The Privilege of Positivity

From The Privilege of Positivity by John Pavlovitz

If being positive, means to not call out abject racism,
if it means, not to advocate for migrant families in cages,
if it means, to silently ignore human rights atrocities,
if it means, allowing my LGBTQ friends to have their rights eroded,
if it means, to make peace with bigotry in the highest levels of our Government...
if it means, to avoid unpleasant conversations about the things that burden my heart because they make other people uncomfortable—then I guess I won’t be positive today.

Being positive is a privilege.

If you are living a life where you will post nothing but kitten videos and photos of your food on social media to that you don't have to have anything "negative" in your life these days, you are privileged. If you aren't having to worry about coming home to find our spouse gone - deported - or an eviction notice that you know is because your landlord found out you're gay, if you have never had to worry that your son, husband or brother will die in police custody or during a traffic stop, if no creditors are calling you, if you haven't spent hours on the phone and in offices fighting for access to health care, you are privileged.

I am privileged in a million ways. But I'm still thinking about, and talking about, kids in cages. Oh, and yes, those ARE concentration camps - every reference to the Nazi camps BEFORE the world knew they were death camps is "concentration camps." They are referenced in Casablanca and joked about in To Be Or Not To Be - two movies made before the world realized they were so much more than just concentration camps.

Wonder what we're going to realize as time goes on and the truth emerges...

I'm not saying post the kitten videos. I like the kitten videos. But if you get to take a break and "stay positive", at least recognize your privilege.