To be sick of the phrases First World Problems and Check your Privilege?

[LordScuttlebutt]

Trivial problems can drive you nuts too. A trivial problem may indeed by the last straw for some.

Why does having certain privileges stop you having an opinion according to some?

Anyone else annoyed by this? Either help or don't help, I say.

Well then its how it is applied then, not the actual phrase or its intended meaning being bollocks.

Knock knock

Don't like the phrases, but the sentiment had helped me get some perspective, so made problems seem easier. I only apply it to myself though, otherwise it's really dismissive.

My preference is "Stop fucking whining"

Absolutely!

If I - again with the dog shit example - stepped in poo and was whinging my face off the the above response would actually make more sense than 'check your privilege'. That doesn't even make sense.

YABU because although, yes, some people do use these phrases in a pretty wanky way they do highlight important issues. People are told to check their privilege because by applying their own experiences to others they are not taking into account discrimination the person may face due to race,sex,disability etc. A white male in this country has a profoundly different (and more positive) experience to a black female, due to the privileges of his race and sex, privileges the black woman will never have. His experiences in most instances will not apply to her and vice versa, but for the disadvantaged party it is probably rather grating to be given an opinion/advice by someone who hasn't taken into account the differences in privilege.

White people who 'don't see colour' when it comes to race for example, need to check their privilege. They 'don't see colour' because for them their race has never mattered because they are white.

And I think people do need to be made aware if they are operating from a position of privilege because it does quite frankly make opinions that don't take this into account pretty useless, and makes the privileged party look very uninformed and naive. And naivety means things won't change, the privileged people need to assist the less privileged to be seen as equal.

Of course people are allowed to have a moan, but for the majority of people in the west life is much easier than for many and that we should be grateful for. Too much negativity is just unattractive and I think people do use 'first world problems' to stop the whinging!