraid of (or sometimes just irritated by) some people who make unsolicited passes at them. As a man, you statistically don't have to deal with that. That's privilege.