On Privilege

This post was inspired by Peggy McIntosh’s 1988 paper “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack.” In essence, the paper is a list of privileges she, as a white woman, receives. Privilege is defined here as unearned advantages that one receives simply by being a part of in the society in which one lives. 

The concept of privilege is based on the idea that we are not simply autonomous, entirely independent beings living in a vacuum. Instead, whether we acknowledge it or not, we are participants in our society, both at home and abroad. We exist in a world where the rules are already made, and even if those rules are not explicitly written, they are often executed in such a way that gives one group an advantage or another.

Below is a brief list of the privileges I experience as a white, American, college-educated traveler. 

I can book a flight using a major credit card, and do not need to operate on a cash-only budget. Banks in a few countries do not issue credit cards at all, and spending money abroad is on a cash-only basis for citizens of these countries.

English is my first language, and nearly anywhere in the world, if something is translated from the countries official language, it will likely be translated into English.  If I wish to volunteer or work abroad as an English teach, my native proficiency is in high demand.

My passport allows me to go more places without a visa than nearly any other passport in the world (besides passports from Sweden, Finland, or the UK). I do not need to spend money on a visa or organize my itinerary around a visa, to visit 172 countries.

While traveling alone as a women is still seen as unusual in other parts of the world, it is culturally acceptable in my home country. 

I can return to my home country at any time and, within a reasonable amount of time, expect to find employment.

Even if I return home with no money at all, I can return to a social structure that will support me.  

I am a traveler. Not a refugee. I am not fleeing a war, terrorism, or an oppressive government. I have an autonomy and freedom that was not earned, that was given to me by birth. That is my privilege as a traveler.     

To roam across the world as a traveler is, in my eyes, the greatest privilege.