The idea of social privilege has been in the media a lot lately (usually attached the word “white”). And while the topic is controversial for many, one man has managed to explain it all in an incredibly simple way.
In a video posted on the Woke Folks Facebook page, the man explains privilege to a group of teenagers. He uses a simple analogy, comparing life to a race, but to see it play out on screen is a powerful reminder of what many of us take for granted.
In the video, you see the man holding hundred dollar bill. He tells the kids that they will be having a race and whoever crosses the finish line first will get to keep the cash.
Before the race begins, though, he will be making a few statements. If the teens think a statement applies to them, they are supposed to take 2 steps forward. If it doesn’t apply, they are to stay where they are.
The man begins speaking: “Take two steps forward if both of your parents are still married.”
“Take two steps forward if you grew up with a father figure in the home.”
“Take two steps forward if you had access to a private education.”
With each statement, more and more space grows between the teens. For the most part, the white kids are advancing, while many of the African-American kids are forced to stay back.
After a few minutes, the man tells the teens who are leading the way to look behind them, telling them, “Every statement I’ve made has nothing to do with anything any of you have done, has nothing to do with decisions you’ve made.”
“We all know the people up here have a better opportunity to win this hundred dollars. Does that mean these people back here can’t race? No, but would be foolish to not realize we have been given more opportunity.”
“It’s only because you have this big of a head start that you’re possibly going to win this race called life. That is a picture of life, ladies and gentlemen.”
This powerful explanation of privilege has garnered over 39 MILLION views on Facebook, as well as over 21,000 comments.
Unfortunately, however, not everyone is a fan.
I honestly love the way this guy managed to explain social privilege to kids in such a simple (yet powerful) way.
What do you think about the idea of privilege? Did this man’s explanation make the cut?
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