If everything is a privilege, the term loses it’s meaning. It just becomes a source of guilt rather than a recognition of social deficiency.
When I see the term used effectively, it is describing social conditions not biological conditions.
You’re privileged to have an access to low interest credit that lets you buy a house, not the house itself. A country like South Africa or Cuba or France with universal credit (or better yet, universal housing) doesn’t have this special privilege afforded to a subset of homeowners.
You’re privileged to live in a neighborhood that caters to people with good vision (car culture, lots of signage for navigation, etc). A country like Japan or Russia, with urban infrastructure dedicated to alternative navigation, isn’t specially privileged for the sightless.
Privilege was always supposed to mean “things you have that not everyone does”. That includes everything from titles to housing to eyes
Privilege is what we actually have (or don’t have) instead of actually having “rights” or “freedoms.”
If everything is a privilege, the term loses it’s meaning. It just becomes a source of guilt rather than a recognition of social deficiency.
When I see the term used effectively, it is describing social conditions not biological conditions.
You’re privileged to have an access to low interest credit that lets you buy a house, not the house itself. A country like South Africa or Cuba or France with universal credit (or better yet, universal housing) doesn’t have this special privilege afforded to a subset of homeowners.
You’re privileged to live in a neighborhood that caters to people with good vision (car culture, lots of signage for navigation, etc). A country like Japan or Russia, with urban infrastructure dedicated to alternative navigation, isn’t specially privileged for the sightless.
It’s literally a tool for self reflection and for becoming aware of biases others may lack.