# Are you privileged or oppressed? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 18, 2019, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322 "2019-03-18T17:02:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/21 "2019-03-18T19:46:43Z")
Of course then you have to define “happy, stable successful life” ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/22 "2019-03-18T19:54:14Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’m a white, male, hetero-sexual American. You can’t get much more privileged than that. > [@Hermitian](#): > > Sure you can. Being rich, good looking, having caring/loving parents, intelligent, tall, family with lot of connections, living in economically thriving area. > > There are plenty of white, male, hetero-sexual American with completely crappy lives due to no fault of their own. It is not the end-all be-all of privilege. I’m a white, male, tall, intelligent, had caring/loving parents who left me a not-insignificant amount of money, almost by chance ended up working 34 years for a company with good pensions, live in economically thriving (i.e. expensive) area. Not heterosexual, not rich (I’d call it “comfortable”), not good-looking. On the whole, very privileged, and that’s how I voted. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/23 "2019-03-18T20:01:17Z")
White, male, able-bodied, heterosexual, middle class, born in Canada. I am playing the video game of life on the tutorial difficulty setting. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/24 "2019-03-18T20:21:21Z")
Gay, male, Jewish/atheist, very chronically depressed, survivor of open heart surgery with severe spinal stenosis. Extremely diabetic. Survivor of abusive father. Have a gorgeous and totally devoted husband. All in all, I’d say privileged. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/25 "2019-03-18T20:27:19Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > … To me, the the items that top the priviledge list are growing up having a healthy, stable, loving, two-parent family. Your parents had good enough jobs that they are able to spend time with you and heavily emphasize education and achievement. These are HUGE. With that steady foundation, life is so so much easier. I agree with this. 2-loving-parents “privilege” appears to be worth WAY more than privilege tied to one’s gender, race, or sexual orientation. Wealth and health probably rank a good bit above those other ones too. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/26 "2019-03-18T20:29:06Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > … very privileged, and that’s how I voted. What do you mean by this? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/27 "2019-03-18T20:46:44Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Even if that’s true, about 99% of the time getting pulled over is nothing more than a minor inconvenience. How many times have you been pulled over for just driving? It happened all the time to me in Boston while I was in college. Long hair and big car did it. I was not scared because I was white and possibly a rich college kid, so the cop had to treat me with at least some respect, but I can imagine it being a bit more nerve-wracking if you are in a group not treated with as much respect. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/28 "2019-03-18T20:48:11Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > What do you mean by this? I assume he means that he voted for “privileged” in the poll. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/29 "2019-03-18T20:57:20Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > What do you mean by this? > [@Hermitian](#): > > I assume he means that he voted for “privileged” in the poll. Yes, that’s what I meant. Are you (HD) so politically-focused that you can’t grasp the context of this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/30 "2019-03-18T21:03:14Z")
Privileged. I am a middle aged man in a developed country, educated, employed, a member of the titular ethnicity of my country, hetero, cis, not disabled. That I am married can hardly offset the above. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/31 "2019-03-18T21:05:37Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > How many times have you been pulled over for just driving? … I don’t know what this means. I’ve been pulled over maybe a dozen times in my life. In every one of those cases, the cop had some official reason even if I thought it was bullshit (I assume that’s the case with the alleged “DWB” pull-overs too, right?). Does that mean my answer should be “all of them” or “zero”? > [@Voyager](#): > > … I was not scared because I was white and possibly a rich college kid, so the cop had to treat me with at least some respect… You think cops can’t / won’t be disrespectful to white people? Or did you just believe that back in college? Here’s a little secret: cops shoot plenty of white people too. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/32 "2019-03-18T21:07:51Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > I assume he means that he voted for “privileged” in the poll. Thanks. > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Yes, that’s what I meant. … Thanks. > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > … Are you (HD) so politically-focused that you can’t grasp the context of this thread? I didn’t immediately realize what you meant (although in hindsight it should have been rather obvious), so I figured it would be better to ask than wonder. I’ll leave it up to you to form your own opinion about whether that means I’m “so politically-focused that \* can’t grasp the context of this thread” or not. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/33 "2019-03-18T21:09:45Z")
If they feel like sharing, I’d be very interested in hearing from the four (at this point) respondents who said they were “Oppressed”. What made you choose that classification? ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/34 "2019-03-18T21:15:41Z")
I’m a white, male, hetero-sexual American so I do have that going for me. On the other hand, I am in poor mental and physical health bad enough that I live off disability which, of course, also means I am living in poverty. I am also on the unattractive side as well. So if I had choose, I pick oppressed. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/35 "2019-03-18T21:20:21Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > I think you’re overestimating what privilege is. Chances are the crappy life of a straight white male is still going to be a lot better than the crappy life of a gay black man or a Hispanic woman. This is exactly the kind of argument that hacks people off about intersectionality, or talk about privilege - because you’re treating wealth privilege or stable-family privilege like they’re “not a thing” by overwhelming them with a veritable cascade of anti-privileges. “If you’re missing out on wealth privilege and stable family privilege AND ALSO missing out on race privilege, straight/cis privilege and gender privilege, then your life will be worse than if you’re missing out on just wealth and stable family privileges”. Well, yeah, no shit, obviously this is true. Also obviously it doesn’t prove that these two privileges aren’t real privileges - you have to do an actual balanced comparison to get a sense of this. So… What would you rather get - shitty unstable parents but you’re straight, or great stable parents but you’re gay? I’d go option 2 personally - stable family is worth quite a lot of privilege points for me. On the other hand “unstable shitty parents + cis” versus “great stable parents vs trans” - at that point, I’m voting option 1 - being trans sounds hard. “Rich and female” versus “poor and male”? “Rich and black” versus “poor and white”? Reasonable people could differ - I’m definitely going for option 1 on the first of these though. I assume, btw, that the only things that count as ‘privileges’ are anything you didn’t work for in any way. So … grew up in a shack but now a millionaire? Don’t have wealth privilege. Mum’s an alcoholic who beat you but you’re now in a great relationship with a fantastic spouse? Don’t have stable family privilege. And so on. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2019, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/36 "2019-03-18T21:24:25Z")
I’m privileged because I’m a white male. (My heterosexuality isn’t doing much for me right now.) I’m also pretty well off financially due to my job, but I don’t consider my job to be the result of privilege, beyond the baseline advantage I have due to being a white male. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/37 "2019-03-19T01:36:01Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > I’m not an expert on these things, but I think that’s what “intersectionality” is meant to cover. A homeless gay white man will have different type of issues than a rich African-American woman. And, then “intersectionality” became a snarl word on the right and is used to mock people who try to understand the problems your friend may encounter. Based on what I read, intersectionality is exactly what I describe with the points system- it’s a way to try and quantify relative oppression/privilege. Which to me anyway, is kind of absurd. It must become some kind of pissing contest- “I’m a midget lesbian! I’m more oppressed than you!” “No you’re not- I’m disabled in three ways!” I don’t know… while I understand the concept of relative privilege (that’s what “privilege” really is), I think it’s best treated as a relatively academic concept. Using it as a club to belittle someone’s accomplishments, or discount their opinions or views is wrong. Just because someone may be privileged, it doesn’t automatically make them or their views less valid, and that’s where a lot of this talk tends to go, at least online. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/38 "2019-03-19T01:56:36Z")
Upper middle class, white, male stockbroker from a family of highly educated professionals or business owners. I am the living embodiment of the patriarchy that needs to be, as my lefty friends say, smashed. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/39 "2019-03-19T02:34:13Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’m a white, male, hetero-sexual American. You can’t get much more privileged than that. Here I fixed it for you… I’m a white, male, hetero-sexual Australian. You can’t get much more privileged than that. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2019, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322/40 "2019-03-19T02:41:58Z")
Straight white male, grew up in an upper middle class neighborhood where practically all the parents had been to college, and it was pretty much assumed that all us kids would. Sure, you had to do _some_ work to get into college, and then turn that into an upper middle class career, but not all _that_ much. Privileged? Hell yeah. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-privileged-or-oppressed/831322.md?page=3)