To Mr. Tal Fortgang

I don't consider myself a blogger or whatever but since Mr. Tal Fortgang's essay has shown up on my feed multiple times, i felt a bit compelled to write an open letter.



Mr. Tal Fortgang,


I have to say first i agree that "Check your privilege." is a trite phrase and should not be used to try to stifle discussion or debate.


I also absolutely agree that you should feel no personal responsibility for slavery, lynchings, internment camps, etc. and that you should not be expected to apologize for any of those things.


I most definitely agree that people should not judge other people solely on physical appearance and that it is the content of their character that matters most.


I will also agree that a good work ethic and self-discipline are key to success.


There are some things that i would like some clarification on since i think there are some privileges you may not have been aware of having.


Have you ever had the privilege of not being asked to "Go back to wherever you came from?" or questioned about whether you're a "real American"?


I also would be curious if you have the privilege of not being illegally detained and frisked on suspicion of shoplifting if you  happened to decide to not buy anything from a store:

http://nypost.com/2013/02/17/forest-whitaker-claims-he-was-falsely-accused-of-shoplifting-frisked-at-manhattan-deli/


I honestly don't know if you wear a yarmulke or if you've ever appeared in court, but if you do, i'm fairly certain the judge wouldn't tell you to remove "that rag" off your head like what happened to Mr. Jageet Singh, a Sikh in Mississippi:

http://www.businessinsider.com/judge-ejects-sikh-jageet-singh-from-court-for-his-turban-2013-9


I also hope that in the event that if you ever have a medical alert device and it inadvertently triggers in your own home, you also have the privilege of not being being hit with beanbags, tasered, then shot and killed by police officers like Mr. Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr. :

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/09/marine-new-york-police-kenneth-chamberlain

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/03/justice/new-york-chamberlain-death/

I hope i didn't come off as being too sarcastic in my past few statements but i sincerely want to emphasize that although the days of lynching parties and other such deplorable things are thankfully over, there is still progress to be made in the realm of human dignity and human rights.  I think that perhaps the first step is free and open communication and discussion and rational discourse with a bit of empathy and compassion.