My Privilege Affects Everything I Write
I can sympathize and empathize, but I might never understand.
As of this writing, I have published over 950 articles here, including 765 on the Thing a Day. I write about a lot of big, broad topics, which can include a wide variety of things: racial inequity, end-stage capitalism, religion, American culture wars, and LGBTQIA+ issues, among many others. I also write about things that are personal to me — my bipolar disorder, the things that I like and dislike, my day job, and the experiences that I’ve had.
And, as with any writer who observes the world around them, my experiences color my perspective. Whenever possible, I try to remind everyone that I come from a place of privilege. I seek to qualify my words whenever I can, and although I don’t always cover every base, I feel like I do a decent job.
And, while I try to write with some level of understanding, in the end, I am a straight cis white guy with a middle-class life and an upper-middle-class upbringing. I am the kind of person that American society was designed to please, at least in such a way as to encourage me to support the billionaire oligarchs who society is really designed to please.
I don’t really have a good idea of what it’s like to be AFAB or female-presenting, BIPOC, a member of the…
