Shannon Rose
Eugene, OR
Explore Identity

People have so much baggage about privilege. So often people act as though it’s the end of a conversation. That somehow acknowledging the privilege that comes with just being seen as white means that you didn’t work hard for what you have, or that you don’t deserve it. I find it strangely coincidental that that is the same judgement often used against programs like affirmative action. The idea that there is *actually* more privilege bestowed by virtue of non-white status – and a presumption of lazy freeloading – while simultaneously asserting no claim to any privilege of our own. Instead, it would be refreshing to see a conversation start with an acknowledgement of the privileges bestowed upon the group, ‘white people’ (while recognizing the dedication and determination of individuals within the group) and move beyond the stricture of who ‘deserves’ what they have.