The Privilege Conundrum

Privilege as a concept is not something anyone, especially if you grew up living in an Indian household, is unfamiliar with. As soon as we begin to grow out our milk teeth, various instances of how “lucky you are to be born in a good family” has been pointed out to us. Case in point: when you were going for a drive in your car and you spotted people selling peanuts in newspaper cones at the signal, or when your parents asked you to set aside old clothes and toys to give to your househelp.

Though familiar with the concept of being born with certain advantages, the conversation around privilege runs far deeper than that. And as it is with all deep-rooted problems in society, it is tough to come to terms with it and have conversation about it without the narrative changing

to the defensive “but bro its not like its super easy for us either, na”, and denying that they are fit to be called “privileged”.

In my inexperienced opinion, I’ve noticed that the problem is the way we discuss privilege. It always comes up when you complain, and is pointed out to you in a very “shut your mouth you can’t complain life has given you so much” kind of a way. To see that in action, just open Instagram and I guarantee you, halfway through your feed of kittens in boxes you’ll find “influencers” with captions like, “Use this time to pick up a new skill or hobby, and reflect on how lucky you are. You have no room to complain or no time to feel bored”. Sound familiar? You quickly scroll past it, because the prodding sense of guilt is too

much to take. That influencer has successfully managed to invalidate an entire emotion, boredom, and also the mental health imbalance a lot of their audience are experiencing, what with being cooped up in the same place for two months.

And what a lot of people, especially in the heat of proving a point fail to see, is that it is very much possible to be privileged and still have certain disadvantages. One person’s privilege is another’s disadvantage. And the best way to start dialogue about privilege, much like it is with every pertinent issue, is by relating. It’s not for nothing that empathy is an important skill to have.

Basically, address your disadvantages first. For example, I am a female living in a country whose majority regards the same as a curse, I am not fair skinned, or North Indian, that alienates me from the majority population of my country, and not being an adult not many take me seriously. But, in many, many ways, I am extremely privileged. I am cis-gendered, from a Hindu Brahim family, both my parents earn well, I am receiving an excellent education, and live in the cosmopolitan city of Mumbai. It is very tough to recognize social privilege, and when you do the inevitable outcome is that feeling of guilt, and the “there’s nothing I can do about it” syndrome is what kills the positive

dialogue that you started out with. There is a lot you can do about it.

First, don’t throw the word around in vain. It’s a good thing you recognised your privilege no doubt, but don’t spit the word in everyone’s face when they complain about something. Talk about their disadvantages as well. Speak facts and speak with intentions.

Second, doing something as simple as addressing your privilege and making informed decisions regarding it shakes the precariously built foundation of society. Lots of companies and

the government too thrive on your privilege and you being ignorant of it. Change that.

Third, recognise that you have the upper hand, and do something with that power. Social work is something that really shows you the impact of privilege first hand, and at first, when you see that, you will feel ashamed, but take charge and use your advantages for fair purposes.

Yes, the privilege conundrum is real, and a tough thing to face, but a small change in attitude goes a long way. So, the next time the store doesn’t have Maggi, sure, mope around for a while, but maybe buy that extra packet of Parle G for your security guard, and use your privilege for good.