turning the other cheek

privilege and ignore are scary words to me when they are in the same sentence. a couple months ago now i helped lead a training about privilege. a man at the training said that he would just ignore his privilege and that would serve as a solution for the system of privilege.

it’s scary to think that the two-year-old child’s solution of covering up your eyes—if i can’t see you, you can’t see me—is suddenly a viable solution for adults in regard to privilege. when we see two-year-olds do this, it’s cute and endearing. when adults do this, what do we think? it’s sad to me because i have seen covering one's eyes as an acceptable solution. it’s sad and scary to think ignoring privilege and pretending not to have it all of a sudden seems a likely way to solve the problem. is it true that in reality when it happens, we think it's okay? why is this funny for a child to do and serious for an adult? to me, this indicates something very wrong is going on. something we are not willing to acknowledge but is there nonetheless.

the real problem of privilege, however, is systemic, cultural, and personal. we might not be able to see it because we are not really looking. it’s a pervasive system wrought with expectation and entitlement, fear and blame whether we acknowledge it or not. when people have privilege and acknowledge they do the guilt that accompanies is overwhelming. let me ask though---who makes guilt an overwhelming emotion? only the person feeling it, that’s who...rightfully so to some degree being that the system is so insidious. it chokes everyone, suffocating people into consciouslessness.

i am not trying to knock the tactic of ignorant bliss altogether. sometimes it is useful; i recognize it as a defense mechanism, but i think it’s important to unpack that. why is there a need for defense when it comes to acknowledging privilege? my best guess is the lack of readiness to accept responsibility for privilege. responsibility for how the system currently is, responsibility for contributing to oppression, and responsibility to do something about it and with it. that’s a huge mental and spiritual undertaking. avoiding such an undertaking, such a responsibility, is certainly easier than facing the reality.
on the other hand, people lacking privilege face reality everyday. there is no option of defense—of ignoring, of pretending, of avoiding responsibility. privilege truly is having this luxury. the option of avoidance if and when you choose.
ignorance by choice is just one more perfectly logical explanation (ple) to not change; to not have to try to live and achieve social justice.
stay awake people! don’t use a ple because it’s easy. be in it (in your privilege) even though it’s hard and brings about emotions that are difficult to face up to. reality in its fullest is difficult to face up to. what’s worse is when you don’t see what is truly going on around you and how you are a part of it. don't continue to contribute to oppression. it doesn't benefit anyone. how is ignoring privilege beneficial to anyone--including yourself?

so, what do you do with your privilege?