An opinion article from "TIME" magazine, titled “Why I’ll Never Apologize for My White Male Privilege”, came through my newsfeed this past week. The article is from May 2014, and someone was sharing it to argue that privilege is not really a thing that exists, that privilege has little impact on the experiences of certain individuals, and that recipients of the white, cis-gendered, straight, middle-class, able-bodied male privilege have no reason to attribute at least some of their success to the system that has formed because of history.

Well, here’s the thing about privilege that deniers don't recognize: Nobody wants you to apologize for the privilege that you were born with. Anyone who tells you to “check your privilege” is not saying it so you apologize. The people saying this want you to see that your experience on this planet has been far different from those that come from different circumstances. They only want you to recognize that maybe you’ve gotten some form of help because of the circumstances into which you were born. They want you to see that there's a system that's supporting some while suppressing others, and even if you have nothing to do with the formation of this system, you still benefit from it.

As a white, cis-gendered, middle-class, able-bodied male, I recognize that privilege has helped me in many experiences throughout my life, and many others have struggled a lot more to get to the same achievement level as myself because of their lack of privilege. I'm not often faced with the phrase “check your privilege”, but I can say that if I do ever hear it, I will not apologize for the privilege I have been given. I know this isn't their reasoning for calling me out, and they're just honestly trying to get me to see a situation from their own perspective, rather than just my own.

So the next time you hear about privilege or someone tells you to “check your privilege,” don’t freak out and make yourself the victim. Instead, think about why they might be saying this. Is the reason you're at a decent college because of high academic achievement in high school, allowing yo a scholarship to fund an education you otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford, or is it because you were born into a wealthy family who can fund your education, anyway? Would your car have been searched more when you were pulled over by the police if you weren't white? Do you have a higher salary than others in your field because you're higher achieving, or because you're a white male? Take the time to realize what privilege you have rather than freaking out and refusing to apologize, because that's what nobody expects.