Stop calling yourself blessed when what you are is privileged

[Anonymous]

I hate the word blessed, I'm non religious so the "blessed" bible meaning misses me. It doesn't bother me as much coming from super religious people bc I know that's their belief, but for others, it's a head scratcher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let me posit this: for those of you who preach “personal responsibility” and believe it’s so feasible to pull oneself up by the bootstraps, why are you saving for your kids’ college? Why are you creating a trust fund for them? Why do you live in McLean? If it’s so simple to just work hard and make it no matter where you’re from, why bother with all of that? Can’t your kid just save up money themselves like you tell poor kids to?

Because poor kids who study and get good grades get their tuition paid for through a combination of taxpayer dollars and subsidies from college endowments. If there is a shortfall, they take out loans, just like most of us who are saving did. And then Elizabeth Warren will probably try to pay off those loans for them. UMC kids don't receive these freebies, so their parents have to save as well as pay the taxes.

Oh my goodness please leave your bubble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let me posit this: for those of you who preach “personal responsibility” and believe it’s so feasible to pull oneself up by the bootstraps, why are you saving for your kids’ college? Why are you creating a trust fund for them? Why do you live in McLean? If it’s so simple to just work hard and make it no matter where you’re from, why bother with all of that? Can’t your kid just save up money themselves like you tell poor kids to?

The idea that it is immoral or unethical for a parent to provide a better life for their child is flat-out inhuman. It also implicitly presumes that everything one family has really belongs to the collective and has been inequitably distributed. These are communist talking points.

Okay but don’t pretend a kid from Anascotia has the same chances in life or even close chances to a kid from McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let me posit this: for those of you who preach “personal responsibility” and believe it’s so feasible to pull oneself up by the bootstraps, why are you saving for your kids’ college? Why are you creating a trust fund for them? Why do you live in McLean? If it’s so simple to just work hard and make it no matter where you’re from, why bother with all of that? Can’t your kid just save up money themselves like you tell poor kids to?

The idea that it is immoral or unethical for a parent to provide a better life for their child is flat-out inhuman. It also implicitly presumes that everything one family has really belongs to the collective and has been inequitably distributed. These are communist talking points.

Okay but don’t pretend a kid from Anascotia has the same chances in life or even close chances to a kid from McLean.

NP. They don’t. But they certainly have an opportunity to, albeit a far more difficult road. Transformation doesn’t happen in one generation. It usually takes two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I suppose I am privileged, however that is defined. I've thought about it carefully with all these focuses on equity in the last two years, and I've concluded that I really don't care either.

It's apparent enough that most people whining about privilege or playing fields are obscuring personal failures and it's easier to blame it on systematic structural problems so you don't have to take personal responsibility for it. I can tell from the way they utterly and completely ignore the poverty and limited opportunities in rural areas and small towns because it doesn't fit the narrative, or that plenty of immigrants of all origins come to the US with nothing and achieve far more than most native born Americans.

Why so black and white? Of course there is personal responsibility and hard work and making good decisions are important factors in "success." AND ALSO, people are born into different conditions and some of them have more advantages than others in that regard. Why can't both be true?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let me posit this: for those of you who preach “personal responsibility” and believe it’s so feasible to pull oneself up by the bootstraps, why are you saving for your kids’ college? Why are you creating a trust fund for them? Why do you live in McLean? If it’s so simple to just work hard and make it no matter where you’re from, why bother with all of that? Can’t your kid just save up money themselves like you tell poor kids to?

The idea that it is immoral or unethical for a parent to provide a better life for their child is flat-out inhuman. It also implicitly presumes that everything one family has really belongs to the collective and has been inequitably distributed. These are communist talking points.

Okay but don’t pretend a kid from Anascotia has the same chances in life or even close chances to a kid from McLean.

But surely you believe they have the opportunity to live a better life than their parents? And that they have the opportunity to give THEIR children a better life than they had? And somewhere down then line maybe one of their descendants will be a kid born in McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let me posit this: for those of you who preach “personal responsibility” and believe it’s so feasible to pull oneself up by the bootstraps, why are you saving for your kids’ college? Why are you creating a trust fund for them? Why do you live in McLean? If it’s so simple to just work hard and make it no matter where you’re from, why bother with all of that? Can’t your kid just save up money themselves like you tell poor kids to?

Because poor kids who study and get good grades get their tuition paid for through a combination of taxpayer dollars and subsidies from college endowments. If there is a shortfall, they take out loans, just like most of us who are saving did. And then Elizabeth Warren will probably try to pay off those loans for them. UMC kids don't receive these freebies, so their parents have to save as well as pay the taxes.

Oh my goodness please leave your bubble.

What is your vast knowledge of the poor? I could put my street cred up against yours, I'm sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Like OP, I role my eyes when rich people call themselves "blessed". Note: I am rich.

It's just silly because while I get what people are saying about being grateful, it implies that you have been singled out for this blessing above others, which is obviously silly. Maybe it's luck, maybe it's privilege, maybe it's actually hard work and dedication. But #blessed implies some kind of divine intervention, which is annoying because even if you are religious, I sincerely hope your g-d is not intervening on your behalf to get you a vacation to Mallorca. Please.

I think if someone I knew tagged some vacation/new house/new car/new clothes/etc. post on Instagram with #privileged, I would laugh really hard and like them a little more, because at least it's honest.

It does not imply that at all !!! No, it does not imply, it means that I feel blessed and if you feel blessed about certain aspects of your life or your entire life then that’s for you but it darn sure doesn’t imply I get this and you didn’t that’s just dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let me posit this: for those of you who preach “personal responsibility” and believe it’s so feasible to pull oneself up by the bootstraps, why are you saving for your kids’ college? Why are you creating a trust fund for them? Why do you live in McLean? If it’s so simple to just work hard and make it no matter where you’re from, why bother with all of that? Can’t your kid just save up money themselves like you tell poor kids to?

Because poor kids who study and get good grades get their tuition paid for through a combination of taxpayer dollars and subsidies from college endowments. If there is a shortfall, they take out loans, just like most of us who are saving did. And then Elizabeth Warren will probably try to pay off those loans for them. UMC kids don't receive these freebies, so their parents have to save as well as pay the taxes.

Oh my goodness please leave your bubble.

What is your vast knowledge of the poor? I could put my street cred up against yours, I'm sure.

Different post to hear, only an idiot troll says stuff like I can put my streak right Witcha street CRED have to do with understanding poverty and different experiences that has nothing to do with so-called street CRED take that crap back to four Chan.
Poverty is a multilayered, nuanced circumstance that affects every aspect of a child’s life, from how he is treated by others to how many meals a day he gets to what extra curricular an extra academic opportunities are made available to him or to her.
It never fails to amaze me how people have such little insight into experiences that are different than their own that they think things are so black and white that helping someone else’s somehow taking away from them! His help us as we see how selfish and ignorant people are!!

[Anonymous]

That phrase makes me instantly know the #blessed person is completely devoid of any kind of human compassion. When I hear “so blessed” or see the hashtag, I instantly know what kind of person you are. Definitely not a person I want to spend time with.

You are not “blessed”. You are lucky.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That phrase makes me instantly know the #blessed person is completely devoid of any kind of human compassion. When I hear “so blessed” or see the hashtag, I instantly know what kind of person you are. Definitely not a person I want to spend time with.

You are not “blessed”. You are lucky.

I am both lucky and blessed that you have decided I am not the kind of person you want to spend time with. Good for you for making such a great decision that benefits both of us!

[Anonymous]

Trying to understand the root of certain people's strong negative reaction, so I'll pose these questions:

1. What would be an appropriate hashtag for someone posting about their new house/vacation/healthy kid/celebratory event?
2. Let's assume what they want to convey is that they are feeling fortunate and grateful?
2. Let's assume that they believe that "blessed" describes the above feelings?
2. Should they just not post those things at all?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. Let’s cancel overuse of “privileged” next.

This.

If you work for it, you aren’t privileged.

And, privilege shouldn’t become a scarlet letter.

It’s not a scarlet letter. So why not admit you have it?

It is in today's world. Calling someone privileged is a slam against them. It's saying they have something they don't deserve to have. It couldn't have been earned, it had to have been because of their "privilege".

You can earn things and still be cognizant that there are fewer barriers to clear. Privilege is a clearer, or at least less obstacle laden path. For example, we grew up poor but we could still afford the sugar for brand name Kool-Aid. We shopped at bulk food stores because my parents could afford the membership, and had a car to bring everything across the highway safely. We are also white so my parents had fewer obstacles to obtain a loan towards their townhome. We bought second hand everything and wore hand me downs, but the clerk didn’t keep an eye out for me stealing in the thrift store just because.

Your explanation doesn't change that it is a negative to be viewed as "priviliged".

The DMV is full of these Snowflakes who have an incredibly high standard of living, access to excellent schools, and a strong quality of life but shrivel into a shell as soon as anonymous person calls them privileged. Get over yourselves

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. Let’s cancel overuse of “privileged” next.

This.

If you work for it, you aren’t privileged.

And, privilege shouldn’t become a scarlet letter.

It’s not a scarlet letter. So why not admit you have it?

It is in today's world. Calling someone privileged is a slam against them. It's saying they have something they don't deserve to have. It couldn't have been earned, it had to have been because of their "privilege".

You can earn things and still be cognizant that there are fewer barriers to clear. Privilege is a clearer, or at least less obstacle laden path. For example, we grew up poor but we could still afford the sugar for brand name Kool-Aid. We shopped at bulk food stores because my parents could afford the membership, and had a car to bring everything across the highway safely. We are also white so my parents had fewer obstacles to obtain a loan towards their townhome. We bought second hand everything and wore hand me downs, but the clerk didn’t keep an eye out for me stealing in the thrift store just because.

Your explanation doesn't change that it is a negative to be viewed as "priviliged".

The DMV is full of these Snowflakes who have an incredibly high standard of living, access to excellent schools, and a strong quality of life but shrivel into a shell as soon as anonymous person calls them privileged. Get over yourselves

+1

Yes, I am privileged. Saying this doesn’t undermine my sense of self. Why is that so hard?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. Let’s cancel overuse of “privileged” next.

This.

If you work for it, you aren’t privileged.

And, privilege shouldn’t become a scarlet letter.

It’s not a scarlet letter. So why not admit you have it?

It is in today's world. Calling someone privileged is a slam against them. It's saying they have something they don't deserve to have. It couldn't have been earned, it had to have been because of their "privilege".

You can earn things and still be cognizant that there are fewer barriers to clear. Privilege is a clearer, or at least less obstacle laden path. For example, we grew up poor but we could still afford the sugar for brand name Kool-Aid. We shopped at bulk food stores because my parents could afford the membership, and had a car to bring everything across the highway safely. We are also white so my parents had fewer obstacles to obtain a loan towards their townhome. We bought second hand everything and wore hand me downs, but the clerk didn’t keep an eye out for me stealing in the thrift store just because.

Your explanation doesn't change that it is a negative to be viewed as "priviliged".

The DMV is full of these Snowflakes who have an incredibly high standard of living, access to excellent schools, and a strong quality of life but shrivel into a shell as soon as anonymous person calls them privileged. Get over yourselves

+1

Yes, I am privileged. Saying this doesn’t undermine my sense of self. Why is that so hard?

Because typically when you call someone privileged you're telling them to sit down and shut up.