Saw this meme on Facebook telling me to be aware of my white privilege. I was told I didn’t have to apologize for that, just be aware. And my response was immediately, “I’ve got it like that.” A statement that is 100% unapologetic. I own that. It is a phrase I heard frequently while in the service. Why don’t you have to do this or that? The answer; because I’ve got it like that.

So, how do you get it like that? Well, it comes to you in many different ways. You can earn it, you can be granted that privilege or just simply strong enough to take it. It has nothing to do with being fair, being empathetic, sympathetic or ethical. It is simply that, you’ve got it like that. It’s a good thing, if it is you. It’s that way with any number of things when you think about it.

Remember when you were a small child. Your parents, your siblings or just about anyone older or stronger than you had it like that. You were told, when you grow up or when you’re old enough or when you can do something about it, that would change. And it did change, to varying degrees you got it like that. If I have the money to buy something and you don’t, I’ve got it like that. If I’m very popular but you’re not, I’ve got it like that.

So I’m supposed to be aware of my white privilege. Oh, I am. It is something I was born into, like an inheritance. I was born to white parents living in a majority white country. Yes I’m aware that the majority of our laws, our customs, our sensibilities and culture were developed by white folks. It’s more of a cultural thing, than a color thing, but I’ve got it like that. I’m aware that is changing. Some project that white Americans will be in the minority by 2045, less than two decades from now. Will white privilege disappear when that happens? No, not for a good while after that is my guess.

You know whenever laws and legislation are passed to protect any group of individuals that indicates one thing; they got it like that. Consider the current push concerning pronouns. There is some legislation concerning my “misuse” of those when it comes to certain individuals. They can sue me because, well, they got it like that. Mostly we call that equality, fair treatment and being inclusive. In reality it is the granting of, you’ve got it like that. That’s what the law is all about. Is the law a privilege? It is when you’ve got it like that. Ever notice the only ones complaining are the ones that don’t “have it like that?”