The feeling of privilege

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As I wrote about last week, our AC failed on a very hot day last week. I was able to jury rig it moving forward, but needed to get it repaired.
This has required several visits from our apartment maintenance manager as well as the actual AC people. I’m very much hoping it will be fixed today as the weather is supposed to get hot again tomorrow.

Looking at the information on the weather (including the forecast for the next few days) there is an interesting pattern:


When our air-conditioning broke, the weather outside got much cooler. It stayed cooler until my air-conditioning (hopefully) got fixed.

I’m a middle aged white male who grew up in a fairly nice town, went to
good schools, have a good job and make a good living at it.
I do not deny that I have benefited from privilege in all that.

The tough part, from my point of view, is spotting the privilege.
It is easy for those who don’t have it to see it. But, much harder when you do.

And, it is like the weather shown above.
A cold front came through just when I needed it to. I was able to tell the
maintenance guy where I live “Monday is fine. You don’t have to send someone in Saturday or Sunday. We’re good.”
He told me how nice I was being not to insist on having it fixed immediately.
But, it was cool. I didn’t need air-conditioning.

People could well say “You’re so lucky that it cooled off just when your
air-conditioning broke!”
They would be 100% correct.
Few people are that lucky.

And, few people are that lucky to have been born into the conditions I enjoy.

This is why it is difficult when people ask “don’t you realize how privileged you are?”
Because it looks like this cold front to me.
I didn’t do anything to create it, maintain it, control it or promote it.
I didn’t even expect it.
And, I didn’t even realize just how lucky I was to get it until I sat down and really thought about it.

And, it made other people’s lives worse!
Two people I work with were complaining about how their plans for the weekend were ruined because it was cold and rainy when they had hoped for warm and sunny.

Do I feel bad their plans were ruined?
Sure.
Do I feel guilty that things worked out really well for me but were bad for others?
No. Not really.
Because, I had no hand in them.

My point is not in any way to say “it’s like the weather” or “there’s nothing I can do”.
The economic and social privileges are easier to change than the weather.
Not easy mind you. But, easier.
The business you support, people you vote for, charities you support can
all make a bigger difference than wishing for a sunny day.

My point is about how invisible it can be.
And, if you’re not careful, how easy it can be to dismiss as being like the weather.
And, how that should be avoided.