Secular Privilege: Deconstructing the Invisible Rose‐Tinted Sunglasses

Abstract

To facilitate movement toward a more equitable society, this paper explores the construct of secular privilege. In keeping with a critical perspective, power differentials are examined and illustrated in the nation's most influential medium for constructing public discourse—broadcast programming. Given the pervasiveness and invisibility of secular privilege, representative privileges are delineated. A subsample of these are deconstructed to provide insight into the benefits secular people typically enjoy and strategies are offered to help decenter the dominant narrative. Resistance will likely be encountered from those who are granted power by the current social structure, but productive change is possible since many secular people are committed to creating a more democratically representative society.

Keywords:

• privilege
• diversity
• oppression
• discrimination
• spirituality