Examining unexamined privilege

David Creech is aware of his own privilege, and how little he has done to earn it. In a new blog post at Dying Sparrows, he writes:

Often, those who are privileged are active participants in a system that keeps people marginalized, and in the worst cases poor and hungry. I hate the injustice of it all and I want to see it change.

And yet, because I too participate in the system, I am complicit. But I sure don’t know how I ought to respond. Ostensibly I am in a position that can help change an unjust system. But I feel so powerless against the marginalizing forces that I participate in. I often try to listen and amplify voices from the margins. Sometimes I chime in. Other than that I am mostly a passive (and sometimes active) participant.

What about you? How do you respond to structural inequality?

Are you a privileged person? Are you complicit in systems that oppress others? (Who isn’t, really?) How do you respond to David’s questions?

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