On the night of October 17th, 2017, the office of Residential Life and Live Learn Lead program had Joseph Thompson, Stockton Assistant Director of Student Development, put on an hour long presentation about what it means to be privileged in the United States, particularly being white, straight, and male. Being a straight, white male myself, I went into the TRLC event room under the assumption I was going to be lectured about my privileges and the guilt I should feel for being so lucky in the world we live in. There weren’t many people who showed up for the event; however, with the dozen or so students present the program went on.
As expected, I did learn a great deal about the privileges I have been given, without my knowledge, just for being born who I am. What took me by surprise was the tone Thompson used throughout the presentation. While still being affirmative about the extent of privileges white males have, it was also apparent that he was not trying to make me, or anyone else similar to me, feel ashamed for what we are. He even said, “you don’t have to feel guilty for your privileges,” but instead “be aware of them”. It is important to have awareness and understanding of how you got to where you are in society as a result of your privileges. A privileged human being has not done anything inherently wrong by having those privileges, but continuing to force the system of racism and discrimination, giving those same unfair privileges to the next generation is wrong.
Major takeaways from the event include that everyone has privilege, somehow, someway, and in different quantities. Privilege should not make you feel guilty, but instead should be embraced and utilized so that it can be changed for future generations. Speak out, stand up, and listen. This short, hour-long presentation was not only informational, but made you reflect on how exactly you got to where you are today. Overall it was a good dialogue, with a pleasant speaker, and a supportive environment that didn’t shame you for having privilege and was welcoming to people of all types. I hope to see him speak again about issues like these.