The forum has been very much focused on AI safety for some time now, thought I’d post something different for a change. Privilege.
Here I define Privilege as an advantage over others that is invisible to the beholder. [EDIT: thanks to JenniferRM for pointing out that “beholder” is a wrong word.] This may not be the only definition, or the central definition, or not how you see it, but that’s the definition I use for the purposes of this post. I also do not mean it in the culture-war sense as a way to undercut others as in “check your privilege”. My point is that we all have some privileges [we are not aware of], and also that nearly each one has a flip side.
On to the examples, as non-polarizing as I could think of, so no focus on race or gender:
Intelligence privilege. This one ought to be familiar to the regulars, but is often a blind spot. One manifestation of it being a privilege (i.e. being unaware that you have something others do not) is saying something like “anyone can learn calculus”. No, not anyone.
Health privilege. Most healthy people don’t give a second thought to how lucky they are compared to those who struggle physically or mentally to just get through the day.
Conventional beauty privilege. Everything is just invisibly easier when you look good. The flip side, of course, is that you have to deal with harassment a lot more. Or the judgment “you got where you are because of your looks”.
A reasonably happy childhood privilege. Those who grew up in “normal” families rarely appreciate what it is like to be a child with a high ACE score. The flip side is the determination to get ahead that some high-adversity survivors develop.
Having an instinctive social “game”. Not just for dating, but in general social interactions where a person is naturally likable and relatable, at least on the surface level. If you have that, you probably can’t understand why others do not. Saying “I just go and talk to them, why don’t you do the same, just be yourself” is an indicator of having this privilege.
Wealth privilege. Not, like, billionaire-level, but middle- and upper middle class vs, say, working poor.
A host of others, like education, location, culture, background...
One lesson to take from this is learning to notice this blind spot, where you naturally have something others do not, and it feels like nothing, like clean air without any wind. A possible suggestion as to how to go about it might be to focus on the feeling of being unable to relate to a person or to a group. Something like “I cannot imagine why/how anyone would/would not [be able to] do/feel/think X” can be an indicator of having something others do not.
On Privilege
The forum has been very much focused on AI safety for some time now, thought I’d post something different for a change. Privilege.
Here I define Privilege as an advantage over others that is invisible to the
beholder. [EDIT: thanks to JenniferRM for pointing out that “beholder” is a wrong word.] This may not be the only definition, or the central definition, or not how you see it, but that’s the definition I use for the purposes of this post. I also do not mean it in the culture-war sense as a way to undercut others as in “check your privilege”. My point is that we all have some privileges [we are not aware of], and also that nearly each one has a flip side.In some way this is the inverse of The Lens That Does Not See Its Flaws: The lens that does not see its strengths.
On to the examples, as non-polarizing as I could think of, so no focus on race or gender:
Intelligence privilege. This one ought to be familiar to the regulars, but is often a blind spot. One manifestation of it being a privilege (i.e. being unaware that you have something others do not) is saying something like “anyone can learn calculus”. No, not anyone.
Health privilege. Most healthy people don’t give a second thought to how lucky they are compared to those who struggle physically or mentally to just get through the day.
Conventional beauty privilege. Everything is just invisibly easier when you look good. The flip side, of course, is that you have to deal with harassment a lot more. Or the judgment “you got where you are because of your looks”.
A reasonably happy childhood privilege. Those who grew up in “normal” families rarely appreciate what it is like to be a child with a high ACE score. The flip side is the determination to get ahead that some high-adversity survivors develop.
Having an instinctive social “game”. Not just for dating, but in general social interactions where a person is naturally likable and relatable, at least on the surface level. If you have that, you probably can’t understand why others do not. Saying “I just go and talk to them, why don’t you do the same, just be yourself” is an indicator of having this privilege.
Wealth privilege. Not, like, billionaire-level, but middle- and upper middle class vs, say, working poor.
A host of others, like education, location, culture, background...
One lesson to take from this is learning to notice this blind spot, where you naturally have something others do not, and it feels like nothing, like clean air without any wind. A possible suggestion as to how to go about it might be to focus on the feeling of being unable to relate to a person or to a group. Something like “I cannot imagine why/how anyone would/would not [be able to] do/feel/think X” can be an indicator of having something others do not.