As a white straight male I have many privileges. I don't necessarily see most of those privileges because they are just a part of my life but I know that they exist. What privileges do you think each demographic has? Male privilege, female privilege, white privilege, black privilege, straight privilege, queer privilege etc. Can you think of three privileges that each group has simply for being part of that group? This isn't intended to provoke any animosity or divide I'm just really curious what three things people would choose for each group, both their own and others because I bet by the end of it the list is pretty long and includes things that most didn't even think of. I'll go first with three privileges I believe I have. I think that in a discussion or argument in the workplace my opinion would probably carry more weight simply because I'm a man. Ironically it really wouldn't at my workplace but I think we are the exception rather than the rule. I have the privilege to largely not have to endure women making sexist comments to me anywhere near as much as a woman does. And this might seem a little unimportant but nobody will ever question my driving simply for being a man.
When you are born in the UK it's free of charge after that it all goes down hill. The rest of our lives we have the privilege of serving the privileged. Issues around race, sex, class, status, sexual orientation, political leanings and religion are all control methods to avoid scrutiny of the actual controllers / privileged overlords. The Nazi playbook was plagiarized, they just added more cruelty and violence. It's been going on for thousands of years. Sad folk haven't woke up to it. Mind if you do, then you are labelled in any case and so the cycle continues.
I am born and bred in Barnsley and support Barnsley No greater privilege. Ps my missus allows me that one. And the ability to breathe.
This is a good, interesting conversation and a subject I too have thought about many a time. Being a white, British male like you I am not actively aware of the privalage I have in my day-to-day life(despite the fact I know they are there). It's the little things, though. Going to the shop when it's dark without being worried about being attacked. Walking past a group of blokes and not having to prepare for the barrage of sexual comments/innuendo that would no doubt come if I was a woman.The advantage over women in many job interviews as there is no way I could get pregnant and disrupt the companies day-to-day operations by having to find and retrain someone to cover maternity leave. None of the above should be an issue, but unfortunately it is. I've also experienced the other side of the coin over the past 10 years since my disability started to win and get the better of me, leading to me being virtually unable to walk and my mental health being completely shagged because of it. Since then, I've realized how much of a "normal" life is totally geared around the fully able-bodied. Things as simple as going on a night out is now totally dependant on the pubs having decent access and somewhere to sit and rest(which makes me feel like an arse who is spoiling stuff for my mates), going shopping is dependant on there being disabled parking available and the spaces being free and even going to the match is dependant on someone being able to assist me. Then I've felt the bad side of employment while disabled. I properly started with the illness about 15 years ago, bit had to change to a job I could do about 12 years ago. At the time, I was still fairly young(mid to late 20's), and because I didn't use a walking stick at the point, if I was sat down or ony had to walk a short distance, I looked fine. In that time I had 5 jobs over 3 years. In all the interviews I was totally honest about my physical state, and told them what I could and could not do. All said it was fine and I got the jobs. Thing is, they all ended abruptly when I was asked to do something physical that I could not do, as they all assumed I wasn't as bad as I was making out. Then there was the mental health side. As much as we have all made great strides in de-signifying mental health, especially in men, the amount of times I've been treated differently the minute I disclosed my issues is beggars belief. From work situations to the dating scene, the minute I've described how my mental health has suffered in the past, interviews and dates have basically come to an abrupt end. I think it just goes to show, no matter what the race, sex, class, or background, we all have both privileges and discrimination in varying degrees. Hopefully, one day anyway, we can get everyone on a level playing field...
Thankyou for being the only person willing to reply with a proper answer instead of being condescending