As a naturally born citizen of the United States of America, I have rights identified in the Constitution and its amendments.

As a Caucasian, I also have many privileges. These privileges have come through societal, racial, economic, and other institutionalized increases in the probability of having grown up in a community with low levels of violence and poverty, access to a better quality of education and healthcare, and opportunities that have helped me to obtain goals that are all but impossible for others without these privileges.

As a Heterosexual male, I am less likely to have been exposed to discrimination, sexually assaulted or harassed, or discouraged from speaking up for myself.

As a human, I have seen many who have not been so lucky as to be born at a time and place that offered me benefits just for showing up.  On the other hand, I have not always been able to see how my life has benefitted from privilege and I have not always received all the possible benefit that may have been accessible for others like me. The fact of the matter remains that some people are more likely to succeed than others due to reasons that are not equally distributed and out of an individual’s control. This does not mean that other Caucasian heterosexual male US citizens don’t face hardships, nor does it mean that individuals from marginalized groups don’t succeed. But, it is easier for others like me to be successful in obtaining our goals than for those who are less like me, due simply to the fact of privilege.

I have never been in a store where I was followed by security staff because they thought I was suspicious. However, I have seen this happen to close friends although we were dressed similarly and of the same age and gender. I have never had a good idea dismissed in a meeting or group discussion (although there are plenty of bad ideas that did not make much impact), but I have seen it happen to wonderful people I have known just because they were a female. To say things like this don’t happen is not just naïve, it is a denial of the truth.

Sociological and psychological theories and research have identified reasons why we treat people who don’t look like us or sounds like us as different. The main gist of this issue has to do with fear and safety. When we don’t understand something or are unsure about another’s behaviors, beliefs, or intentions we become scarred and reactionary. This is a hardwired initial response. The secondary response then reanalyzes the situation and can calm us down so that we can respond to the information. This process gets complicated and maladaptive when we begin to associate arbitrary differences and stereotypical ideas with danger signs that trigger our reactions. We are humans! Why do we think the color of our skins give us accurate information that some one is dangerous or safe? Seriously, serial killers are most often single white men!!! Do large groups of people flinch when a white man walks by? Most descriptions of serial killers taken from their neighbors are that they were nice quiet guys.  I do not see how I would be described differently by most passers-by under most circumstances. However, change my skin tone and people begin to worry about me as I walk by.

I personally think that ALL PEOPLE matter and that we should be treated as equals, but I understand that this is not the reality of the current world we live in. If you say you believe that all people matter than ask yourself, honestly, how your life would be if you were someone that looked different. If I was a Black lesbian female, I know my life would be different than it is now, and it would not have been due to only those things in my control or things I did differently regarding the choices I was presented during my life. It was not until I was dating a person of another cultural and racial heritage that I was even able to see the privileges that flooded into my life just because of genetic phenotypes. I am certainly glad it has worked in my favor, but why do others not get the same chance. How can I help the process become more “fair?”  This is a dangerous question. The answer would require that I lose some of that privilege and “why would I want that to happen?”

The answer to the last question is rooted in another area of my life that currently offers me additional societal privilege. I am a follower of Jesus Christ and believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God. I have come to dislike the term Christian over the past few years.  On this topic, I could probably write for a long time, but in summary, I am tired of people using Christianity to HATE others. This goes against the true tenets of what God has called us to do as believers; it cracks the foundations of Christianity.  In the United States and the Christian community at large, many people are excused from consequence because they say, “I am a Christian.” As a community of believers, we have been far to silent when people who claim to be “Christian” do very un-Christ-like things. This silence has caused Christians in America to “lose their saltiness,” pardon the jargon.  I have read every word in the Bible more than once over my life and most many times over. I have yet to see where God calls me degrade or discriminate against non-Christians. In all tense and purposes, the Bible tells to love my neighbor as myself and share the good news that Jesus died as a sacrifice to atone for all our disobedience (sin) to God. By accepting this gift (grace) and placing Jesus and the Lord, master, and ruler of my choices and life I can be reconnected with God on a spiritual level so that my soul can have eternal peace in the presence of God.

As a Christian, God has called me to act, behave, and work in such a way that nonbelievers can see Him through me and give glory to God. In the New Testament, Jesus became mad when people who claimed to be godly and religious were only faking it, to put it simply.  God clearly states that we are not to judge the world, that is his job. Nor should we judge the salvation of others, for only he knows the true heart of each person. We are, however, called to judge the actions of people who claim they are Christians. Additionally, when our situation (world, country, state, county, city, neighborhood, family, or self) is in a bad place or suffering, God does not call the non-believes to be accountable like some have verbalized in the past (i.e., “gays are the cause for 9/11.”). God states in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

So, how does this answer the previous question, “why would I want that to happen?”, it is because that is what Jesus modeled for us. He was kind to sinners and did not to beat them down verbally or tell them they were evil or worthless. Instead Jesus shared how He, God, loved and cared for them and wanted so much more for them. The Bible also shares that when we help each other, especially those different from ourselves, that we are most like Christ and are connecting with him, forming or building our relationship with God in do this.  

 I am happy to call myself an American because I am allowed the choice to speak up, protect myself, and practice my beliefs without the government telling me how to do it. I might not agree with the beliefs of others, but I do not have the legal right nor the God-given order to force people to believe my beliefs. God gave us choice also called free will. It is not my role as a Christian to take that away from others. The USA was founded because our forefathers were sick of being ordered around by the monarch. It is not surprising that American’s still dislike being told what to do.  This does not excuse us from being nice and supportive to each other. We the people need of the United States of American need to stop hating each other just because we disagree with each other. The only way we can improve this great country is to figure out how the things we have in common can be used to support each other better. If we think of the USA as a person, we can only grow and stay healthy if we take care of all our parts. If we continue to hit ourselves and try cutting off limbs we are only going to end up destroying ourselves. I am pretty sure that a person of some importance in history said that a “house divided against itself cannot stand.” THE USA IS NOT AN EXCEPTION TO THIS RULE.