How To Measure Your Privilege And What To Do With It

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

In the last decade, social media has taken over our lives and the word privilege became popular. Today it’s used often to showcase people’s position in society.

It seems like everything is about privilege, and the more privilege you have, the more opportunities you can access. This is true. I know that because I am adopted.

I was a mixed-race abandoned child (in Brazil) adopted by two white parents that gave me everything they could and still give me a lot every single day even from a distance. I am privileged.

But, my problem with “overusing the word privilege” is that everything I did to be where I am today can be erased because of the fact I was adopted by two white parents.

I was always a good student, my dream was to speak English fluently, I got accepted in the best Brazilian University, USP, I write so much that I get inflammation in my wrists from time to time. I worked hard to be a full-time writer in the UK, but again… none of this would happen if:

1. My parents couldn’t afford to send me to Canada to be able to learn English properly.
2. My mother wasn’t an Italian Citizen and gave me an Italian passport to be able to work and live in the UK legally.