http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/u/dandaman6007/2010/3/18/I-didnt-invent-patriarchy-but - I did not invent patriarchy, sexism, or discrimination, but in some ways I benefit from those systems. I am a 17-year old straight, white, American male. Labels like this, while limiting and sometimes negative, are also very important to understand because of the implications they have. Even though I do not think a person should be immediately judged based on gender, race, sexual orientation, etc, we are not all the same and we are not always treated the same. Some of us naturally have advantages in society simply because of the labels and stereotypes that people have in their minds. As a straight white male, I have some relatively unearned benefits in my life. I was thinking about what this means for how I want to live my life and what I want to see change in the world. Maybe everyone who benefits unfairly from discriminatory systems such as racism and sexism have an ethical responsibility in the world to do something about it in a way that empowers each person.

I did not invent patriarchy, the system of government by males, and the dominance of men in social and cultural systems, but I do benefit from it as a man. When I get a job, it is likely that I will be paid more then my female co-workers, and I will not have to worry about sexual harassment or workplace discrimination. Generally, legislators do not seek to limit what I can choose to do (Stupak, anyone?) but rather they help expand what I can do in society as a man. This is starting to change now, but for a good part of American history laws and traditions were all aimed at empowering men and not women. I benefit from this, and my male ancestors benefited from this.

I also did not invent racism, and I do my best to call out and confront racist behavior and comments that I see in the world, but sometimes I do benefit from being white. I can go shopping alone at an expensive store, and the store workers do not suspect I am going to steal something. I did not grow up in a place where friends were regularly injured or killed in gang violence; partly because I grew up in the white part of town. Young African Americans are more at risk for HIV and STIs than are white youth and one quarter of African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos live below the poverty level. In some ways, I am lucky to be white because the world I live in is set up to protect me from these things. No one person or group is responsible for racism, but it is all of our responsibility to achieve justice. This isn’t just because it is an altruistic thing to do and I want to help everyone who faces more hardship then me, but because I don’t want to live in a world where such injustices exist. It benefits everyone to fight racism, because I am making the world safer and more just for future generations.

Some more examples of how I benefit from being a straight white male…

• Over 200 million worldwide have no access to contraception.
• Stigma against GLBTQ people in the U.S. and the world contributes to discrimination, higher HIV rates, and lack of care.
• Childbearing is the leading cause of death for young women ages 15-19 worldwide.

I do not experience these injustices directly, and I consider myself lucky that as a straight white male I do not have to directly deal with these things if I choose not to. I will never face violence because of homophobia and I will not die from an unsafe abortion in a third world country. I have the resources to access contraception, and I am not at a high risk for HIV.

I don’t directly suffer, and I did not invent the institutions and mindsets that contribute to all these bad things from happening. As a matter of fact, I benefit from those institutions and systems. It is an unearned part of life, and the question I ask myself and ask the greater youth community is "do I have an ethical and moral obligation to change things?" I think the answer is YES. I am part of a generation who is helping to build a new world where we are more equal and where we each are valued as individuals and not by labels like straight, white, American, and male. Even though I benefit from these labels, it is my responsibility to work to change things for the better.