Found in the back of my Drafts folder...

Mar 07, 2011 10:31

...and obviously rather old, judging by the date on the Scalzi post. Still, worth sharing.

John Scalzi has written an eloquent, elegant, and brilliant post up on Whatever: Things I Don't Have To Think About Today.

[...] Today I don’t have to think about the people who’d consider torching my house of prayer a patriotic act.

Today I don’t have to think about a pharmacist telling me his conscience keeps him from filling my prescription.

Today I don’t have to think about being asked if I’m bleeding when I’m just having a bad day.

Today I don’t have to think about whether the one drug that lets me live my life will be taken off the market.

Today I don’t have to think about the odds of getting jumped at the bar I like to go to.

Today I don’t have to think about “vote fraud” theater showing up at my poll station.

Today I don’t have to think about turning on the news to see people planning to burn my holy book.

Today I don’t have to think about others demanding I apologize for hateful people who have nothing to do with me.

Today I don’t have to think about my child being seen as a detriment to my career. [...]

And Patrick Nielsen Hayden sums it all up:

Spot on. The essence of privilege isn’t wearing a top hat and cackling yar har har while lighting expensive cigars with $100 bills. The essence of privilege is not having to worry about the crap that the unprivileged do.

{{This was originally posted to magistrate on Dreamwidth. You can comment here or there.}}

topic: society/socialization, topic: neuro(a)typicality, entry: links, *words matter, *for yr edification, *faith in humanity, topic: gender, entry: excerpts, topic: oh no, stuff: politics, stuff: social justice, *beating undead equines, *oh noes politics

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