Pleiades Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Are you a male? Check your privilege! Are you white? Check your privilege! Are you heterosexual? Check your privilege! There. Now that you've shut up the world has become a better place for the "disadvantaged". I'm not sure how prevelant the "Check your Privilege" ad hominem retort still is, but it's aggravatingly flawed, as most ad hominem attacks are. I'm going to ignore the major problems with it (such as how insultingly dismissive it is, how it ignores counter evidence, and stimies intelligent conversation) and I'm going to focus on the attitude of the people who use this approach. Checking privilege doesn't help anyone, but the people who spout this act like it does. They actively ignore contributing factors to success, and eliminate responsibility and agency from failing groups. Success is generally a combination of work, luck and determination. You can be successful without one of those three, but it may not be sustainable or long-term success. When you focus on the symptons of failure without looking at the cures or causes then you're guaranteed to perpetuate failues in those groups. Then there's a false dichotomy of privileged groups and non-privileged groups. There are privileged whites and non-privileged whites. The same goes for males and heterosexuals. And privilege can be earned. But instead of grouping based on skin colour, gender or sexual orientation, why don't we base our comparisons on the privileged versus the non-privileged (as per Dr. Thomas Sowell's comments). Then we can truly help people. For added fun: Translation: when you judge people based on their skin colour then you're a racist. When you don't judge people based on their skin colour then you're a racist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Beal Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 I have the privilege of having my thoughts and feelings rejected whenever I talk about issues of gender or race. I am overcome with joy and relief in this, my high status as a white male. The patriarchs still won't let me participate in their smokey underground meetings, though. I'll just have to take out my aggression on the closest woman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatrickC Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 I feel very 'privileged' that I found philosophy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsayers Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 I'm one of the lucky few apparently. I hadn't even heard this phrase until a couple weeks ago and still only have a pedestrian understanding of what it's supposed to mean. Ignorance is bliss! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpus mentium Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 I'm one of the lucky few apparently. I hadn't even heard this phrase until a couple weeks ago and still only have a pedestrian understanding of what it's supposed to mean. Ignorance is bliss! I first heard it only a few months ago myself. The best I can tell is that it means STFU, rip your vocal cords out, castrate yourself, listen, and obey. P.S. And, if possible, make sure to paint your skin any color other than white. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanT Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Checking privilege doesn't help anyone, but the people who spout this act like it does. When I read that line I subconsciously knocked off the last 4 words, 'checking privilege doesn't help anyone but the people who spout this' I seeing a meme a while ago about Tim Wise, one of the main mouthpieces for 'white privilege', apparently he lives in a home valued at around $600,000..in a 97% white neighborhood. Quite the 'privileged' life eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Beal Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 I seeing a meme a while ago about Tim Wise, one of the main mouthpieces for 'white privilege', apparently he lives in a home valued at around $600,000..in a 97% white neighborhood. Quite the 'privileged' life eh? And he uses that as proof that white men are privileged: because he is. There's just no winning with that guy, haha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpus mentium Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 You really can't win, which can be seen in other feminist-related situations as well. I see it kind of like a BASIC program. 10 IF you have a product with males and no females on it, THEN they will protest, “Womyn can do that too!! This product must also have womyn on it!!”20 IF you have a product with both males and females on it, THEN they will protest, “Womyn can do that perfectly fine by themselves!! How DARE you say that womyn are weak!!”30 IF you have a product with females and no males on it, THEN they will protest, “You are gender stereotyping and patriarchally forcing womyn into these roles of submission!!”40 IF you have male oriented products displayed next to female oriented products, THEN they will protest, “Sexism! Why can't it all be unisex?!”50 IF you have unisex products, THEN they will protest, “This is oppression! The patriarchy is erasing womyn from society!!! Why can't we have products just for us?” GOTO 3060 PRINT “WIN!”70 END syntax error BTW Anyone hiring a BASIC programmer with 20+ years retirement experience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanT Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 And he uses that as proof that white men are privileged: because he is. There's just no winning with that guy, haha! Just have to look at Marx.... or all those feminists who end up continually dating dicks, 'Check your Projection'? LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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