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Anyone else think it's all kind of stupid to constantly complain about how "privileged" others are? So what? There will always be winners and losers in life, there will always be those better than you and have better circumstances. It's always been that way and it always will be. Nevermind the fact that if they themselves were the "privileged" ones you certainly wouldn't see them bitching about it.
It's probably no surprise most of those that complain about the privilege of others are almost always all kinds of lazy/stupid themselves and instead of just working with what they have and working towards not being a complete waste on society they constantly complain about how much better others have it.
and as you paint the big broad picture-- then some of the of the privileged are thieves -con artist- abusers- liars and swindlers
The problem isn't privilege. The problem is people born into privilege saying that it's easy to get to that position if others just work hard, meanwhile they were handed everything on a silver platter.
Also those who are living in gutters and using the last of their resources to defend the privileged perspective.
I have a friend (in his 60's) who was born into a "privileged family....meaning lots of money in this case. I like him, he's a good guy, but his life experiences are vastly different than mine. When I hear him complaining about this or that, all I can think of many times is, if this is all you have to complain about, shut the fxxk up and count your blessings!
He truly has no idea how normal middle (or lower) class folks manage to cobble together a life, pay our bills, buy our first house and build a sound financial future for retirement. I mean when you're driving a new Corvette at 16....do I need to explain this situation anymore ? I'm sure many of you can relate to what I'm trying to say.
To my friends defense, you cannot understand experiences you've never had. I cannot imagine how different a person I would be if I had grown up in a well to do family. I'd perhaps be the same way my friend is....but who really knows since that isn't what happened.
The problem isn't privilege. The problem is people born into privilege saying that it's easy to get to that position if others just work hard, meanwhile they were handed everything on a silver platter.
Also those who are living in gutters and using the last of their resources to defend the privileged perspective.
Not everyone gets the same choices, it's not a level playing field where everyone has all the same options and some people make good choices and some people make bad ones. That's what privilege means. Many people get to pick only from bad choices as their only options, or maybe at best they have some marginally decent ones, but not the good ones that people with privilege have.
Life is inherently unfair. Poor people need to make their own breaks.
It is liberal fallacy that they think they can legislate "fairness".
I don't necessarily believe in privilege. There are too many factors at play that could make a person better off than another in some aspect and every person has something going for them in their life that gives them a leg up over another. Many just choose to look at what they don't have and compare that to others and assume that the other person has a privilege that they do not.
We should not assume that just because someone has money that they are more privileged. Having money can be as much a curse as not having it. Some with money are chasing the next material thing they want to buy that they think will bring them happiness. But that happiness fades quickly. Someone who is not wealthy can live a happy and fulfilling life because they have learned to make do with what they have and enjoy things in life that don't cost money.
Some wealthy families don't spend any time with their children. Instead, they allow the nanny to raise the child and never grow that bond that children should have with their parents. Less wealthy families raise their children and many spend a lot of time as a family, because all they have is each other. Parents push their children to grow up to have a better life than the current one. Some of those kids receive scholarships that they earned and go off to be successful. To me this is much better than a wealthy family who pays to send their kids to the top colleges to spend 8 years as a career student because they don't know how to step into the real world.
Privilege is in the eye of the beholder. I am much more thankful for growing up poor than I ever would have been had I grown up wealthy (like my cousin). I worked harder in school, kept a job to help my dad pay our bills, and eventually went to college. My wife did the exact same. We are not wealthy by any means (but much better off than our parents). We have the things we want and need and raise our kids to be thankful for what they have. We also push them to be better than us, so that they may someday be twice as successful as we are.
I don't consider those things privileges, but smart decisions.
Not everyone gets the same choices, it's not a level playing field where everyone has all the same options and some people make good choices and some people make bad ones. That's what privilege means. Many people get to pick only from bad choices as their only options, or maybe at best they have some marginally decent ones, but not the good ones that people with privilege have.
This really doesn't matter. Each person has to find the way to level the playing field for themselves. Every person in existence has unique opportunities to do this if they will pay attention and go after those opportunities.
Everyone has an option to make good or bad choices. There is never a time where the only choices that a person has are bad ones. That mentality holds people back and can cause them to see others as privileged. Constantly making bad choices and having to deal with the consequences makes people bitter. Bitter people will begin to look at others' success as privilege and will drive them deeper into more bad choices. You have to be able to recognize this and break that cycle.
No one gets to only make bad choices. That is not an inherent truth based on ones situation. Sometimes the right choices are the hardest to make, but having the sense to recognize the difference is what separates successful people from the unsuccessful.
One good choice opens the door for opportunities to make more good choices that can eventually lead a person out of poverty and into "privilege". Always taking the easy choice won't get you there. Making a bad choice and then realizing it only to make a better choice next time is key.
Some have to work harder than others but that's ok. Building that kind of mental strength can make that person much more successful. Never looking at another's success in envy but instead focusing on making yourself successful and overcoming the obstacles in your way are traits that people need to be successful.
Why is it bad to be "elitist"? Isn't it just being a winner?
Same thing. The problem isn't being privileged... the problem is being privileged and snobby, braggy, and/or just clueless about what it's like for everyone else.
The only problem I see comes from accumulation of too much wealth within families which manage to dodge taxes. More and more of the world's wealth is becoming too concentrated in just a few.
Wealth is not finite.
There is no "X" amount of wealth for anyone to hoard.
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