Stop calling yourself blessed when what you are is privileged

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having a nice home, or healthy kids, or taking a nice vacation isn't a special right afforded to only one group of people/ So no . . .

Actually it is.

Really? There are certain groups who only have unhealthy children? I wasn't aware.

A child doesn't get cancer because he wasn't blessed. A nice home, whatever that is for each person, didn't happen because people were blessed. Living in the first world with access to medical care, education, housing, food, etc., mean that one does, indeed have privilege.

Does a child get cancer because he is not privileged? Do rich white kids escape cancer because they are privileged?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having a nice home, or healthy kids, or taking a nice vacation isn't a special right afforded to only one group of people/ So no . . .

Actually it is.

Really? There are certain groups who only have unhealthy children? I wasn't aware.

A child doesn't get cancer because he wasn't blessed. A nice home, whatever that is for each person, didn't happen because people were blessed. Living in the first world with access to medical care, education, housing, food, etc., mean that one does, indeed have privilege.

Agree with PP #2

PP #1, look at the stats for things like air quality and asthma rates in areas where poor people live, particularly people of color. Look at the reports about areas in the south where people don't have access to public sanitation and don't have the resources for adequate septic systems. Look at the stats for people (again, poorer people) living in close proximity to chemical refining plants in Texas and Louisiana. Look at the kids in Flint.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, of course "blessed" is silly because there's no sky daddy up there handing out favors. But it's ok to be grateful. And it's ok to understand "blessed" as expressing gratitude.

Also, everything is a privilege. If you're not dead, you're privileged. Everyone alive has different combinations of privileges. Somewhere on earth, you have someone who is the least privileged human in existence - but they've got something - if only their life.

I mean, clearly sky daddy isn't handing out favors...to you.

No, to anybody. The same logic that leads a person to believe there is a magical mystery man running everything is the logic that leads to people taking horse dewormer to treat COVID instead of a vaccine created for that purpose by scientists in a lab. Magical thinking either way. I love that religion helps people through their day, inspires them to do good in the world, and has led to all kinds of great art and literature and some other wonderful things. But it's absolutely not a true description of reality.

You've connected sky daddy to dewormer. If you bring up Nazis we will have a Bingo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having a nice home, or healthy kids, or taking a nice vacation isn't a special right afforded to only one group of people/ So no . . .

Actually it is.

Really? There are certain groups who only have unhealthy children? I wasn't aware.

A child doesn't get cancer because he wasn't blessed. A nice home, whatever that is for each person, didn't happen because people were blessed. Living in the first world with access to medical care, education, housing, food, etc., mean that one does, indeed have privilege.

Does a child get cancer because he is not privileged? Do rich white kids escape cancer because they are privileged?

In some cases, yes, such as cancers related to environmental contaminants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find “blessed” language annoying because a blessing is a gift from God. Do you really think God gave you a nice house and loving partner and good teeth, but decided NOT to give those nice things to the rest of us? No. You probably think some of it is dumb luck (the teeth) and the rest of it is a combination of your own hard work and smarts. But saying you are “blessed” seems to make people feel better about saying “I have nice things! I’m happy and grateful!” Like they aren’t bragging. But God doesn’t withhold nice houses from undeserving folk and give them to the deserving, so I don’t see your nice house as a blessing. I see it as a result of our socio-economic system that rewards some kinds of labor and doesn’t compensate others as well. I don’t think God is a capitalist.

Winning post in my book.

+2

This thread is deranged. The people flipping out about being called privileged (guess what, if you are posting on DCUM on a Sunday and have access to internet and some kind of device... you're privileged!) are embarrassing themselves. If having someone call you out on your privilege, or point out that there is some uncomfortable arrogance in using a term like "blessed" to describe your material wealth or good fortune, makes you this angry, you should be asking yourself why.

I'm a privilege person and people call me out on it and while it never feels great in the moment and sometimes I'm defensive, in the end I'm always okay with it because I can see, logically, that it's true. I don't find being called privileged insulting. It helps me understand the world better and have greater empathy for others, and it helps me understand my own life better. I don't find it upsetting or like an insult. I think it's a way for people with less inherent power to balance the scales a little bit, and that can only be a good thing. I don't want to exploit people, and I don't want to live a beautiful life if it means my neighbor is suffering.

It's basically the same stuff my 4 yo learns in preschool. A lot of people in this thread are less mature than preschoolers with the fits they are having.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having a nice home, or healthy kids, or taking a nice vacation isn't a special right afforded to only one group of people/ So no . . .

Actually it is.

Really? There are certain groups who only have unhealthy children? I wasn't aware.

A child doesn't get cancer because he wasn't blessed. A nice home, whatever that is for each person, didn't happen because people were blessed. Living in the first world with access to medical care, education, housing, food, etc., mean that one does, indeed have privilege.

Does a child get cancer because he is not privileged? Do rich white kids escape cancer because they are privileged?

In some cases, yes, such as cancers related to environmental contaminants.

"...the causes of DNA changes in most childhood cancers are not known."

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-in-children/risk-factors-and-causes.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find “blessed” language annoying because a blessing is a gift from God. Do you really think God gave you a nice house and loving partner and good teeth, but decided NOT to give those nice things to the rest of us? No. You probably think some of it is dumb luck (the teeth) and the rest of it is a combination of your own hard work and smarts. But saying you are “blessed” seems to make people feel better about saying “I have nice things! I’m happy and grateful!” Like they aren’t bragging. But God doesn’t withhold nice houses from undeserving folk and give them to the deserving, so I don’t see your nice house as a blessing. I see it as a result of our socio-economic system that rewards some kinds of labor and doesn’t compensate others as well. I don’t think God is a capitalist.

Winning post in my book.

+2

This thread is deranged. The people flipping out about being called privileged (guess what, if you are posting on DCUM on a Sunday and have access to internet and some kind of device... you're privileged!) are embarrassing themselves. If having someone call you out on your privilege, or point out that there is some uncomfortable arrogance in using a term like "blessed" to describe your material wealth or good fortune, makes you this angry, you should be asking yourself why.

I'm a privilege person and people call me out on it and while it never feels great in the moment and sometimes I'm defensive, in the end I'm always okay with it because I can see, logically, that it's true. I don't find being called privileged insulting. It helps me understand the world better and have greater empathy for others, and it helps me understand my own life better. I don't find it upsetting or like an insult. I think it's a way for people with less inherent power to balance the scales a little bit, and that can only be a good thing. I don't want to exploit people, and I don't want to live a beautiful life if it means my neighbor is suffering.

It's basically the same stuff my 4 yo learns in preschool. A lot of people in this thread are less mature than preschoolers with the fits they are having.

Everyone on the planet enjoys privilege of some sort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find “blessed” language annoying because a blessing is a gift from God. Do you really think God gave you a nice house and loving partner and good teeth, but decided NOT to give those nice things to the rest of us? No. You probably think some of it is dumb luck (the teeth) and the rest of it is a combination of your own hard work and smarts. But saying you are “blessed” seems to make people feel better about saying “I have nice things! I’m happy and grateful!” Like they aren’t bragging. But God doesn’t withhold nice houses from undeserving folk and give them to the deserving, so I don’t see your nice house as a blessing. I see it as a result of our socio-economic system that rewards some kinds of labor and doesn’t compensate others as well. I don’t think God is a capitalist.

Winning post in my book.

+2

This thread is deranged. The people flipping out about being called privileged (guess what, if you are posting on DCUM on a Sunday and have access to internet and some kind of device... you're privileged!) are embarrassing themselves. If having someone call you out on your privilege, or point out that there is some uncomfortable arrogance in using a term like "blessed" to describe your material wealth or good fortune, makes you this angry, you should be asking yourself why.

I'm a privilege person and people call me out on it and while it never feels great in the moment and sometimes I'm defensive, in the end I'm always okay with it because I can see, logically, that it's true. I don't find being called privileged insulting. It helps me understand the world better and have greater empathy for others, and it helps me understand my own life better. I don't find it upsetting or like an insult. I think it's a way for people with less inherent power to balance the scales a little bit, and that can only be a good thing. I don't want to exploit people, and I don't want to live a beautiful life if it means my neighbor is suffering.

It's basically the same stuff my 4 yo learns in preschool. A lot of people in this thread are less mature than preschoolers with the fits they are having.

So are you giving up everything so that others can have better lives?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having a nice home, or healthy kids, or taking a nice vacation isn't a special right afforded to only one group of people/ So no . . .

Actually it is.

Really? There are certain groups who only have unhealthy children? I wasn't aware.

A child doesn't get cancer because he wasn't blessed. A nice home, whatever that is for each person, didn't happen because people were blessed. Living in the first world with access to medical care, education, housing, food, etc., mean that one does, indeed have privilege.

Does a child get cancer because he is not privileged? Do rich white kids escape cancer because they are privileged?

You don't get this do you? Lol

The reverse of this blessed logic doesn't work here, dear. That implies that those who don't have good things aren't blessed.

People aren't "blessed" when good things happen to them. A lot of good things happen to people because of any number of reasons, and access to these things aren't controlled by blessings, but access.

Cancer? White people? Well, let's go there. Anyone can get cancer. But who will have access to care? Who will have more experience with preventable disease such as diabetes, heart issues,
and some cancers? I think the pandemic showed us a lot about privilege, too. Look at the death and disease stats on that. Were they all not "blessed?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, of course "blessed" is silly because there's no sky daddy up there handing out favors. But it's ok to be grateful. And it's ok to understand "blessed" as expressing gratitude.

Also, everything is a privilege. If you're not dead, you're privileged. Everyone alive has different combinations of privileges. Somewhere on earth, you have someone who is the least privileged human in existence - but they've got something - if only their life.

I mean, clearly sky daddy isn't handing out favors...to you.

No, to anybody. The same logic that leads a person to believe there is a magical mystery man running everything is the logic that leads to people taking horse dewormer to treat COVID instead of a vaccine created for that purpose by scientists in a lab. Magical thinking either way. I love that religion helps people through their day, inspires them to do good in the world, and has led to all kinds of great art and literature and some other wonderful things. But it's absolutely not a true description of reality.

You've connected sky daddy to dewormer. If you bring up Nazis we will have a Bingo.

Nice deflection. But magical thinking is magical thinking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having a nice home, or healthy kids, or taking a nice vacation isn't a special right afforded to only one group of people/ So no . . .

Actually it is.

Really? There are certain groups who only have unhealthy children? I wasn't aware.

A child doesn't get cancer because he wasn't blessed. A nice home, whatever that is for each person, didn't happen because people were blessed. Living in the first world with access to medical care, education, housing, food, etc., mean that one does, indeed have privilege.

Does a child get cancer because he is not privileged? Do rich white kids escape cancer because they are privileged?

You don't get this do you? Lol

The reverse of this blessed logic doesn't work here, dear. That implies that those who don't have good things aren't blessed.

People aren't "blessed" when good things happen to them. A lot of good things happen to people because of any number of reasons, and access to these things aren't controlled by blessings, but access.

Cancer? White people? Well, let's go there. Anyone can get cancer. But who will have access to care? Who will have more experience with preventable disease such as diabetes, heart issues,
and some cancers? I think the pandemic showed us a lot about privilege, too. Look at the death and disease stats on that. Were they all not "blessed?"

Well, and why stop at white Americans? American people of color are way more privileged than most people of whatever color in most other countries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, of course "blessed" is silly because there's no sky daddy up there handing out favors. But it's ok to be grateful. And it's ok to understand "blessed" as expressing gratitude.

Also, everything is a privilege. If you're not dead, you're privileged. Everyone alive has different combinations of privileges. Somewhere on earth, you have someone who is the least privileged human in existence - but they've got something - if only their life.

I mean, clearly sky daddy isn't handing out favors...to you.

No, to anybody. The same logic that leads a person to believe there is a magical mystery man running everything is the logic that leads to people taking horse dewormer to treat COVID instead of a vaccine created for that purpose by scientists in a lab. Magical thinking either way. I love that religion helps people through their day, inspires them to do good in the world, and has led to all kinds of great art and literature and some other wonderful things. But it's absolutely not a true description of reality.

You've connected sky daddy to dewormer. If you bring up Nazis we will have a Bingo.

Nice deflection. But magical thinking is magical thinking.

I was being sarcastic. But it's hilarious that you took the time to make a heartfelt reply. Everybody gets worked up about sky daddy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find “blessed” language annoying because a blessing is a gift from God. Do you really think God gave you a nice house and loving partner and good teeth, but decided NOT to give those nice things to the rest of us? No. You probably think some of it is dumb luck (the teeth) and the rest of it is a combination of your own hard work and smarts. But saying you are “blessed” seems to make people feel better about saying “I have nice things! I’m happy and grateful!” Like they aren’t bragging. But God doesn’t withhold nice houses from undeserving folk and give them to the deserving, so I don’t see your nice house as a blessing. I see it as a result of our socio-economic system that rewards some kinds of labor and doesn’t compensate others as well. I don’t think God is a capitalist.

Winning post in my book.

+2

This thread is deranged. The people flipping out about being called privileged (guess what, if you are posting on DCUM on a Sunday and have access to internet and some kind of device... you're privileged!) are embarrassing themselves. If having someone call you out on your privilege, or point out that there is some uncomfortable arrogance in using a term like "blessed" to describe your material wealth or good fortune, makes you this angry, you should be asking yourself why.

I'm a privilege person and people call me out on it and while it never feels great in the moment and sometimes I'm defensive, in the end I'm always okay with it because I can see, logically, that it's true. I don't find being called privileged insulting. It helps me understand the world better and have greater empathy for others, and it helps me understand my own life better. I don't find it upsetting or like an insult. I think it's a way for people with less inherent power to balance the scales a little bit, and that can only be a good thing. I don't want to exploit people, and I don't want to live a beautiful life if it means my neighbor is suffering.

It's basically the same stuff my 4 yo learns in preschool. A lot of people in this thread are less mature than preschoolers with the fits they are having.

So are you giving up everything so that others can have better lives?

+1 Mother Theresa has nothing on that poster's virtue signaling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find “blessed” language annoying because a blessing is a gift from God. Do you really think God gave you a nice house and loving partner and good teeth, but decided NOT to give those nice things to the rest of us? No. You probably think some of it is dumb luck (the teeth) and the rest of it is a combination of your own hard work and smarts. But saying you are “blessed” seems to make people feel better about saying “I have nice things! I’m happy and grateful!” Like they aren’t bragging. But God doesn’t withhold nice houses from undeserving folk and give them to the deserving, so I don’t see your nice house as a blessing. I see it as a result of our socio-economic system that rewards some kinds of labor and doesn’t compensate others as well. I don’t think God is a capitalist.

Winning post in my book.

+2

This thread is deranged. The people flipping out about being called privileged (guess what, if you are posting on DCUM on a Sunday and have access to internet and some kind of device... you're privileged!) are embarrassing themselves. If having someone call you out on your privilege, or point out that there is some uncomfortable arrogance in using a term like "blessed" to describe your material wealth or good fortune, makes you this angry, you should be asking yourself why.

I'm a privilege person and people call me out on it and while it never feels great in the moment and sometimes I'm defensive, in the end I'm always okay with it because I can see, logically, that it's true. I don't find being called privileged insulting. It helps me understand the world better and have greater empathy for others, and it helps me understand my own life better. I don't find it upsetting or like an insult. I think it's a way for people with less inherent power to balance the scales a little bit, and that can only be a good thing. I don't want to exploit people, and I don't want to live a beautiful life if it means my neighbor is suffering.

It's basically the same stuff my 4 yo learns in preschool. A lot of people in this thread are less mature than preschoolers with the fits they are having.

So are you giving up everything so that others can have better lives?

That's not the automatic result of admitting you're privileged. But yeah, part of being aware of privilege is being willing to say "you know what, I don't need exclusive access to this thing -- let's set up society so that anyone can have access to it."

No idea what that would be seen as a bad thing. I've always had access to quality healthcare, for instance, through good insurance that just happened to come with my life (from my parents or from good jobs that offered decent benefits). But when I learned that this is actually something that's really hard for a lot of people to access because of poverty, or because of how many employers don't offer insurance or only offer terrible insurance, or because people have gaps in employment or other issues, it seemed obvious to me that I should support a healthcare system that offers what I have to everyone else, even if it means that my healthcare might slightly decline in quality. I'm better off in a society of people with access to adequate healthcare, than in a society where I'm among an elite that has good healthcare and everyone else just has to figure it out.

These are basic things that most other democracies figured out a long time ago (sharing risk to spread rewards in order to better all of society and live in healthier, better educated, safer world) but we are weirdly resistant to, in part because we think things are better if we have them and our neighbors don't, which is a weird asocial attitude.

[Anonymous]

I’m privileged in so many ways, and blessed in so many more. And lucky, and sometimes unlucky, and sometimes fulfilled and sometimes not. If I express thins in a imperfect way, or in a way that others view negatively, there’s not much I can do about that.