The other day, I succumbed to reading through some of the comments posted on a few of my more controversial articles. Immediately, I thought to myself, this was a terrible idea. People are incredibly opinionated, and when those opinions are challenged, it seems that it's only natural to express thoughts in a very aggressive and hateful manner.
As I continued to read, I noticed a common thread throughout the posts — the notion that I am an uneducated, privileged white girl. Contrary to what I'm sure those posting these words intended, this type of comment does not hurt my feelings. It does, however, motivate me to stand up for myself and other "uneducated" and "privileged white girls."
First of all, I would like to point out, that being uneducated and privileged contradict each other a bit. If I was supposedly so "privileged" growing up, wouldn't an education go hand-in-hand with that type of upbringing?
Regardless of the financial stability of my parents or social class I grew up in, I worked incredibly hard throughout my years in public schooling and will be completing my bachelor's degree a year early. I am a very educated young woman. I graduated with high honors from my high school and have been on the Dean's List since my first semester in college: none of which have anything to do with my social class, but my work ethic. I work very hard to form my opinions based on education.
I'd also like to bring to attention that 99.9 percent of the comments left on my posts are laced with profanity. Instead of forming a sentence with strong vocabulary, I guess my opposer's points were better conveyed through cursing. Profanity is considered by the highest scholars as "words of the uneducated." And with that, my first point has been made.
I was lucky enough to grow up in a home where I watched my parents leave for work every morning at 7 a.m., and come home at 7 p.m. I was brought up in a home that taught me that with hard work comes reward. My parents both have provided more than enough to keep our family afloat. That being said, my parents weren't handed their salaries on a silver platter. They weren't born into money, they don't rely on anyone but themselves and they weren't handed their jobs because of a last name or high stature in the community. My parents started from the bottom and worked hard to give me a "privileged" life. They put money away from the day I started elementary school to provide me a college education and they taught me to respect the efforts they put in to provide a chance for opportunity.
If that is what being a "privileged white girl" means, then please, type those words in every comment. Since when does being taught responsibility and obtaining a strong work ethic to provide financial stability for my family act as grounds for an insult? I'm not insulted by these words. I am proud of them because I am proud to have a family that taught me to work hard and to earn every dollar I make. Nothing has been handed to me. I worked every day to get into a good college, I work hard for my paycheck, and I work to gain the respect of my peers as a strong and independent individual.
I am a very educated young woman. And I grew up a "privileged white girl" because my parents have killed themselves for almost 21 years to make sure I learned to work so that my children would, too, grow up privileged.
I am proud of myself and my upbringing. I am proud of my education and the parents who allowed me to receive one. I am also proud of my opinions and will continue to voice them regardless of those who oppose me or those who believe I have no right to form them.
