• captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    Privilege was always supposed to mean “things you have that not everyone does”. That includes everything from titles to housing to eyes

    • masquenox@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      Privilege is what we actually have (or don’t have) instead of actually having “rights” or “freedoms.”

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      That includes everything

      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.