40+FAB Blog
Privilege can’t help this
December 2, 2019 - 40+FAB Blog
Society spends a bit of time obsessing on the so called privileged. Some love them and strive to break into their circles, others despise them and wish to see them fall.
Privilege in most cases is not earned. A lot of people were born into it and through no choosing of their own have that as their upbringing.
It is wrong to castigate anyone for where they started out their life, after all not one person has ever applied for their birthplace or circumstances.
By the way, I am not jumping to the defence of the privileged, but I do want us to consider a few things.
We expect them to give back more to society, or frown on them for their indiscretions saying they should have known better.
Well, there are a few things that privilege can’t help.
Privilege can get you the best caretakers but can’t help you to love or be loved.
Privilege can put you in the best schools but can’t fill you with a heart of knowledge.
Privilege can offer you the best life examples but can’t help you develop your character.
Privilege can fill your hands with much wealth but can’t help you be satisfied with it.
Privilege can hide wrong actions for a while but can’t help you erasing the consequences.
Privilege can get you the best technologies to be faster but can’t help you make more time.
Privilege can give you more options in life but can’t help you make better decisions.
When you take a step back and think about all that privilege can’t help, maybe the privileged do not have so much of an advantage over the rest of us. Maybe they still have to make the right choices like we all must do.
If privilege can’t help this, then I think I have not missed out on privilege.
3 Comments
Suyi Opebiyi
All points taken. But remember all those issues you mention that privilege can’t help apply to the underprivileged on top of the huge impediment that is under-privilege
If there was a choice to apply for birthplace or circumstance, EVERYBODY will choose privilege.
I certainly will.
Olaolu Faj Opebiyi (Author)
Yes, won’t we all, however not being there is not a disadvantage. Quite a few of the people who attained acclaimed achievements in our lifetime did not come from what we would class as a privileged background. 🙂
Tunde Babs
Great article,
The power of responsibility falls on the shoulders of the privileged.
The fact that they have on foot above many means they can offer a hand and pull people up or stick a foot out and tread on people ..here you can see where their sense of self lies !
Look forward to more great articles