I believe privilege is one of the most misunderstood topics in America today. When one brings up the notion of privilege, some people try to argue how they are not privileged or immediately dismiss the topic altogether and refuse to hear anything about it. So, before I get too into what privilege does and does not mean for everyday Americans, I'd like to first give a definition.

Merriam-Webster defines privilege as: "a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor." Now that you know the definition, I want to offer up five points about what privilege does not mean, and five points about what privilege does mean.

What Privilege Does Not Mean

1. Privilege does not mean that you have been handed everything you have.

2. Privilege does not mean that you have never had to work hard for anything in life.

3. Privilege does not mean that you should be sorry or apologize for being white, straight, male or anything in between.

4. Privilege does not mean that you have been able to go through life with little to no worries.

5. Privilege does not mean that you will never be judged or disliked because of your race, gender, or sexual orientation.

What Privilege Does Mean

1. Privilege means that you have never had to worry about not getting the job you want due to your race, gender, sexual orientation.

2. Privilege means that you have never had to work harder to prove yourself just because you're of a certain race, gender, or sexual orientation.

3. Privilege means that you have never had to worry about facing discrimination because of your race, gender, or sexual orientation.

4. Privilege means that you do not have to change the way you walk, talk, and/or act to make yourself appear to belong to a race, gender, or sexual orientation group that does not belong to you.

5. Privilege means that you do not have to worry about being refused service because of your race, gender, or sexual orientation.

Privilege does not mean that your life is easy or that you have never faced hardships. Privilege simply means that there are certain things in your life that you are fortunate to not have to worry about. It's nothing to be sorry or apologize for, and no one is saying you asked for privilege, but it's important to know that it is real and to acknowledge that not everyone has the same opportunities as you. Summing it all up, if you do not have to worry about it, it is a privilege.