Reflections on my Privilege as a Human

When taking inventory of my dominant and subordinated identities, I can see that I'm disadvantaged in quite a few areas. I'm not a cis person. I have a mental illness. My age automatically disqualifies anything I say in the minds of many people.

However, I can also see that I hold significant privilege. I'm white. I'm able-bodied. I was born a citizen in my country of residence. I grew up in a middle-class family, and I have a college education.

We can all do this "taking stock," and the vast majority of us have at least some subordinated identities and some dominant identities. And if you're reading this, chances are you hold species-based privilege, too.

WHAT?!? Species-based privilege? I'm joking, right?

No, I'm not. It's a thing, and if you're a human, you have it. Now, before you decide to give up on this article, I want you to answer a quick question:

Can anyone else legally own you under the law?

Chances are, the answer is no. While some humans owning other humans unfortunately still happens, it isn't legal anymore. Governments do not protect the "right" of one human to own another human, and there are consequences for it.

That kind of protection is exclusive to us as humans. The nonhuman animals who are members of our society don't have that kind of protection. If I have a dog, I can decide whether or not she has babies. I can sell those babies for a profit, regardless of what my dog thinks. In the eyes of the law, she is my property, no different from the chair I'm sitting on. And through this, we can begin to see the immense privilege that we, as humans, hold in our society.

In the case of many species, such as cows, or mice, or chickens, or fish, or even wild bears, we as humans are given the legal authority to decide they should die. That mouse is raiding your pantry? Kill him. You like the way dead cows taste? Cool. That'll be $2.99 at the next window, please. Think fishing is a good way to bond with your son? Great. Your enjoyment matters more than her life, right?

This isn't meant to make anyone feel guilty, so please don't do the thing every straight white dude does when the word privilege is mentioned. Of course you're disadvantaged in some ways in society. Some of us may be disadvantaged in nearly every way thinkable. But if we are human, we hold incredible amounts of privilege over other animals. There's no need to get defensive. Just reflect on your privilege, and decide what you're going to do with it to make the world a more just place. Below is a reflection on just a few of the many advantages that I hold as a human.

I will never be paraded around and assigned a monetary value for the size of my body, or my weight, or how shiny my hair is.
I will never be locked in a small enclosure for the viewing or "education" of others. I will not be beaten into perform tricks against my will for someone's entertainment.
If I am killed, I can be reasonably certain that no one will sell my body parts for a profit.
If I am killed, I can be reasonably certain that someone will care, and that there will at least be an attempt to bring my killer to justice.
My skin will never be used to make someone's shoes, or cover their chair, or keep them warm in the winter.
I cannot be "bred." I am allowed to choose whether or not I have children, and who I want to have those children with. No one is allowed to take over my reproductive system for economic gain.
I can be reasonably certain that my home will not be destroyed to build a mall, or a parking lot, or simply because it is seen as a nuisance.
I can be reasonably certain that the government will not authorize the killing of me and my family because there are too many of us, or we are in the way of "development."
I have a say in government policies that affect me.
No one is allowed to conduct dangerous or painful experiments on me without my consent--even if those experiments have the potential to benefit millions of other human beings.
For all the times I have been called the wrong pronouns, no one has ever referred to me as "it." And if someone did, I imagine that it wouldn't be accepted as perfectly normal.
If I am being held in a cage against my will and someone frees me from that cage, my captor--not my rescuer--is the one who will be punished.
My value as an individual is not based on the way I taste, or how much I weigh, or how much money I am able to make for my "owner."
I have no "owner." No one can claim that I am their property. No one can sell me or use my body for economic gain.