Tag: global

043b – checking your privilege & other confusing phrases 

Over the last few months, I’ve felt an increased responsibility towards giving back to the society. This came through a variety of sources, the primary being a book called “All about Love” by Bell Hooks, where she talks about how the western society doesn’t believe in wealth sharing, etc. (She said it better, I don’t remember the whole thing). 

It’s also come up in discussions between friends, discussions related to privilege and what it really means to “check your privilege”. We don’t really understand this phrase, but our hunch is it means to be aware of your privilege. And I think, fortunately, most people around me are somewhat aware of it. 

It also came up because I recently decided to take a break from work and do nothing. Which, as a friend pointed out to me (though I already knew this), is something very few people can afford to do.

A couple years ago, I’d discovered this beautiful tool: https://howrichami.givingwhatwecan.org/ — you can basically input your annual income and it tells you how rich you are, globally. It’s really impressive, clean and concise.

I’m currently unemployed, but while I was earning, I was basically in the top 3%, globally. (And 1% when I was in the US). So, yeah, privilege. Anyway, now that I finally had some mental bandwidth, I signed a pledge!

Of course, a discussion about privilege would be remiss without me mentioning the areas I’m not privileged in: I’m a woman of colour, I’m queer (now living in India), and I have an anxiety disorder (GAD).

However, here’s the crazy part: I’ve found that it’s easier to accept these things (ie what’s not good) when you accept what is good. And it’s easier to accept how privileged you are when you’re not feeling guilty about it.

So, the simplest way to accept your wealth privilege? See how significant it is. And if that clarity calls you to do something about it, that’d be awesome. If and when you do donate, feel free to be happy and vocal about it. I firmly believe that the whole “donations shouldn’t be talked about or should be more under the radar” school of thought is not necessarily helpful. If being vocal about sharing your wealth makes you more likely to share it, I think that’s okay. 

Share your fortune, folks! Spread the love.

038a – food as a language

Our conversation at work often revolves around food. I think this was true back in San Francisco too but I wasn’t as present during that time period when I was really getting to know my colleagues over lunch. But here it’s been better (from my end). I feel present, I’ve also gained a better understanding and view of dishes and cuisines from around the world so I suppose I feel a bit more confident and at ease participating in these conversations.

Today was another such day. And it got me thinking about how food is such an amazing medium to get to know someone and their culture. Sometimes I still can’t believe how for the first 20-something years of my life I didn’t have a good appreciation for food. Of course, I liked some food items a lot and didn’t like certain things, I wasn’t without my preferences. But I never thought about the what’s and the why’s. And definitely never really stopped to appreciate how delicious and sensually fulfilling food can be.

My ex-boyfriend was a true foodie (before it was “cool”), and I can never really fully articulate how glad I am for this aspect of him (among others too).

This introductory food appreciation stint was followed by me moving out of India, and that was definitely much different. Little did I know how the pastas and pizzas I was so used to eating back in India were so different from what you got in New York, or San Francisco, which themselves were so different from what you’d get in Italy. Of course, there’s still so much I haven’t tried but I’m more open now, more curious about it. Because I’m also seeing the benefits.

One aspect of food discourse that I enjoy is seeing how certain ingredients are common across various cultures (and not just geographically adjacent ones), and I’d be really interested to learn more about how geography and climate play a role into this as well.

But one thing I think I only fully realised today is that while I’ve often seen really well-produced food shows or videos by really talented people on the internet which are super-duper informative and enlightening.. it’s nothing compared to how much you learn (and retain) when you actually share a physical space with someone.

Or maybe someone talking to me in detail about food preferences is just intimate to me. And maybe it’s got nothing to do with cultural expansion and everything to do simply with — feeling seen.