The word “privilege” has become synonymous with toxic behaviors, such as described in this article. But is it really true that people with privilege inevitably act this way? This assumption, though, leads to the corollary that people with some identifiable privilege should feel guilt, individually and collectively. One of my sons succumbed to this notion for awhile, feeling guilty for the advantage that his maleness, whiteness, good looks, and education provided him, and he languished as a result. He now recognizes that he has no reason to feel guilty about his “privilege”, and he is still empathetic to the struggles of others.

Yes, there are privileged, self absorbed assholes out there. There’s also unprivileged self absorbed assholes. And narcissists, sociopaths, and all sorts of personality disorders. It’s how many people have learned to cope and survive, and their personalities become an amalgamation of toxic behaviors.

Nonetheless, the practice of creating villains in the hope of promoting social change is counterproductive. It just creates more polarization. Don’t we have enough of that already?