
The real reason my startup was successful: privilege - BerislavLopac
https://medium.com/tech-diversity-files/the-real-reason-my-startup-was-successful-privilege-3859b14f4560
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zacharytelschow
So sick of this white privilege nonsense. Should you have guilt that the
people around you loved and cared for you, encouraged you?

Did wearing hand-me-down clothes prevent others from doing the same? Did your
parents having dinner with you stop other parents for doing the same for their
kids? Did your parents staying married and (likely) having you while married
stop others from making those same choices to their children's advantage? And
on and on.

Yes, things happen in nearly everyone's lives that help them and all success
takes some measure of luck and bravery, but how many people were in your exact
same position and ended up somewhere else?

~~~
bbctol
The author doesn't mention guilt. For some reason, every time someone says
"privilege," there are people who hear "YOU SHOULD FEEL GUILTY!" even when
that's not remotely what's being said. Acknowledging privilege doesn't mean
feeling bad about it, it means that when trying to understand why something
happened (in this case, why a startup was successful) it's important to
remember that not everyone started on even footing.

You can feel guilty about other people having less than you if you really want
to, but the author isn't suggesting that.

~~~
jasford
Yes! As the author of this article I was completely thrown off when a handful
of people responded to with comments about guilt. I don't feel guilty at all
for the privilege I have received, and I really tried hard to not come off as
guilty-feeling in the tone of the article.

It is unfortunate that so many people jump immediately to feelings of guilt
when considering privilege. A better response would be thankfulness for
blessings received that you did not deserve and that not everyone gets. No
matter your position in life, there are people who have been given more than
you and less than you. I think the only useful response to understanding this
reality is to feel thankful for what you _have_ been given and to work to help
others who received less.

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jasford
Author here. I’ve only had a handful of negative reactions to this article,
but pretty much all of them have been from white men. I guess I should have
expected that. There is a current of guilt that many feel when contemplating
privilege. It makes them uncomfortable and they’d rather lash out or argue it
away than deal with it. If you find yourself feeling offended reading the
article, here is some context:

1\. Please don't read this as an attempt to speak for all White people. Or all
men. No one can do that. We all have unique stories that trace their roots
back through history. If I don't know you personally there is a good chance I
don’t know anything about your story either. I don't presume to speak for
anyone but myself.

2\. I am in no way trying to say that my privilege comes purely from being
White or that all White people have the same privilege as me. Many aspects of
my personal privilege have nothing to do with my skin color. I absolutely
benefit from the hard work and smart decisions of people in my family that
came before me.

3\. It is hard to argue that statistically a disproportionate number of non-
White people get the short end of the stick when it comes to generational
wealth and privilege in America, but again, everyone’s story is unique. There
are plenty of people who are born with way more privilege than me. Not all of
them are White.

4\. I think guilt is the wrong response to privilege. Gratefulness is a much
better response. Privilege is something given to you, that you did not
deserve, and that not everyone gets. You don’t feel guilty when someone gives
you a beautiful gift, you feel thankful. Maybe even loved. In an ideal world,
those with privilege would have such a strong response of gratefulness that it
would move them to kindness toward others. It certainly motivates me to work
to make the world a better place—not out of guilt, but out of thankfulness for
the undeserved blessings in my life.

------
mswen
A thoughtful introspective acknowledgement of the combination of factors
outside of the founder's own efforts that provide the environment for start-up
success.

When we tell our own narrative it is easy to be blind to environmental success
factors because we grew up among them and they were always there. As natural
as air to breath almost.

~~~
Chris2048
> When we tell our own narrative it is easy to be blind to environmental
> success factors

and environmental failure factors too.

------
ideonexus
It's unfortunate how defensive people get whenever the term "privilege" comes
up. The author is merely acknowledging the beneficial circumstances of his
birth and lack of obstacles to his success, but somehow people manage to read
this and think it implies they should feel guilty for their relatively easy
lives.

I admit it. I am privileged. I thank the Cosmos everyday for the incredibly
wonderful life I live and my biggest fear is of losing it. I support social
services that try to raise those people up out of poverty, homelessness, or
institutional racism. I don't do that out of guilt, but for a genuine concern
for the well-being of my fellow human beings who I rely upon every single day
for my own well-being. That fast-food work who serves me meals is working much
harder for less income than I am, and I appreciate and respect that.

------
aaronhoffman
I wouldn't call this "privilege" in the strict sense of that word. I think the
"generational wealth" term that Jason uses is more accurate.

This helps illustrate that the basic building block of society/economy is more
so the family than the individual.

~~~
dragonwriter
Generational wealth is, itself, a form of privilege, but his account
references other aspects of privilege besides generational wealth, including,
explicitly, qualifications not being discounted because of Whiteness.

So, I don't see how you can both accept the account as given and say it's
merely an issue of generational wealth.

~~~
aaronhoffman
Strict definition of "privilege" being a special Right granted to a person, or
class of people.

I accept his account, and I applaud him for reaching out to those he feels
don't have the same opportunity that he had.

Often this type of thinking leads people to believe that violence today will
solve the violence of yesterday.

