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privilege

Buzzfeed
Posted on in Culture/Politics

Buzzfeed’s Privilege Checklist Is Pointless Exercise In Stupidity

I’ve visited Buzzfeed three times. The first time was to take a silly little test to find out which Batman villain I am (turned out to be Bane, no surprises there) and the second was to read a piece called “43 Inconceivable Facts About “The Princess Bride” You Probably Never Knew.” These first two encounters were innocent and banal but they were also intended to amuse me, which they did to a slight degree. My third visit to Buzzfeed, however, was amusing but not deliberately so. The banality of this content wasn’t premeditated, it wasn’t part of the act. No,… Keep Reading

Posted on in History/Law/Politics

The Privilege of Protest

Since Donald Trump won the presidential election in November, and even more so since the inauguration, certain individuals and groups have been in a state of panic. People have taken to the streets in protest.  Judging from the number and frequency of protests since President Trump’s inauguration, it would seem the very future of our republic, society, and most cherished rights are currently under constant threat. Yet, our lives and liberties have actually never been better. Material wealth, social progress, and peaceful conditions are necessary conditions of the privilege of protest. The privilege of protest requires material wealth. If you… Keep Reading

Posted on in Culture/Philosophy

The Enduring Importance of Privilege

I am privileged. Despite growing up in a poor family in one of the most impoverished counties in rural North Florida, in a century-old farmhouse with no air conditioning and a woodburning stove that we all had to huddle around in the winter. Despite the fact that after high school I worked construction for $11 an hour with no insurance, sleeping in my car and running the heat ten minutes at a time when the cold of the Iowa winter got too unbearable. Despite the fact I couldn’t afford to finish college, and was too busy making ends meet to exploit some of my talents or… Keep Reading

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