I bring up the topic of privilege because a video I've seen recently made me think a little bit about what it means, who it affects and the ideology behind it. So let me begin by giving a short summary of the video I watched a few days ago:
I was scrolling through my Facebook feed a few days ago and clicked on a video that looked interesting, a "clickbait" situation. Little did I know, this video would make me question some of the things I have learned growing up and open my eyes to the reality we live in. So, this video is live recording of an altercation between a young woman and a man who was a part of a military branch (which one was not specified). Both were in line at a fast-food restaurant when the gentleman was ordering, he politely asked the cashier if they had a military discount. What happened next is what shocked me the most. The woman in line began verbally attacking this soldier. She was saying things like "you're so rude," "you're offending me," and then the one thing she said that has stuck with me was "you think you're so privileged." The gentleman then, defending himself, says "I'm privileged? NO. You're privileged. Being privileged is being able to see your family during the holidays and being able to sleep in your own bed at night. Some people give up their privileges and fight so people like you can have them." This woman does give up her fight and ends up leaving. What was remarkable to me was that this soldier actually APOLOGIZES for offending anyone. A witness then offered to pay for his whole meal, but the manager of the restaurant ended up giving him his food for free.
Alrighty, I'm sure you all can see why this video made me think. Lately, I've been thinking about how privileged I and how many other people are. I've been thinking about how people sacrifice their freedom and their privileges in order for us to have ours. I was beyond happy when this soldier defended himself. I know people have opposing views on the military, but even if you do... you can't deny the fact that those men and women are fighting for you and your ability to have privileges in your lifetime. If you want to say "no," fine... however, you can't deny that what they're doing won't impact the lives of your grandkids and future generations.
I feel like we sometimes don't give our troops enough credit. I also feel like some people have the nerve to disrespect them after all they've done for us. Why are we fighting with those brave enough to fight for us?? I couldn't imagine doing what they're doing... seeing the stuff that they do. We only have the right to treat them with such disrespect because they fought for that right for us to do so.
Come on, people. Don't take your privileges for granted. Don't abuse your rights.
The next time you see a soldier, thank them for their service. Quite frankly, if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have the freedom we do.
