Can I see all the poor people raise their hands!
Can I see all the middle class people raise their hands!
Can I see all the rich people raise their hands!

Why isn’t anyone raising their hand?
Why can’t we proudly own our social privileges?
Why are social struggles easier to talk about?

Well, it’s simple:
No one wants to claim their social privilege
I am privileged. I am white, heterosexual, and Protestant
I would like to share my feelings with you tonight.

Privilege is
Discriminating, blending in, or celebrating

Whites renounce race, heterosexuals renounce sexuality, and everyone renounces class
So differences, similarities, and assumptions remain in the closet
And only come out during rants and in social science text books.

Privilege is
Denying, accepting, or educating

Privileged people find it pointless to discuss social issues
Because they think it does not directly concern them
It makes them feel uncomfortable, guilty, and cocky

So minorities pick up the slack by becoming experts of
Race relations, sexual rights, and civil liberties
By justifying and defending their positions

Privilege is
Scoffing, staying silent, or confronting

This in turn reinforces the majority to stay out of the conversation
Because we can’t relate and we don’t want to offend anyone
So we stay quite and remain ignorant to the plight of others.

Privilege is
Not having to write a poem like this.