The words “privileged” and “under-privileged” are terrible words. Alas, our society likes labels. You have to fit into one label or another. And when you look at how people in these labels interact, you can see the friction between them.
There is a view that “privileged” kids are better off and that they are victimized by being called such a label. But the umbrella term should not label everyone. I have a childhood best friend that had a better life than I did, but he learned early to work hard for what he wanted. Even today, he is one of the people I admire most. There are kids that come from families that have to work for what they have and their parents help them out when they need it. The truly “privileged” kids have things handed to them without working for it. However, these kids cannot be considered victims; what are they victims of except for coming from a good economic class?
The word “victim” itself is a bad word. People apply that word to themselves for all sorts of things. You didn't get that grade you wanted? You are a victim of the professor regardless if you worked for that grade. Someone more qualified than you got the job you applied for? You are a victim because of who you are, not of your lack of qualifications. The word is used to persuade people to feel bad for you, not to make a point.
Instead of “privileged” or “under-privileged,” let’s use the terms advantaged and disadvantaged. You have an advantage over others if you have learned the value of working hard for what you have, having parents to help you in times of need, and if things are truly handed to you without your work. You know the struggles of working hard and being stressed out for trying hard, but in the end, you will succeed because you have the advantage of having the right resources.
The disadvantaged will always have to work harder for what they want. They come from families who cannot afford to help their children. They have to work and go to school full time just to pay the bills and put food on the table. They have to decide whether to work more hours so they can pay off that bill they could not afford or go home and sleep so they can stay awake for that big test the next day.
Our society makes it more difficult for those disadvantaged kids to get by. I have been on my own since I was 18 after my mother died. I grew up already knowing the struggle of being without food and having unpaid bills. But at 18, I had to transfer out of college to care for my younger brother. I traded school for a full-time job. And returning to college, which is still the best decision of my life, made life even more difficult. Schooling had to fit the work schedule, someone had to keep my brother in line, and sleep was essentially non-existent until graduation in 2015.
Work and school did not allow for activities on campus, a chance to have a social life or to simply be a college kid. The disadvantaged give up what their peers have in order to simply survive. Even today as a college graduate looking for opportunities in graduate school I recently learned I am at a disadvantage simply because I cannot stop working and focus on school only.
Finally, I am not saying this to say I am a victim because I am certainly not. My experiences have made my accomplishments so much more meaningful to me. Who else can say they went through as much as I did and still graduated college? It turned me into the person I am today; the person who only feels more determined to make things work rather than feel sorry for herself. I simply want to say that the “privileged” kids are not victims. The terms that are used today to describe kids from different classes should not be used. Despite being the advantaged or disadvantaged, can we just demonstrate how hard work can make a difference?
