Last year I mentioned how silly it was that people get all bent out of shape when someone says "happy holidays" instead of "merry Christmas." This year, I've noticed that there's a larger trend of people bitching in general, worried that their lives aren't going to be awesome anymore because of some external force they don't control.
Now, I know something about being a white, heterosexual, fairly well-to-do, vaguely Christian male (or, for the purpose of this post, a "majority power"). The truth is, it's pretty awesome. With humility, I will tell you that I have worked my ass off to be where I am today, and I'm certainly not going to be apologetic about it, but I also will freely admit that I haven't had to deal with the obstacles that frequently get in the way of people who are not part of the majority power.
So in addition to the people who complain about people willing to understand that not everyone celebrates Christmas, they're also complaining that some people believe Santa Claus can be black, migrant workers want to do the work Americans don't want to do, people should be able to say ignorant, moronic things without being labeled ignorant morons, gay people shouldn't be able to marry, etc.
What's going on here? What it seems like is that a class of people that have always maintained the majority power are worried that their place in the world isn't what it used to be. What's worse, it's the completely oblivious notion that this place was held largely because of their demographic attributes. In a particularly ironic twist, it seems to be the same people who extol the values of working hard and making a life for themselves. I guess that's still true, so long as they have an advantage.
I grow tired of all of the bitching and moaning from people who feel persecuted, but are not. Seven years ago, we didn't carry super computers in our pocket connected to all of the knowledge in the world. Twenty years ago, we didn't even have the network to access that information. We're in a time of unprecedented access to knowledge and opportunity, in a way that human history has never seen. What's possible today, for each and every person in this country, is nothing short of a miracle.
Stop acting like victims and make something happen. You're not at a disadvantage, you're just being fearful because privilege no longer fits into the opportunity.
No comments yet.