My privilege rant. It bugs the hell out of me to read these [View all]

[upaloopa]

privilege threads.
This only about me. I was born in 1946 a white male. That wasn't my fault. I grew up in the 50's and 60's. I lived through the civil rights era and the woman's movement. Most of my adult life I lived in the era the Equal Rights Amendment and the struggle for gay rights and immigrant rights.
How in hell can someone think I don't realize there wasn't a white male rights era? Why was there no white male rights era? Because we already had civil rights!
That wasn't my fault either. He'll yes I know I had privilege! The evidence was all around me all my life!
Privilege is something given to you by others. You don't create it for yourself. You have no control over that.
What you have control over is what you do with it.
Me I marched for civil rights when I was the only white person in the march. I went down South and learned what living there was like for young black teens.
I did everything I could to support the women's movement. There wasn't much action for men there but we helped other men to understand what it was all about. My mother-in-law was a NOW chapter president. I have a gay brother-in-law and a gay sister-in-law. Do I know what life is like for them? Not 100% but I know I never have and never will have to fight for the rights the Constitution affords me like they do. I worked with the anti Prop 8 groups I where an equality ring and had information booths at gay pride day gatherings.
I am not bragging but just showing that we understand we have privilege and that it is what you do with it that counts.
These privilege threads have something wrong with them and I can't put my finger on it other to say that those starting them haven't lived long enough to really understand the issue. Like many things here it is a cause seleb for them but please
Get it through your head that we know we have been given privilege and that it is what you do with that knowledge that matters.