bravura and privilege

What was percolating yesterday in my post was something I know, but most of the time I get to ignore. It's that I get a lot of props for a sort of bravura that is real, but that is fueled by, that works through, mostly by various kinds of privilege that I have, and that won't always be there and that won't always work and that are a result of luck or arbitrary conditions, not things under my control. It is not that I was angry at that specific bus driver. And it is not that we shouldn't speak up or resist power and authority and social injustice whenever we see it, in a big or a small situation. It is that those tools I used Don't Work unless you are me. (I take credit for all the bits of what I do that are awesome, also. I could be me and still not have the will to resist or the knowledge of how to.) When they stop working for me (and I can think of many reasons why a bunch of those tools will stop working) I may not have the political tools, the political organization, that's necessary to fight. So I need to look to that and think harder about what I should be doing and how I should be living my life. Feedback on this thought is welcome.

polite snappy answer

This worked well today. Lady on bus, asking me really loudly, "What's wrong with your legs?".

I smiled and answered equally loudly, "If only it were that simple!"

"What?"

"I said, if only there were a good answer to that question!"

She was extremely confused and began to ramble about skiing.

Moomin developed a huge smirk. When we got off the bus he went "Mom you totally owned her!"

It was satisfying, not obviously rude, and saved me from having to say "I would prefer not to explain all my medical history to some stranger on the bus."