It Will Happen to You

Maybe you don't care if Republicans pass laws that let county clerks refuse marriage licenses to gay couples, because you're not gay, don't know many gay people, and tend to think being gay is kind of icky. And maybe you won't care when they decide to extend refusal to interracial couples, because you're a little more comfortable when people "stick with their own kind." But eventually, it will reach you or someone you actually care about.

They could decide to refuse marriage to couples of different religious backgrounds. Or they might decide you can't remarry if your first spouse is still alive. Remember, they won't actually pass a law that says adulterers can't marry their mistresses or that infertile women can't marry. They'll leave it up to the "conscience" and "sincere beliefs" of the county clerk, who attends a church you've never heard of but nevertheless gets to tell you their church controls your life.

And maybe you really don't care if a restaurant refuses to serve Black people, because you're not Black, and you'd rather just be around people who look like you.

Sooner or later, there will be something about you that someone else doesn't like, and you'll be the one who can't shop, can't eat out, can't get married, can't rent an apartment, can't get a good job, can't live a full life being respected as a human being. Be ready to comply.

 

Privilege

It's easy to be privileged without realizing it.

When I was in high school, along with our required classes each term, we needed to choose electives. It was important to submit a request early, because they were supposedly assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Popular choices like drama and creative writing filled up fast. I was lucky, though. Even when I submitted my requests at the last minute, I managed to get the classes I wanted. Whew!

Did I mention that my dad was a teacher at this school? No, he wasn't intervening on my behalf. It wasn't until 10 years later that it dawned on me that someone in the administration office was giving me special treatment just because I was a teacher's kid. (The son of the chemistry teacher also led a charmed life.) Seriously, I actually didn't realize I was privileged, but thought it was just the luck of the draw.

As an adult, I'm slightly less naïve. When people get defensive and claim they don't have white privilege or male privilege, or whatever special privilege they have, I wonder how they can still be as oblivious as a kid in school who thinks this is just the way life is.