(March 18, 2018 at 9:24 am)paulpablo Wrote: It seems like a conclusion based on circular logic to say people are systematically disadvantaged because of a lack of privilege. Being disadvantaged is a lack of privilege. Saying people are systematically disadvantaged because of a lack of privilege is kind of like making the point that people are short because of a lack of vertical height.
Call it emphasis in different words. You can omit "due to lack of privilege", and the actual argument being made would still stand. So I don't understand why you had to resort to this red herring.
Quote:Saying almost everyone is privileged in some way is true, and is the exact opposite of denying privilege exists. It's the opposite of being dismissive, it's acknowledging the vast variables that privilege consists of.
Except it isn't one privilege, but various types of privilege, each type usually based on one broad variable. By grouping the vast variables into one privilege, you are conflating the collective term "privilege" with the individual types of privilege and thereby dismissing the disadvantages suffered by certain groups of people lacking certain types of privileges. So the black man, for example, might have privilege due to his gender, but overall still relatively disadvantaged in societal life compared to the white man. The white woman might have privilege due to skin color/"race", but still lacks male privilege and therefore is relatively disadvantaged in societal life compared to the white man. The white man is granted advantages the black man and the white woman do not get to automatically share, even if they might still be privileged in their own ways.
Quote:Whatever fuss is made I think should be in proportion to someone's experience is in relation to a particular unjust prejudice. No one really makes a fuss over privilege in and of itself unless the cause of it is seen to be unjustified prejudice.
I am talking about privilege (and lack of it) as applied to a group, not to one individual.
Quote:It wouldn't really make much sense for me to make a fuss over Muslim privilege that happens in Muslim countries or Christian privilege that happens over in Texas.
Christian privilege isn't just in Texas. It's across the USA, and is a thing in many other countries as well, including the UK (and whether we're talking "first-world" countries or "third-world"). It is pervasive, and hence, should be acknowledged rather than dismissed.
And "Muslim privilege" is not a legitimate sociology term AFAIK. But feel free to use that as a red herring either way, lol.
Quote:My background is working class northern England. Whatever religious prejudice I've encountered has been minor and very variable from situation to situation. If they were major than those individual instances of religious prejudice is what I would make a fuss over, but not some vague overall notion of Christian privilege that has had very little if any detrimental affect on my life as an atheist.
I suppose that's very specific to my own situation, I don't have much power in terms of persuading people in other parts of the world how to act, making a fuss over the unjust privilege I see around me is pretty much the extent I can affect unjust privilege in the world.
Keep in mind that just because you profess atheism doesn't necessarily mean you no longer have Christian privilege, if you come from a Christian background that is.
And let me link you to clear examples of Christian privilege:
http://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2012...-privileg/
