Seeing the privilege


So if you grow up in a society that has a certain amount inequality, oppression, pollution, right? Stuff that you're breathing in, that's all part of your environment and it all affects you. And we're all the worse for it. And so my personal belief is those kinds of things affect all of us and that includes me having said that I've also…because I've also become aware of through other people's experiences, you know, people are uncomfortable with the term white privilege and like, I don't think it gets overused, but I think it's an important thing to think about, right?

Because yes, we're all affected, but no, on a day-to-day practical basis, I don't have to think about these issues in my own life because I'm not a member of a marginalized community because I don't…if someone doesn't like me, it's maybe it's just because they don't like me. But it's not because I'm a member of a group that that's more marginalized. But I think a lot of, you know, people of color do have to deal with that and they have to deal with that. It could be a conscious decision on someone else's part. It could be unconscious racism. It could be someone being oblivious and just saying something inappropriate because they're, you know, they're just culturally not very in tune with the larger world.

Josh Stowe

Josh Stowe is a content specialist for the Keough School of Global Affairs, and grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina before attending Notre Dame.