

When "Life Hacking" Is Really White Privilege - kartikt
https://medium.com/get-bullish/a5e5f4e9132f

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hobs
Preface: I am white, and I did not read the entire article.

The initial example is cute. A white guy cuts the line and acts like an ass,
therefore it is white privilege, not an individual jerk.

What would I be called if I thought the same thing about a black person? A
woman?

Maybe the other examples are more spot on, but if you just jump to race as the
"why" people do things, instead of individual bad actors trying to game the
system, you are just another type of bigot.

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jboynyc
Individual cases can of course always be dismissed, but I think the author
does a very good job at showing there's a broader social dynamic at play. This
piece is worth reading to the end.

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TrevorJ
I feel that all-to-often, these articles fall into the same trap that other
prejudicial viewpoints do. If the summation of your viewpoint is "He/she must
be acting this way because they are _____" and the blank is race/gender, then
you are judging an individual based on stereotypes. This shouldn't be
acceptable, and it's hypocritical.

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adamnemecek
Usage of the word 'privilege' in this context has been really rustling my
jimmies lately.

~~~
jboynyc
It's true, the word seems to be in use _a lot_ lately. However, "privilege"
just happens to be the word in the English language for when a social group
gets preferential treatment -- or literally, their own "private law" \--
rather than being subject to the laws that apply to the broader public. In
times of massive inequality such as we're experiencing, this is a bound to be
a major issue, so I'm afraid you're going to have your jimmies rustled some
more.

