There is a need to be nuanced about this word. We need to focus on the systems that create oppression, and yet what do we do with the body, the body that experiences the tangible affects of a lack of privilege? Where do people and there experiences go?
When we tell an individual to “check your privilege,” we are in fact, putting ourselves in a position of power. It is as if our knowledge of their perceived privilege removes us from having any role within this system—enabling us to judge them.
But with this positive realization of privilege comes discomfort and shame; this guilt silences people. How then, can we discuss and acknowledge privilege in a constructive way that continues dialogue and motivates social action?
Instead of trying to decide whether a Muslim kid of African descent really built a clock or just assembled its pieces from a hobby kit at Radio Shack, maybe we should be asking why that isn’t enough to merit recognition in a STEM-loving world with kids who've never seen a soldering iron.
Sowing the Seed 