On white male, hetro privilege.

[redqueen]

18. It doesn't only exist "for a lot of people". It exists, period. We all get to live in it.

It's not an accusation about anything you've done. It's just the way the world is, and recognizing it and not mocking it (you did mock it) is the first step to making everyone aware.

IMO you still don't get it. The fact that you rattle off a list of things that you think prove that you don't personally benefit shows you don't get it.

And by "it" I mean the very concept of privilege due to unearned status. You don't recognize that you mocked it because you still don't get what it is.

It's not something that dictates that all white people will have it easy and all non-white people will have it hard. It is just an extra layer of super fun oppression that society puts on people who are *not* male, white, straight, etc. You chose to get beat up to protect your friends, and that's admirable, but the issue you're missing is that you have the option to do that or not. Privilege means you get to have that as a *choice*.

You mentioned you got pulled over... was it for being poor? Driving an old car? I've been there. That's an experience of being oppressed, so extrapolate that to the experience of being non-white, driving a nice car, and being pulled over simply because of the color of your skin. For me, this doesn't make me want to jump into a game of oppression olympics. I know I have it easier than some people because I can "pass". I don't feel guilty about that, I didn't do anything to earn that status.

I blame the patriarchy that sets us all up to see each other as if a heirarchy is our natural state of being, with white straight men at the top.

Being reminded of the ways that minority groups are oppressed is not an attack on you or an attempt to say that you did anything wrong. If you're not oppressing people then pat yourself on the back and be glad you get it.