"Let's lose the privilege and gain the connection"
Abadesi Osunsade
Entrepreneur | Board Member | Ex Global Vice President | Podcast Host | Startup Coach
“Why for so many of us is it so difficult to acknowledge we have privilege, let alone embrace the idea of losing it?â€
Dr Thomas Owen is an author, teacher, filmmaker, and advocate for peace, social justice and the eradication of arbitrary inequality. His research, writing, and films explore ways we can address the multitude of inequalities that persist in our world. In his 2019 TED talk, he argues that losing privilege could be the best thing for society, our relationships and the planet. However our experiences and research show us that those who have privilege tend to not know they have it.
According to Owen’s TEDxAuckland talk entitled “The Loss of Privilegeâ€, losing privilege could be the best thing for society, our relationships and the planet. However those who have privilege tend to not know they have it.
Peggy McIntosh is an American feminist, anti-racism activist, scholar, speaker, and senior research scientist at the Wellesley Center for Women. She is also the author of ‘White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack’ in which she documents how ignorance of privilege is is taught from an early age: “As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage.†If you acknowledge it, you are accountable. Being oblivious is a privilege within itself.Â
Dr. Owen creates tools to help us embrace losing privilege by rejecting the binary of people who have privilege and people who don’t. He argues that because we are all made up of multiple identity categories, one category (such as age or gender) will hold more privilege compared to another (such as race or sexual orientation).
He goes on to discuss the notion that western society is fuelled by unrealistic ideologies like meritocracy and individualism. We subscribe to an idea that we are all unique and can’t be categorized. And that we have all been offered equal opportunities i.e. our achievements have been procured solely by our own efforts and skill. As Dr. Owen says “These are beautiful ideas in themselves, but when seen through a privilege lens are complete fantasiesâ€. Once we absorb these unrealistic ideologies we deny the reality of those who are less privileged. We can evade accountability.Â
Like Brené Brown, Dr. Owen believes that vulnerability and human connection are key drivers in social justice. Privilege blocks human connection as it creates a barrier that surrounds vulnerability and discourages awareness. By accepting one’s privilege and privilege loss, one has more chance to grow and become aware of other experiences around them. “Lets loose the privilege and gain the connection.â€
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