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What are your thoughts on "Privilege"?

TreyAllDay

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My girlfriends coworkers were watching this video the other day, talking about how GREAT of a demonstration it is that some people are just "better off" than others.

I'm curious how some of you view the idea of "privilege"
 
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JAJT

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People absolutely start off with different advantages and disadvantages in life.
That's not even a debate.
It's just fact.

Some are poor, some are minorities, some have alcoholic parents, some have parents that will disown them if they don't follow a set path, some are homeless, some are born into wealthy families, some win lotteries, some have their parents steal from them - and a million other things.

I don't consider any of this to be a valid reason why you "can't" excel in life.
It's called playing the hand you are dealt.

Now, those advantages and disadvantages have HUGE impacts if you set life to auto-pilot (as most do). I don't care if you are rich or poor, majority or minority - if you set your life on autopilot you don't have much of a leg to stand on when it comes to the excuse game.

Everyone is given 24 hours in a day and free will.
That's more than enough for a dedicated individual trying to improve their life.
 

Almantas

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People absolutely start off with different advantages and disadvantages in life.
That's not even a debate.
It's just fact.

Some are poor, some are minorities, some have alcoholic parents, some have parents that will disown them if they don't follow a set path, some are homeless, some are born into wealthy families, some win lotteries, some have their parents steal from them - and a million other things.

I don't consider any of this to be a valid reason why you "can't" excel in life.
It's called playing the hand you are dealt.

Now, those advantages and disadvantages have HUGE impacts if you set life to auto-pilot (as most do). I don't care if you are rich or poor, majority or minority - if you set your life on autopilot you don't have much of a leg to stand on when it comes to the excuse game.

Everyone is given 24 hours in a day and free will.
That's more than enough for a dedicated individual trying to improve their life.

Case closed. Amen.
 
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jon.a

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Well said.

People absolutely start off with different advantages and disadvantages in life.
That's not even a debate.
It's just fact.

Some are poor, some are minorities, some have alcoholic parents, some have parents that will disown them if they don't follow a set path, some are homeless, some are born into wealthy families, some win lotteries, some have their parents steal from them - and a million other things.

I don't consider any of this to be a valid reason why you "can't" excel in life.
It's called playing the hand you are dealt.

Now, those advantages and disadvantages have HUGE impacts if you set life to auto-pilot (as most do). I don't care if you are rich or poor, majority or minority - if you set your life on autopilot you don't have much of a leg to stand on when it comes to the excuse game.

Everyone is given 24 hours in a day and free will.
That's more than enough for a dedicated individual trying to improve their life.
 

AgainstAllOdds

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My parents are Polish. They grew up in communism, and saved up for years so that they could buy a plane ticket to America with $100 and a suitcase. Once they got here, they were relegated to the worst jobs - factory work and cleaning while Americans made fun of them cracking Polish jokes and calling them dumb dirty polacks.

My grandparents survived a literal genocide. Around 6 Million of their fellow countrymen - friends, family, and the like - were killed.

My great grandparents lived in occupied territory where education was discouraged. The intellectuals were killed off, and those that weren't had to live in hiding in France, London, wherever they could be accepted.

Growing up, my mom would feed us sandwiches with honey because we couldn't afford much. My clothes and toys came as hand me downs from families for whom my mom worked as a cleaning lady.

You could say that I came from a disprivileged background.

... but not once. Not once did my parents give me any excuses. Not once did they tell me that I couldn't amount to something. Not once did they say that they were "underprivileged" and that the system was stacked against them.

Instead, they put their head down, worked hard, and came into a very comfortable middle class life.

If I were to tell my parents that I can't amount to something because I'm "disprivileged", then they'd probably tell me to shut the F*ck up and to get to work.

All of us are handed different cards in life. Some better than others. But end of the day, those are your cards and you have to play them. If on the other hand you put the cards down and start complaining, then you've lost before the game even began. And if you get great cards and burn them, then you're a F*cking idiot for not winning as many chips as you can and handing them out to those in need.
 

SteveO

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Okay. I was poor growing up. My mom was on welfare, dad was gone. The only money I had was from shit jobs. Cleaning horse stables was a shit job. Delivering papers at 4:00 am was a shit job.

I chose not to be a victim. Pleasure did not come from what my parents gave me. My siblings and I found our own ways to be happy. All of us have been successful in our own ways.

I got my first apartment on $1.85 per hour plus some overtime. There was no way to pay for a car repair, dining out, movies, cable tv on the wages. I paid my rent on time, worked hard, and fixed my own car.

There was no help from the outside.

Life was fun though. We did things that did not take a lot of money like picnics, bbq's, hikes in the mountains, lots of parties, etc.

I would have been one of the under privileged that did not graduate high school.

If there were people that had a head start on me.... I did not see or care about them. The focus was on what needed to be done.

There is free education if you are a minority should you chose this path. You may start out steps behind but don't need to stay there. Hard work and perseverance will carry you forward in most cases.

Victimhood is the real disadvantage.
 

Almantas

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My parents are Polish. They grew up in communism, and saved up for years so that they could buy a plane ticket to America with $100 and a suitcase. Once they got here, they were relegated to the worst jobs - factory work and cleaning while Americans made fun of them cracking Polish jokes and calling them dumb dirty polacks.

My grandparents survived a literal genocide. Around 6 Million of their fellow countrymen - friends, family, and the like - were killed.

My great grandparents lived in occupied territory where education was discouraged. The intellectuals were killed off, and those that weren't had to live in hiding in France, London, wherever they could be accepted.

Growing up, my mom would feed us sandwiches with honey because we couldn't afford much. My clothes and toys came as hand me downs from families for whom my mom worked as a cleaning lady.

You could say that I came from a disprivileged background.

... but not once. Not once did my parents give me any excuses. Not once did they tell me that I couldn't amount to something. Not once did they say that they were "underprivileged" and that the system was stacked against them.

Instead, they put their head down, worked hard, and came into a very comfortable middle class life.

If I were to tell my parents that I can't amount to something because I'm "disprivileged", then they'd probably tell me to shut the F*ck up and to get to work.

All of us are handed different cards in life. Some better than others. But end of the day, those are your cards and you have to play them. If on the other hand you put the cards down and start complaining, then you've lost before the game even began. And if you get great cards and burn them, then you're a F*cking idiot for not winning as many chips as you can and handing them out to those in need.

Thanks for your honesty and transparency.

I'm Lithuanian - so we can pretty much relate to each other.

I was a flower growing in a very rough patch.

I was raised by a single mother who has been hustling all her life so I can have a full belly and stuff to wear.

We couldn't afford kindergarten fees and I was growing up alone. Locked up in a 2 bedroom apartment by myself, waiting when my mother comes back from work. It was pretty much a jail sentence. Did I feel underprivileged? Hell no! I was glad I had a mother who always kissed me before I jump into a warm, clean bed...I knew there're kids who have no mothers and live on the streets - I knew them very personally.

From the very young age I realised that you don't need money to feel privileged and have good manners.
 
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TreyAllDay

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Okay. I was poor growing up. My mom was on welfare, dad was gone. The only money I had was from shit jobs. Cleaning horse stables was a shit job. Delivering papers at 4:00 am was a shit job.

I chose not to be a victim. Pleasure did not come from what my parents gave me. My siblings and I found our own ways to be happy. All of us have been successful in our own ways.

I got my first apartment on $1.85 per hour plus some overtime. There was no way to pay for a car repair, dining out, movies, cable tv on the wages. I paid my rent on time, worked hard, and fixed my own car.

There was no help from the outside.

Life was fun though. We did things that did not take a lot of money like picnics, bbq's, hikes in the mountains, lots of parties, etc.

I would have been one of the under privileged that did not graduate high school.

If there were people that had a head start on me.... I did not see or care about them. The focus was on what needed to be done.

There is free education if you are a minority should you chose this path. You may start out steps behind but don't need to stay there. Hard work and perseverance will carry you forward in most cases.

Victimhood is the real disadvantage.

Love this! I agree that in some ways, being "privileged" can almost be a disadvantage, you work less and you have less contrast for when times are good.
 
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TreyAllDay

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This won't end well.

Lol I know, I had an idea posting this but I love hearing fastlaners thoughts on the subject.
 

Almantas

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Sorry for spamming, but I'll squeeze another line that may open some 'underprivileged' minds:

Everything can be taken from you, but one thing - to choose your attitude in any set of circumstances.
 

jon.a

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I refuse to let some a**hole make me feel bad for being a 61 y/o, married, educated, semi-retired white guy.
 
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Almantas

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I refuse to let some a**hole make me feel bad for being a 61 y/o, married, educated, semi-retired white guy.

I refuse to let some a**hole make me feel bad for being a 25 y/o, but looking like 35. Lol.
 

SteveO

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Deleted50669

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Though I think enough has already been said here, I will add that having been born into a welfare family, I no longer look at it as having been disadvantaged. There are some benefits to having been born on the wrong side of the tracks. It’s harder to scare me. When you grow up in a shit situation, you build the resilience muscle early. You don’t take as many things for granted once you are successful. You appreciate success more. The list goes on.

There are two sides to every coin. Those born wealthy struggle to muster the innate drive to succeed in many cases. They are already in maintenance mode. It’s dangerous to not have a purpose, or vision for something higher than where you’re at. Of course, that conversation tracks into the meaning of life, and my thumb would cramp going down that rabbit hole.

Anyway, cool thread.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Xavier X

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JAJT already hit the nail on the head, but just adding my ditto.

There's no doubt that the different circumstances we grow up in will significantly affect the road to our outcomes.

Two people are handed seeds, and one is given fertile land to grow his, while the other gets a concrete pavement.
Of course, their path to germination will be vastly different.

The guy with the concrete pavement might have to figure a way obtain some soil and grow his plant in a pot.
Or borrow a drill to break the concrete.

No doubt, a lot more of an uphill battle, but for the determined, it can be done in the long run.
 
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TreyAllDay

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There are two sides to every coin. Those born wealthy struggle to muster the innate drive to succeed in many cases. They are already in maintenance mode. It’s dangerous to not have a purpose, or vision for something higher than where you’re at.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes I think this is VERY important and something a lot of people forget. You need the contrast of bad times (so to speak) for good, and it's what gives you drive. In high school I used to be resentful that my parents didn't buy me a nice car like many of my friends had, or pay for university, or take me on vacation, or whatever. But now, I think it gave me an advantage.
 

Harbourmaster

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Unless you have a crippling mental or physical illness or live in a dictatorship, there is always work you can do towards creating the life you want to live.

There are always some people starting out ahead of you, and some people starting off in what appears to be a worse situation than you. I find the ones that have to travel farther along their journey to success way more interesting and inspiring.
 

G-Man

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Privilege is a concept invented by people so stupid they had to go to grad school to figure out that life isn't fair.

Also, reps to @JAJT @AgainstAllOdds @SteveO ... and @jon.a , even though he's not entitled
 
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Captain Jack

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My parents are Polish. They grew up in communism, and saved up for years so that they could buy a plane ticket to America with $100 and a suitcase. Once they got here, they were relegated to the worst jobs - factory work and cleaning while Americans made fun of them cracking Polish jokes and calling them dumb dirty polacks.

My grandparents survived a literal genocide. Around 6 Million of their fellow countrymen - friends, family, and the like - were killed.

My great grandparents lived in occupied territory where education was discouraged. The intellectuals were killed off, and those that weren't had to live in hiding in France, London, wherever they could be accepted.

Growing up, my mom would feed us sandwiches with honey because we couldn't afford much. My clothes and toys came as hand me downs from families for whom my mom worked as a cleaning lady.

You could say that I came from a disprivileged background.

... but not once. Not once did my parents give me any excuses. Not once did they tell me that I couldn't amount to something. Not once did they say that they were "underprivileged" and that the system was stacked against them.

Instead, they put their head down, worked hard, and came into a very comfortable middle class life.

If I were to tell my parents that I can't amount to something because I'm "disprivileged", then they'd probably tell me to shut the F*ck up and to get to work.

All of us are handed different cards in life. Some better than others. But end of the day, those are your cards and you have to play them. If on the other hand you put the cards down and start complaining, then you've lost before the game even began. And if you get great cards and burn them, then you're a F*cking idiot for not winning as many chips as you can and handing them out to those in need.

Props. Piggybacking on this, my grandmother was also Polish. She came over here as an infant and lived in poverty in the 1920s. I actually found documented written proof detailing the squalor that she lived in as a child. Her father was not fond of working and her mother died when she was a teenager at the beginning of the Great Depression. She often had to steal food for her and her family (being that she was one of the oldest) just so her younger siblings could eat.

She literally had no safety net at all. This was before welfare and food stamps.

So what did she do? Cry about her lack of privilege? Nope! She moved to NYC at the age of 15 and began working as a nanny for a rich family. She took beauty classes at night and opened up her own business. At the age of 25, she bought her father's home in cash and saved it from going into foreclosure.

I had a great childhood and I attribute that 100% to her.

We live in a time where it's extremely easy to be successful, way easier than ever before. To be frank, if someone is not successful, they are likely either lazy or stupid, or both. Absolutely no excuse for it.
 

Almantas

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Lionhearted

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My view of "privilege" is the same as my view of "victimhood". It's a coping tool used by those who REFUSE to accept ownership for their lives. It's much easier to complain and do nothing than it is to take ownership and actually change their lot in life.
 

Kak

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Internal vs external locust of control.

People who spend time thinking about how their life isn’t fair don’t spend time changing their life.
 
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fhs8

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Privilege is the excuse people give for their failures as a result of their own actions. If anything the people claiming that they're disadvantaged benefit from enormous privilege from scholarships, affordable housing, free healthcare, government grants/loans for minorities (MBDA), affirmative action in college/work, food stamps, charities, clubs, electricity, gas, and dozens if not hundreds of other benefits depending on the jurisdiction such as low income cell phones and internet. So who really are the privileged? How come the guy in the video didn't mention all the privileges I've mentioned?
 

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