Stop calling yourself blessed when what you are is privileged

[Anonymous]

OP you have no understanding of what being Blessed means.

[Anonymous]

Most of us have some form
Of privilege that does not preclude you from being Blessed.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Just stop. Here in the U.S. we are privileged and blessed. Try going over to Afghanistan and see how long you’d last. Between the Taliban and ISIS, you’d be lucky to survive a week.

[Anonymous]

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

+1. I worked damn hard to get what I have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I got an education and made the right choices in life.

Apparently it is impossible for some people to fathom that hard work, education, and good choices pay off in life, and that it is entirely possible that people can earn things through avenues that are not privilege.

You were privileged enough to have choices available to you that were "right" in the first place.

Omg. I am sorry your children and theirs and so on. Because clearly none of these people will have the intelligence or judgment to make good choices and improve their life. They’re doomed now because, according to you, a lack of sufficient privilege.

[Anonymous]

This is a dumb argument. What you are arguing over is a definition.

People use "blessed" to express that they are grateful for what they have. Privileged or not, why is gratefulness such a bad thing?

(I agree overuse of the word is cringe-y, but somehow tying it to privilege makes no sense.)

[Anonymous]

I don't want to know anyone who uses the word blessed unironically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just stop. Here in the U.S. we are privileged and blessed. Try going over to Afghanistan and see how long you’d last. Between the Taliban and ISIS, you’d be lucky to survive a week.

I hate to indulge this incredibly random divergence...but there are many people who live long and healthy lives in Afghanistan, and take pride in their heritage. Yes, absolutely there are some awful conditions there, particularly right now.....but you know there are awful conditions in this country as well, right?

[Anonymous]

I've never heard anyone use that except two coworkers of mine. They are attorneys, so I'm guessing that their possessions come from that, rather than blessings.

[Anonymous]

To me, an atheist by most people's standard, blessed and lucky and privileged are somewhat interchangeable.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

These are simplistic examples of privilege but privilege all the same.

[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.

These are simplistic examples of privilege but privilege all the same.

As is my misspelling due to not checking the autocorrect on my iPhone 😏😆

[Anonymous]

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.

You are so freaking wrong you have no idea.
God is not Santa handing out blessings. And there are all kinds of blessings; to wake up in the morning to have been able to survive a health challenge, yes to have a healthy loving relationship if that’s what you desire and yes God does bless us with those things it doesn’t mean he’s not blessing other people what is happening in their lives you have no idea how they may be feeling blessed just not by the same things you’re feeling blessed about.
it’s not a matter of God handing some people a lump of coal and some people a diamond ring it doesn’t work like that God loves us all he wants us all to feel his love.
And yes God cares about every single aspect of our lives he cares about her feelings he cares about our finances he cares about her health he cares about a romantic life there’s nothing about us that he doesn’t care about.
Yes I understand about privilege I’m a black person in America I get it I know about racism sexism Classism I understand all of that and there are ways yet and still I have privilege and I know I am blessed.
Hell, I Bless just understand that I have privilege and that there are others who are struggling in the ways in which I can help them aid and support them and be aware of how systemic inequalities hurt people so that I can help to dismantle and restructure those systems.