When "Life Hacking" Is Really White Privilege

medium.com

10 points·kartikt··6 comments

Preface: I am white, and I did not read the entire article.

The initial example is cute. A white guy cuts the line and acts like an ass, therefore it is white privilege, not an individual jerk.

What would I be called if I thought the same thing about a black person? A woman?

Maybe the other examples are more spot on, but if you just jump to race as the "why" people do things, instead of individual bad actors trying to game the system, you are just another type of bigot.

I agree. Found this on twitter so decided to post it here.

Individual cases can of course always be dismissed, but I think the author does a very good job at showing there's a broader social dynamic at play. This piece is worth reading to the end.

I feel that all-to-often, these articles fall into the same trap that other prejudicial viewpoints do. If the summation of your viewpoint is "He/she must be acting this way because they are _____" and the blank is race/gender, then you are judging an individual based on stereotypes. This shouldn't be acceptable, and it's hypocritical.

Usage of the word 'privilege' in this context has been really rustling my jimmies lately.

It's true, the word seems to be in use a lot lately. However, "privilege" just happens to be the word in the English language for when a social group gets preferential treatment -- or literally, their own "private law" -- rather than being subject to the laws that apply to the broader public. In times of massive inequality such as we're experiencing, this is a bound to be a major issue, so I'm afraid you're going to have your jimmies rustled some more.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com