Let’s Talk About Privilege
Are we failing to acknowledge that we had a head start over so many others?
Privilege is a heavy word in our society. Most of us when growing up, do not realize the privilege that is accorded to us only by the circumstances of our birth. And the chasm between what we could have and what we would never have, gets deeper as the journey of privilege gets played out. In an unequal world the rich rarely realize the impact of circumstances. Does that mean the poor are aware of their ill-luck that traps them in the circle of poverty and unending want?
I live in India. The major headline these days is of a tragic road accident. A 17-year old minor drunk drove his father’s Porsche over a young couple driving back on a bike, killing them instantly. The country has been enraged for days about the fact that such a heinous crime would probably go under-punished because of the culprit’s underage status.
Indian social media is divided about the question, should teens and their parents be held equally responsible for such acts? This comes from a society where parenthood is thought of as divine gift. Couples choosing to not have children voluntarily are a rare breed. Recently a billionaire expressed his inclination of not wanting to have children ever, in one of his interviews and as a result was massively trolled. Couples, once married, need to have children and those children need to be prioritized over everything else.
But unkindness is not hereditary. Unkindness is a learned behavior. Children do not come out of their mother’s wombs learning to drive over innocent pedestrians. Casual indifference to human life and thoughts and feelings of others around, gets slowly programmed into their psyches. Yes, barring sociopaths, ordinary children do not go around committing crimes. And chances of rampant sociopath behavior in Indian society, is rarer still.
This brings me to the question of whether somewhere, someplace we as a society are failing miserably. I have often believed that Indians are one of the most docile people. Years and years of colonialism, conditioning and self-doubt has made us this non-aggressive, meek and non-violent society. We live our lives in the confines of our homes and rarely come out with an adventurous, exploratory spirit. That is slowly changing.
It has something to do with our current regime. This is the rise of the masochist, upper-class, privileged, Hindu nation that was suddenly unearthed some 10 years ago. The nation of non-violent Gandhi is slowly becoming a feet and chest thumping theater of power play. The unkindness is in the air. The privilege, the capability of getting away of a certain class of people with the most deplorable crimes is now firmly rooted in the societal framework.
I belong to the privileged lot too. But then I am a woman. A part of the lesser and marginalized section of Indian patriarchal society. Being a girl child in a middle class Indian home is a special kind of torture. On top of everything, if the girl child exhibits a degree of autonomy, prefers to be well read instead of dedicating her life to the pursuit of her family’s happiness, then all hell breaks loose. Women having autonomy over their lives, their bodies, their decisions, are rare but like every other thing in the 21st century this too is changing.
But coming back to privilege — yes, I too often tend to ignore the fact that, I have always had the privilege of deciding my own destiny. A privilege that my birth circumstances afforded me. But do I think that the poor of our society hate the rich? Do they realize that a lot could be different for them if they were simply born in a different family? I think they don’t.
The poor you see are trapped in the cycle of their own thoughts. They tend, toil, sometimes cut-corners, make use of the famous Indian ingenuity and want government handouts from time to time. The poor if they have the chance will make the lives of others like them more miserable. But they venerate the richest of the rich. They venerate the industrialists, the movie actor and the cricketer. The poor also need idols. The rich tend to become richer, because they had a head start. This simple fact is conveniently ignored. Getting out of poverty or the over inflated middle class bundle is a multi-generational task. Rags-to-Riches stories in one generation, is mostly non-existent.
So, think about it if you are an Indian or not. Do you see maids, car-cleaners, helpers, or the homeless around you? Do you think they need the right-winged masculinity? The Pride of their Heritage? They simply need to exist with dignity. The middle class needs, not to be run-over by drunken kids who are not even eligible for a driver’s license. Kids need to respect other human beings whether they belong to their social class or not. And if as parents we fail to teach them the basics of humanity, we are better off not having them at all.
Until next time. Thank you for reading.
