Iona Winter

It’s been an extraordinary week. I could break that down into an extra, ordinary week, but I won’t. I’ll go with the former. It fits better. Soon, very soon, I’ll have an exciting announcement—but for now, the theme of privilege is what’s foremost in my mind.

A priority this month was to get some more paid work, and I was successful in gaining a part-time job last week. This gives me a privilege over those who don’t have work, or who can’t work. It also means I can write, without worrying about how to pay the bills. Yes, I will have to wait for my first pay, so the tins of beans in the cupboard and my garden will be well utilised. Another privilege. Lots of people don’t have supplies in their cupboards, or the luxury of a garden.

I am privileged to be able to return to my whenua tupuna (the land of my indigenous ancestors). My heart aches for indigenous people in Western/Central Australia who (potentially) will be forced off their ancestral lands. This comes as no surprise, but it saddens me nonetheless. There’s an ulterior motive, of course. GREED. Greed for resources that are on (or in) indigenous ancestral lands. Yeah, nothing new there either. Bottom line, it’s oppressive.

I am privileged to be able to speak my thoughts, and not be killed or imprisoned for doing so. I am privileged, but also I am not. Being a woman, with mixed genealogies, a single parent (who has known poverty and welfare systems), being a survivor of unpleasant experiences, and so on, gives me less privilege. And, we are vulnerable if we have less privilege than others. FACT.

What I’ve spoken about today is not about gathering sympathy, or apportioning blame. Think of this as consciousness-raising. I reckon it’s vitally important to be aware of both our individual and collective privileges, and to speak about it. I invite you dear readers, to have a think about what your privileges are.

Are you of European decent? Are you male? Are you straight? Do you have a full time job? Do you own your own home? Do you have plenty of kai (food) in the cupboards? If you have children, are you a two parent family? Do you own a car? Do you have savings in the bank, or for your retirement? Have you had a life free of violence?

Are you female? Do you have indigenous ancestry? Are you GLBTIQ? Have you received a welfare benefit? Have you experienced sexual or domestic violence? Have you been homeless? Are you a single parent, or do you come from a single parent family? Have you experienced mental health issues? Are you an elderly person who lives alone? Do you struggle to pay the rent? Have you gone without kai (food)? Do you live with a disability?

It’s a long list, but only a starter really.  Today, as much as any other day, I reckon it’s important to think about what privileges I have—rather than those I do not.