a few non-exhaustive words about privilege

[sophiaserpentia]

A friend pointed me to this list of privilege the other day. Quoting bits which are relevant to frequent discussion in this journal:

privilege is consistently responding to disagreement, criticism, and concerns with condescension and hostility, then accusing the unprivileged of being irrational, inconsistent, duplicitous, guileful, and unappeasable

privilege is feeling entitled to the conformity in behaviours and attitudes of the unprivileged

privilege is not having to be self-conscious and self-critical

privilege is the habit of seeking power and influence over others

the privileged sees power over others as success

privilege is the ability to start, end, and avoid discussion with little consequence

privilege is shelter from direct consequences

privilege is feeling entitled to be better off than others

I want to add a few of my own:

Privilege means not having to wonder, ever, if people around you are regularly putting your needs ahead of theirs.

Privilege means being able to laugh at certain kinds of joke instead of being aware of your inferiority.

Privilege means not having to worry about the effects of your words or actions.

Edit. It was correctly pointed out that this list reflects the automatic assumption or perhaps assertion-by-default of privilege.

Comments

[igferatu.livejournal.com]

Many of the qualities associated with privilege are not inherently bad and the problem is one of inequitable distribution

The ability to distribute or deny access to privilege can be thought of as the underlying privilege which gives rise to all others.

[akaiyume.livejournal.com]

I don't get that myself. I mean, the only way to even think that eliminating privilege would eliminate differences is to actually believe there is one quality in each set of defining elements which really is better than the others and so to be equal everyone would have to possess that quality.

Really, how hard can it be to accept different things as equally valid and worthy of equal respect. Better or worse and terms like that are so situational. With a twist of a variable, perception could change. Maybe privilege is getting to define the variables. And not even realizing that one is doing it.