| In America, social privilege has never really existed in the sense of an
aristocratic model, as has traditionally existed in Europe, or a caste-based system,
common in many parts of the orient. Where social privilege has existed, it was usually
extended to rather small groups of individuals, and was based more on vocation than birth.
The essence of America is that it is a land of opportunity based on merit, and not on
birth. Therefore, with the "peculiar" exception of chattel slavery, being born
into a particular neighborhood, or being the right color, or the right sex, or even having
the right ethnic background was never any guarantor of success. However, while social
privilege did not exist, there have virtually always been social outcasts to whom doors
were traditionally closed. In modern American society, social privilege has taken on a new, and more sinister, meaning. Where once we viewed guilt as a concept applicable only to individuals, we now see guilt as applicable to groups of people based upon ethnicity, wealth, sex, sexual orientation, and even political affiliation. More importantly, this guilt is not based upon one's actions as an individual, but rather it is based upon the actions of prior generations of members (even unrelated members) of the same ethnic group. Under this paradigm, because I am white, I share the guilt for the massacre of the indigenous population, as well as sharing the guilt for chattel slavery. On top of that, I am responsible for the oppression of women, hate crimes against gays, not to mention the uneven distribution of wealth in America. Social privilege under this paradigm is now bestowed on the basis of the "victim status" of one's ancestors. Thomas Jefferson, in the Declaration of Independence, simply and eloquently stated America's most important creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among there are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." While Americans have not always lived up to this admittedly lofty ideal, our goal has always been to at least attempt to do so. It is, however, no longer possible to even try. While human imperfection was once a fundamental assumption about the nature of man, the current paradigm is that man is perfectible if only there are enough social workers, psychologists, educrats, and dollars. But perfection can only be reached by taking on "the sins of our fathers" and doing penance for crimes against the ancestors of the new socially privileged classes. According to one recent news story, the sight of blacks and whites getting along so well at the Promise Keepers rally in Washington, DC was greatly offensive to a member of the National Organization of Women. Why? Because, according to feminist logic, "How can these people forgive their oppressors? Don’t they realize that generations of bigotry cannot be erased in five minutes?" In other words, one (modern) socially privileged class, liberal women, is castigating another class, blacks, for attempting to put an end to class warfare. The secret fear of the newly socially privileged is this: Americans are really taking Jefferson's words to heart. If Jefferson is right, then this newest and most sinister form of social privilege will soon be a thing of the past. |
We would love to hear from you. Complements, criticisms, questions, suggestions, and seriously scorching flames are all equally welcome. Copyright © 1998 by Kevin P. HallAll rights reserved. Last update: 03/16/98 |
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