'Privilege' question. Is 'Privilege' all disadvantages, and how do people rank them (if at all)?

[Lanark2]

Hello,

This is a serious thing that has been interesting/troubling me re 'privilege'.

The origin was a discussion I had with a female social worker, qualified, relatively high waged, educated etc, who was arguing with a white anti-fascist that he was more privileged than her. At the time I understood 'privilege' to be as in 'toff' rather than the socio-economic term, but has always interested me why it seemed that she viewed poor, working class white male as still privileged compared to her, even though she was wealthier with a professional career.

I've been thinking about it, and I guess it's going to get a different answer on a feminist forum, but how do you think the relative privilege s should be considered?

I guess white, male, wealthy, 'first' world, landed might be most privileged, but then is it female, wealthy, first world, landed etc, or would say 'black, wealthy .. Etc.. Do you see what I mean?.. Ie is Obama more privileged than say a middle class white american, and Michelle one step less privileged or is Michelle less privileged than a middle class man?

I'm not sure I'm explaining this well, but is say Mary Beard privileged by being middle class academic or less Privileged by being a woman?

[InvictusVersinium]

Agreed Bertrand.

And privilege guilt is not the desired result of exposing privilege.

Privilege is not something to feel guilty for having, privilege is something to be aware of and understand and acknowledge the advantages conferred thereby. Why should you feel guilty for having or being something that you did nothing to earn?

I was born a white able bodied mentally able woman in a developed country to an economically advantaged and (relatively) stable family. I did nothing to earn any of that "equity" any more than a poor person born into a refugee camp with no stability or access to food did to earn that disadvantage.

[InvictusVersinium]

This concept of Privilege simply reinforces racial and other stereotypes.

On the contrary, the concept of privilege sire rly works to expose and reveal racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, etc.

[InvictusVersinium]

I was told quite early on in my time here that all men have more privilege than me; which struck me as nonsense.

Yes, I agree, women have been conferred much privilege through the struggles of other women who recognised the imbalance of power and injustice in women being seen as second class citizens by default of their being born women. (Those pesky female "social justice warriors"). And there are women who have more privilege than some men - as Betrand said there are always outliers.

Thankfully my female predecessors recognised the privilege that was conferred upon men by nature of them being men and fought against it. And by the time the likes of me was born, I was expected to vote, to finish school, to attend university and to pursue a professional career.

There is still imbalance of opportunity based on sex, ability, race, age and so, the struggle continues.