An honest conversation about “Privilege”

Before delving straight into the topic, let me preface this by saying that we are all privileged in one way or the other—we all have certain aces—certain trump cards up our sleeves, but some people, mayhaps, might have more aces than our decks could even fathom.

There’s a common trend I’ve noticed—people from business families, and a tier above middle class/upper-middle class tend to perform extraordinarily better than groups from any socio-economic background—it’s a bit strange to me.

The primary observation & epiphany which I made was regarding how holistic these folks development is—personality, achievements (personal & professional), and the kind of college they end up in.

This is even more prevalent in “newer-age” & “progressive” schools like Pathways (Delhi), JPIS (Jaipur + kind of like the holy grail for prep school in India) and similar institutions.

I can’t properly frame my thoughts, but what I’ve noticed is, that the kind of students who study in these institutions + come from a “richer” socio-economic background somehow end up doing well—by one way or the other—Indian Admissions & Foreign alike.

Now my dilemma is, whether I’ve been a victim of confirmation bias—focusing & obsessing over the examples of a few, while disregarding the folks who challenge my viewpoint.

But dude, seriously, every “achiever” or “prodigy” whom I know of, other than the JEE/NEET/CLAT/CUET (competitive exam crowd), they all belong to the same economic strata.

Be it a teen influencer, “founder”, or whatnot, it seems to me that the (more) privileged hog up all the opportunities because of the circles they are in—it’s a small world at the top, no?

I’ve actually personally benefited from this phenomenon. Let me tell you how.

I have a friend, she’s super-duper rich, and the amount of help she’s provided me for Dublieu is unfathomable—Dublieu wouldn’t be anywhere close to where we are if not for her. Trust me, it was not just because of the connections her parents had (to big, big time politicians, CMs, etc), but the way she sort of viewed things from such a refined and polished lens.

Maybe her case is unique as she’s genuinely very smart and one of the most kind-hearted & selfless people I’ve ever come across, but I don’t feel comfortable entirely disregarding this observation of mine.

I’ve yet to see a middle-class person excel in these ways as most opportunities are just behind a paywall—be it even a “tuchi-si” opportunity like an MUN, or the expensive debates & ECAs which companies like ‘The Big Red Group’ and ‘Crimson Education’, and etc provide.

Fun fact, I’ve only done 1 MUN conference in my life, and that was primarily because of the financials involved. The costs go way beyond what they look like at first glance—the registration fee—they include facts like conveyance (commute), clothes & accessories, and much more. I felt so guilt after doing my first MUN because it made no sense spending that much money.

My mother is a Delhi University professor and we rely on a single household income (my parents are separated & father doesn’t financially support), so how the fuck can I afford to be a part of this circus and grow at the speed at which these people grow at?

P.S. I understand that this seems like a cry-for-pity or that I’m trying to come across as a victim. Trust me, I’m not. I know I’m very privileged as well, much more than most people.

P.S.S. I have so much to say regarding this topics—so many pointers & sub-topics I want to cover, but posting it online might not result in being the best decision for me later on in life, tbvh.