Hey readers, It’s Roshni Sen Co-head, Journalist, and Artist. The world is full of right and wrong, good and bad, wise and foolish. Decisions that may not be beneficial to one are not necessarily right. Privilege and the right spirit have to do with what people have the freedom to do so in a civilization. But, what is the difference between the two?
Rights are what every person should have access to as a human being inside of any community. No matter what race, gender, or sexuality. Rights include everyone being treated equally and is respected. Human rights are moral principles or norms that describe certain standards of human behavior and are regularly protected as natural and legal rights in municipal and international law. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.
Social privilege is a special, and earned advantage or entitlement, used to one’s own benefit or to the detriment of others. These groups can be advantaged based on social class, age, disability, ethnic or racial category, race, or religion. But if we want a more just society, we can’t refrain from talking about the concept of privilege the inherent leg-up certain people have by virtue of where they were born, what they look like, or how their demographics align with our often racist, sexist, and homophobic culture. Unpacking privilege is hard, though, because many people who usually fall among the privileged either get offended or self-flagellate in guilt. And that’s not helpful to the cause. When our egos are triggered, our logical brain shuts down, and respectful discourse quickly goes south. But, at the end of the day, all people are like crayons. We are all the same made up of all the same materials but are different colors.
