Check your Privilage!

anillop · 2010-11-17T21:32:22+00:00

Well I would suggest bringing this up at the next Patriarchy meeting. Apparently you didn't get the memo that explains how you can get everything handed to you on a silver platter. Don't worry its a fairly common oversight. Some times we just get so busy oppressing people that we forget to send out all our paperwork to the right address.

aetheralloy · 2010-11-17T18:28:51+00:00

You have to remember the relativity at play here.

When an American white female feminist says to a man "check your privilege", what she is really saying is "don't ask me to check my own"

It is basically a way of trying to claim to be right, because of being the underdog in some way. So while a poor non-white trans person living in Iran might realistically be able to say "I'm not sure an american straight white male understands they have an advantage", it is just as easily used by a spoiled rich girl in college to try to silence criticism too.

"Check your privilege!" is just another feminist linguistic trick - an ad hominem attack - a way to try to discredit a person rather than their points. The fact that it is so often used by still incredibly privileged people against others is just simple hypocrisy.

That said, it is also important to see clearly where we do have advantages and do have disadvantages. Certainly I think men enjoy certain privileges, but overall I do not think we enjoy more privileges than women either. Being able to look at that honestly is important too... but when used as a weapon against you, it isn't someone trying to open your mind - it is a debate technique to try and discredit you as a person and deflect criticism from them.

kloo2yoo · 2010-11-17T19:34:55+00:00

the yacht, limo, and mansion that every white male is assigned somehow got lost en route to me.

Sarcasticus · 2010-11-17T20:12:18+00:00

Psssh. Fuck that noise.

Divide people up into any group you like. There are advantages and disadvantages for each group. No one group has only advantages.

Check your privilege is stupid. Mostly said by college-educated, Western women - who live in the richest countries on earth, who have never had more privileges and freedoms than ever before.

TerribleAtPuns · 2010-11-17T21:17:23+00:00

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Leprecon · 2010-11-17T20:18:03+00:00

It an easy way to dismiss an argument without examining it. "Oh, you are a white male? That means you are privileged and not authorised to talk about certain stuff"

2010-11-18T00:34:08+00:00

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stemgang · 2010-11-18T01:01:58+00:00

"Check your privilege" is code for "I can't refute your argument, so I'm going to accuse of having not suffered enough."

myevillaugh · 2010-11-18T04:56:22+00:00

We can pee standing up. I think it all stems from jealousy of that innate skill.

Shuttlecock · 2010-11-17T23:06:21+00:00

in feminist discourse it isn't about logic or reason. It's about who can play the victim card the most.

DougDante · 2010-11-18T05:04:44+00:00

If you're unmarried and have a child, you often have the legal privilege of being automatically stripped of your right to take your own child to the doctor's office, based only on your gender.

Enjoy it.

XFDRaven · 2010-11-17T18:49:27+00:00

I’m a poor, single underemployed white guy living in a shitty area wondering what I have to do to get some of these special privileges. Because I could use some around now.

We all are...that's why they have to keep telling us that not only are we 'priveleged', but we just can't see it because we're so used to it...

It's bullshit and lies meant to keep men from complaining or noticing their actual social station.

Sorta like a wimpy lil dude constantly 'flattering' a bigger dude, while taking advantage of both him, and his 'protective' aspects (size). Think "Oh, you Americans have SUCH big penises" scene from South Park, the Movie...then you'll get it.

Shuttlecock · 2010-11-18T06:44:34+00:00

Not only am I one of three white guys on a payroll of over 50 people, but half the customers at our store are from mexico. I'm currently trying to learn spanish just so I don't have to bother the other employees every 5 minutes to talk to the customers.

Shuttlecock · 2010-11-18T06:46:54+00:00

we should seriously start beating feminists at their own game. If only for the fact that were right when we say they're privileged.

neofool · 2010-11-18T07:57:42+00:00

I'm unaware of any privilege. I'm poor, unemployed but since I'm a white male I'm told I have privilege. When you are looking at who controls society one is better off looking at economic instead of racial/gender classes. The rich control society regardless of their sex or race.

mean0dean0 · 2010-11-18T15:45:47+00:00

"Defacto members of the ruling class" -- mid-80's neo-Marxist garbage... the only people that are the "ruling class" are beltway insiders and lobbyists in DC. All the rest of us, as the saying goes, are Nixon's niggers.

whuuh · 2010-11-18T17:04:43+00:00

Short answer: Groups, not individuals, are privileged.

Checking you privilege as an individual is as nuts a asking someone else to.

pcarvious · 2010-11-17T22:00:46+00:00

yes, check your privilege...now with super-handy numerical reference!

Elesia · 2010-11-17T23:20:44+00:00

I've looked over the comments, and I think my thoughts and feelings have been adequately covered, and I smacked down the trolls, so I have one more thought to add.

I've been downvoted in here for saying this before, but PLEASE!

IT'S PRIVILEGE, GUYS!

People will not take you seriously until your arguments are smart, solid, sound, and are completely solid in BOTH SPELLING AND GRAMMAR!

Downvote me if you want, I'm starting to get used to it, but please, guys, you have valid points that I'd like to see you take to the outside world. They're not going to take you seriously if you're making mistakes that Microsoft Word will catch for you.

walkngonawire · 2010-11-17T19:56:06+00:00

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bowling4meth · 2010-11-18T00:18:46+00:00

If you're a white male and you live in a poor area, you're just as privileged as the white guy that lives in a nice house with a big garden and a nice family. The only difference is that while there may be groups for less privileged people, such as those who are not white, not male or both, you're not allowed to have those groups because you're as privileged as the rich white male guy. For this you should be grateful, as a kick in the teeth often offends.

When people take the question of equality and turn it on it's head to promote a 'compensatory agenda', what they're really doing is promoting division. Division between the people who may have historically had some privilege in many cases and the had nots, and division between the people in the shit now, and the people in the shit now who are of a paler colour, or of a particular sex. It's a false dichotomy that affirmative action can lead to equality. Only equality can lead to equality.

shinyatsya · 2010-11-17T21:34:13+00:00

You guys are being a little silly here. It's not about getting a free yacht, it's about increased social access. Straight privilege = being able to hold hands with your girlfriend without people saying you are flaunting your sexuality. Male privilege = being seen as an individual rather than a sex object, or being seen as capable or handy.

If you're poor, it doesn't mean you don't have male or straight privilege.

Of course, you don't have to agree, but I'm explaining the poverty/gender difference.

uberlizard · 2010-11-18T04:43:26+00:00

You only get to exercise your white, straight male "privilege" if you have the money, status and connections to do so. Being poor is the new "Black" You only have rights and privileges as far as you have money and time off to defend them. Look in your bank account. That's the extent of your rights.

enkeps · 2010-11-17T21:35:15+00:00

I was wondering… does anyone else seem to be missing their privilege? Because I honestly do not see any of these advantages. What exactly do we get that others don’t?

The irony in this is that the privilege we feminists refer to when we ask you to "check your privilege" is being in a privileged position as men therefore not seeing how disadvantaged women are. When we say "check your privilege", it does not mean "you are a man, so you have no say". I am a man, for example, but also a radical feminist. The "check your privilege"-line is ususally used as a retort against arguments such as "I sure can't see what's so bad about being a woman" and using that as a reason for claiming that women are not underprivileged.

In almost every case where I have seen/heard someone say "check your privilege", it's been a case where the other person has clearly used their position as a privileged person to put down the other one. Usually not consciously, I must note! But the societal norms of men being allowed more room and to disregard women's very real concerns are there.

Yes, men are victims of "patriarchy" (which is NOT a "cabal of men", but a system of norms, values etc. where men are thought of as the norm, and women as some weird offshoot of that norm) too. Heck, I subscribe to this subreddit, not only because I want you to know that feminists are not misandrists, but because I care about many of the MR movement's issues. However, men being victims does not invalidate the fact that, in a lot of cases, women are worse off.

Feminism has a lot to say about why men are treated as badly as they are, things that would be very useful to a movement that supports the rights of men. In ignoring those, you ignore a long tradition full of intricate analysis, and bash the very ideology that could break the wall between the sexes. Even if a lot of feminists may be assholes, that is not an excuse to ignore the good ideas in feminism and there truly are a lot of them. In fact, a lot of feminists are assholes because they're not enough of feminists, and let their struggle be guided by "manly" ideals: "Men have been assholes for long, now women should be able to be too"... Instead of the more feminist way: taking the best from the ideals from both sexes and discarding the bad parts. Another issue is the focus on men's violence to women, which is not critized because (among other things) women are viewed as passive and weak, unable to do such things. Feminism is precisely about challenging such ideas, saying that "Hey, of course women are able to batter their spouses", but also that it is wrong.

Personally, I find that the terms patriarchy and feminism don't do the movement justice, but there are historical reasons for them being that way - it's not because feminism as an ideology is about conspiring for women's world domination - it's because it was women who started to confront the division of gender. But it's purely a cosmetical issue. It's like saying that Men's Rights people want to have men dominate the world, because they only have "Men" in their title.

Thank you for reading. That's all I can muster for now.

unbibium · 2010-11-17T21:26:47+00:00

White people have the privilege of not looking suspicious to law enforcement by just walking around. I, for example, have never been in a car that's been pulled over. Also, if I hail a taxi, it will stop for me.

These are the most concrete examples that probably affect your life the most. They're not really privileges, in that they're really dignities that everyone would have in a fair and just society, and large swaths of the population don't feel like they have them.

jaxxed · 2010-11-18T03:09:53+00:00

why don't you try walking the streets at night, sleeping around (publicly) without socially paying for it ... oh yeah, and peeing standing up, and no mentrating.

Or how about getting fat, not having to wear makeup to be considered attractive ...

Did we talk about statistically higher salaries on statistically less work?

You could create a child and walk away from it (I mean it's much easier)

If you're young and poor then your not in the right place to really see it, but it's still there. Sure things are better than they used to be, but they're not equal socially, financially, sexually.

suburbanite · 2010-11-18T03:26:24+00:00

My monocle is often smudged, and my top hat weighs as heavily on my head as my laden purse does upon my belt. Surely, I've no privilege of note!

valerie_z · 2010-11-18T02:47:36+00:00

People treat you differently because you are a straight white man. There are certain prejudices that you will never have to worry about because you are a straight white man. It's not that there's secret white-dude gold that you get when you're born. It's that other people get treated poorly in a way you will never have to deal with, so it would be kind of you to be aware of that.

matt_512 · 2010-11-18T03:21:09+00:00

I'm probably gonna get downvoted into oblivion, but I think that what they mean is that men have a higher average income than women. Not defending that point, but you guys are attacking a straw man.

Check your Privilage!

Comments

Definitions of patriarchy:

The US is not a patriarchy

Title	Check your Privilage!
Author	[deleted]
Upvotes	66
Comments	210
Date	November 17, 2010 6:24 PM UTC (15 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/e7muk/check_your_privilage/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/check-your-privilage.1045924 https://theredarchive.com/post/1045924