Privilege and Responsibility
I came across this little fellow growing right next to the highway. He looks really good now and seems to have established himself in this rocky ground. Unfortunately it’s not likely that this little tree will make it to adulthood. He’s too close to the road and even if he survives the harsh, rocky conditions, he would be a danger to traffic if allowed to grow tall and wide. This tree lacks the basic requisites to grow and flourish.
it occurs to me that this is what it is like not to have privilege. You start life just like all other human beings; you have intellect, free will, and an immortal soul. But circumstances may make it easier or more difficult for you to flourish and attain the full potential of your humanity. Social status, race, geography, wealth, gender can all affect how readily you will be able to develop your talents and take advantage of life’s opportunities.
There is a lot of talk about privilege nowadays and often people take it the wrong way, especially when talking about “white privilege.” This notion can evoke some negative reactions because they believe it implies that they are bad people because they enjoy certain privileges. It angers others because they believe that it diminishes the challenges that they have overcome, especially if they grew up poor. That’s unfortunate because the concept of privilege can really help us understand why unequal and unjust situations exist. And, if we understand why something doesn’t work, we can fix it.
Privilege of course comes in many forms and isn’t just connected to race. We can also have privilege because of family stability, economic status, education and where we are born. But, given the increased awareness of the effects of the sin of racism, I think we really do need to come to terms with the privilege of being white, especially in the United States. The fact remains that we live in a society in which there are challenges for people of color that a white person would never experience. It doesn’t mean that white people don’t also have challenges, but those are typically not unique to race. It also doesn’t mean that those challenges can’t be overcome. Unlike the little tree in the photo, humans have more control over their environment and have the freedom and intellect to overcome life’s challenges, but again that can be easier for those with privilege.
So, where does responsibility fit. I think that much of the preaching of Jesus was to remind those with privilege that they have a responsibility to those without privilege, which in the context of Jesus’ culture included the poor, children, the imprisoned, the foreign born, the disabled, widows, and the public sinner. Jesus offered a word of consolation to these “little ones” and a word of challenge to those with privilege, reminding them that what they do to the least of our brothers and sisters, they also do for Jesus (Mt. 25:40). Within this Gospel passage those with privilege are reminded of their responsibility to use that privilege to help create a world where we won’t have to talk about those with and without privilege. As Luke 12:48 reminds us, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” In other words, if we have privilege it’s not just to make our individual life easy, it comes with responsibility.
