7. You have water piped to your house and can drink it right out of the tap.

Most of the world's population can't say that. Our neighbors to the south can't say that, they either boil their water or use a water service to deliver potable water by the 5 gallon jug, mostly because their infrastructure is old and needs extensive repair and the country just can't afford it.

I've had to use a water service when the military contaminated town wells. It's a pain in the ass.

When you've been forced to use a water service for a while, the thought of using bottled water as conspicuous consumption becomes repellent. I do use a filter because I'm close to a pumping station and it comes out of the tap smelling like Clorox and makes my tea weird. But bottled water? No way. It's just laying privilege on top of privilege.

For the planet, all those gazillions of plastic bottles.

How on earth Madison Ave (orwhatever) convinced Murkans that it made sense to pay good money for what they could get nearly for free is utterly beyond me. Stupid, stupid people to be conned into this.

Everybody's seen how a 5-cent cuppa has become a $5 superchai. Given the propensity of the empty empathy ##-somethings to spend money on total non-necessities, the corps would really like to help out.

Asanti or Fuji (pardon me if I don't remember the spellings) for $1.xx/pint! Anybody remember when Perrier was caught taking tap water and adding CO2 and calling it special? Or Coors piss coming from Rocky Mountain streams?

With the Middle East set to ramp up its temperatures to 130-140(F), water will be worth more than gold. Arizona, Mexico, San Diego? There will be corps ready to sell it to you.

...look just like Baby Bottles. I have always found that laughable to see an adult drinking from a Baby Bottle.

However if you're ever out and have to get a bottle of water because you're parched and far from home, get one with the valve. They fit on the tops of some other bottles, most notably cider vinegar, and can be very useful that way.

see here: takes stainless steel canteen to tap, fills canteen, drinks mmmhmmm!

i have however lived places where filtration or boiling was needed

:-p

bought bottled water is such a waste

cheched when buying. I didn't want to deal with the stench of sulfur water, not to mention the horrible taste.

along with hard work.

THANK STABLE GOVERNMENT is probably the most important!

By most people's definition, a privilege is an 'extra' that one should not expect.

These things should be basic rights.

The fact that some cannot avail themselves of these rights is what we need to correct.

I do disagree with you, because these things sadly are privileges and not rights. They s/b but they're not.

"That's a privilege, not a right" is a typical way of telling people that whatever's under discussion can be legitimately taken away from them if they don't follow some protocol or other.

They should be but they're not. We don't have a good enough government to make them rights.

Starbucks as a right???

on the way to work is an old tradition in this country. It used to be you could actually sit down and eat in place rather than gulp your food while driving your car!

the OUTRAGE i tell you!

These kids really feel sorry for us..

them in this thread.

Otherwise, those of us who help these type of people no matter what else is going on, will continue to.

According to most New Englanders

Everyone should have them and to argue that it is a privilege is to allow the super rich to take them away.

have a basic right to them right now.

If these are privileges, then no one has a right to expect them.

Therefore, if you don't have them ... tough shit, they are privileges, not rights.

Put it this way, you can sue for violation or denial of your civil rights.

You cannot sue for violation or denial of ANY privileges.

Has taken on the meaning of: " benefits afforded based on status" (whatever that status might be, i.e., race, gender, economic standing).

Which helps no one. But apparently assuages guilt though some sort of post-modern confessional.

2. No, not yet. Going soon to a Diner by my work.
3. No. At work now.
4. Yes. I have a car.
5. I work more hours than I am paid for.
6. No
7. Not really sure how a yes answer to any of these means that I have class privilege.

Eventually everyone will belong to at least one group.

Of course then we'll need a cheat sheet to see who has the higher hand in the game.

or not...

i drove to work and called in sick.

they talk about others' lives, they aren't talking about YOU! What's wrong with them???

These are rights that we have thanks to UNIONS and the literal blood they shed to get us those rights.

They have nothing to do with class privilege, they are benefits wrested by the workers for the workers from capital.

THAT SHOULD NEVER BE FORGOTTEN!!



on edit: typo

Or is it all those low-wage, part-time workers fault that they don't have a union?

Those came to us (workers) because of workers fighting for rights.

All workers SHOULD have them, but that ANYONE has them has to do with workers fighting for it.
They are not due to "privilege."

I would guess many of those workers that fought would disagree mightily with you.

It was never an issue for those with capital. They could work, or not, as they chose.

And fighting so everyone has it. If everyone has it, it's no longer a privilege. Acknowledging and reinforcing the ideal that they're privileges, which everyone already knows, isn't the way to convince people they should be rights.

ETA you can see how that affects people. Look at the number of people scoffing at the OP in this thread. It's ingrained that these are privileges that not everyone should have.

Workers' rights, in my mind, should never be thought of as privileges.
Too many fought, suffered, and even died for them.

And, has been pointed out on this thread, far too many still labor without them.

There was just a lot of "they're privileges get over it just work harder duh" in this thread for various different reasons. I think class does have a lot to do with it. The stronger our Unions, the healthier and more robust our middle class is.

What am I supposed to do, self flagellate daily to punish myself?

Yes, I know I have it better than most people on the planet but I'm tired of apologizing for not living in a 3rd world hell hole where you can't drink the water.

much of the comparisons are applicable to the poor in America

Instead of "punishing yourself", the point would be to try and get those "privileges" for more people. For example, by supporting politicians who fight for a living wage, or paid sick days.

People pointing out these advantages are not demanding everyone be torn down to the lowest common denominator. That's the claim the right makes in order to continue the fight between different groups.

In reality, we do not need to rip everyone down to the bottom. We can work to move the bottom up.

Which the self-centered whiners never seem to have any interest in doing.

Or you could sit back and whine about having to read posts about your privilege.

Define class privilege.

1. You Woke Up Well Rested - Gee, after a 12 hour work day I went to bed at 10 p.m. and woke up at 4:30, well rested, and started work by 6 a.m.. A good night's sleep isn't privilege. It's planning and common sense.

2. You Paid for Convenience - Define convenience. A flush toilet is a convenience. In the woods, a latrine with a roll of toilet paper on a nearby branch is a convenience.

3. You Called in Sick - I called in sick a few weeks ago. I didn't get paid for the sick day. This isn't class privilege; it's the reason we fucking have unions.

4. You Used Your Car or Took Reliable Public Transit - This is just stupid. This isn't class privilege, it's living within walking distance of a bus station or carpooling or just keeping your shit together so you can make it to work.

5. You Got Paid for All Your Hours at Work - Not a class privilege, but a fucking reason to be in a union. As a small business owner, I can guarantee you I rarely receive pay for all the hours I work. In fact, fuck this shit. Today was fucking payday, and I am the lowest paid employee in my company and guess what? I didn't pay myself today, because I had to make sure the paychecks I did sign wouldn't bounce. When an employer pays you for all the hours you worked, it is because that employer has integrity, not because of class privilege.

6. You Bought Fresh, Healthy Food at the Grocery Store - Define fresh. Is unspoiled milk fresh? Is raman that is sold before its sell by date fresh? Fresh vegetables are cheaper than convenience food. Buying quality food isn't privilege, it's about making smart choices. I can buy six cans of Hormel chili, but instead I purchase the ingredients for much less and make a better chili.

This OP is stupid (the article. I don't know enough about the person who posted it to determine what ther deal is). Feel guilty if you want about "class privilege" when all you are doing is what everyone else is doing, trying to make your way with as much dignity as you can muster and the resources available.

Very good points !

Absolutely perfect.

And yes, that article is insipid.

I should have used that rather than "stupid". Thanks. I'll write better next time.

And yet, I vote for Bernie. Because I'm not the type to pull the ladder up behind me.

I'm thankful to be in a comfortable financial position. I'd like more people to share that security, and that's what drives my support for Bernie Sanders.

I am fortunate and I feel blessed, not guilty. This isn't about self-flagellation, it's about acknowledging there are widespread inequities that are pretty basic, that affect daily quality of life, and being thankful if you can say yes to most, if not all, the items listed.

The bristling self-defensiveness in this thread is really puzzling. Nobody is calling on the fortunate to throw themselves off a bridge in remorse, or even to give up their benefits. What is so difficult about saying "I'm really blessed to not have to worry about these six things."?

You can be one of the fortunate without being scum. Stop acting as if it's a slur on your honor.

with campus Hoxhaites to let something go without examining the ways in which it's used as a vehicle for Avakian-style vicarious guilt ...

other than that I am a chronic insomniac, eat processed foods, haven't called in sick since 2001, etc.

Same here, Skittles. I sleep in short bursts that add up to around 3 and a half hours a night. It doesn't drag me down, but i'm guessing it will shorten my life.

I routinely work 12 hour night shifts on 4 or 5 hours of sleep, but every three or four weeks on a night off I will sleep 9 -11 hours - I think that is how I survive

When did it become fashionable on DU to make fun of the idea that there are those in this country who have lives that are unnecessarily difficult?

When did DU stop acknowledging that it is a Democratic value to try and address those unnecessary difficulties that others experience?

There are a bunch of petulant freaks in this thread complaining, "I'm so tired of hearing that I have advantages that other people don't?" Well too damn bad.

Thank you for spelling out what I have been seeing for some time here.

Does that make me a freeper even though I am voting for Bernie? Responses like yours are divisive... when did that become fashionable on DU?

Please tell me more about my advantages, even though I already know them... I want to hear you say it. It gets me all revved up

It's how we roll...

Agree or die.

your entitlements. That seems to be how some here roll.

The DU club of petulant infants.

We don't have to bring everyone down to the bottom. We can work to bring "the bottom" up.

That requires understanding what advantages you have, so we can work to get those advantages to more people.

The people on the right claim that the only solution to these kinds of inequality is to rip everyone down to the bottom. Because that way they can keep lots of groups fighting each other.

The reality is we can also work to bring the bottom up. Mandatory paid sick days do not take away your paid sick days.

As for when it infected our party, that would be the late 1980s and early 1990s when the DLC infested the party.

thread who can't seem to understand that.

Thinking the same thing!

Democratic Party has become.

I hope they are trolls. But I don't think so.

That's the day everything changed on DU.

Maybe 4/6, does having a mild hangover count as well rested?

Did not call in sick. Actually worked today.

Working sucks. See the end, tho.

Meaning that a smaller group is just average. In fact, not just a smaller group, but an overlapping set of smaller groups.

Odd semantic shift--the disadvantaged are now viewed as the norm, and the majority viewed as above average.

A semantic shift that I reject as an unwieldy, unnecessary imposition, as an attempt to redefine things in such a way as to manipulate others. Don't like manipulation.

We can also work to get those advantages to more people.

I never lived in a very poor urban setting, so "food deserts" was not something I knew about growing up. Someone had to point them out to me in order for me to learn about the problem, so that I can work to do something to eliminate them.

Learning about food deserts did not require me to create more of them, or move to one.

just because they drive to work. And trying to make such people feel guilty is unlikely to help much imo

Again, they are not required to give up their advantage.

and my son enjoys the same at his current position.

Union Privilege FTW,some College Grads made more,but it was like 2%.

If you are capable of building tall buildings efficiently,you can make a ton of money in months,years ...

If I have access to clean water, that is privilege compared to the 1 billion people without that luxury.

If I own a computer or cell phone and use it to get online and complain about lack of privilege, I have privilege over somebody without electricity.

feeling bad for getting to eat vegetables at dinner or get a full night's sleep? Because in spite of protestations to the contrary, 'privilege' has certainly become a code word for stuff people are supposed to feel vaguely bad about. Tossing the word about does absolutely nothing to address the injustices that abound in our society - none of which are fixed by going without vegetables, coffee, or sleep.

Having never lived in an extremely poor urban environment, I didn't know vegetables were an advantage I had. (Not due to this article, I learned it long ago, but there was a time I didn't know it)

That doesn't make me bad for having them. It means I need to work to get that advantage to more people.

our society to be decent to all its citizens.

But for those who think everything is about them, and who can't see beyond themselves, you are right. Entitlement must seem like a word that is used to make them feel guilty.

Because they think everything is about themselves, it is not surprising that a reminder that there are people who don't have access to sleep or vegetables would be seen as a criticism of themselves.

It is not surprising that they would never give a thought to those people who don't have access to sleep and vegetables.

It's the dirty little secret the identity politicos don't want you to know.

Lots of people have sleep issues that have nothing to do with their economic situation. In my case, it's probably my own damn fault (too much screen time before bed, maybe), which is a privilege, I guess. But for a lot of people, because they work too much or have a long commute or whatever, "well-rested" doesn't really happen. So the first one I would say is not entirely correct. We are all chronically sleep-deprived, for whatever reason.

I would also add #7:

Being able to afford surprise medical bills. Even with insurance, the copays and such can be outrageous. I'm facing that myself, but it is still within the realm of affordability. A year ago, it might not have been.

and it is trying to make me feel guilty for having the basics in life."

Or do you read this and think, "There are people out there who don't have these basics that I may not have thought about. When I deal with my employees, I will be more conscious of this." Or, "I had not even thought of these ramifications of poverty. I will take income inequality reduction into account when I vote, because the current levels of income inequality are even more damaging than I though."

Up to you.

shaming might occasionally be effective, but I believe there are better ways, ways that don't need to segregate.
For instance, your reply is thought provoking without creating class silos.

the relative condition of those who have advantages and those who do not.

If you see it as a criticism of you or as shaming toward you or segregating you from others, you are missing the point.

The point is missed because those missing it can't stop seeing themselves as the most important term in every equation.

There are better ways to talk about (and do something about) poverty than to post dumb lists that imply 'privilege' (and deny all you want but that word is currently used disparagingly) because you eat fresh vegetables.

There's a common wisdom about communicating effectively where using 'you statements' immediately puts the listener on the defensive and thus generally shuts down communication.

It seems the word 'privilege' is more often than not used for what *should* be basic rights or a decent standard of living for everyone. The problem isn't that some people are granted those rights but that others are denied them. I agree that there needs to be awareness of that fact, but calling Rights a privilege has a whole lot of problems starting with the implication that they are something that can be taken away if a person isn't behaved.

... at a local polo match.

It's not easy, repairing holes in the lawn while not spilling the champagne.

No class privilege here.

I know it. I'm not defensive about it, I am thankful. I realize my privilege has much to do with where I was born and my skin color and nothing to do with my value as a human being.

Some people don't have enough money to pay for a lot of stuff, maybe not even rent or food. Film at 11.

Before anyone starts lecturing me, whoever you are, I bet I grew up with a lot less than you did.

"Money is the root of all wealth....."