Discussion about this post

User's avatar
John's avatar

About 5 years ago my wife was in conversation with a woman that she was taking a coaching coarse in California with. The other woman (who went to Yale) started to talk to my wife about her "white privilege" and how it was bad. At that point, my wife had to tell her that she was born in rural Ireland in a house with no running water or central heating. Her father, along with all the other men in the village, had to leave their farms, and go to England every year for a month to pick the English potato crop. As an Irish Catholic, until recently if she was entering the US from Canada, where she now lives, she could expect to be questioned about her affiliation with the IRA, as after all, she must be a terrorist.

So much for the assumptions associated with "white privilege".

Expand full comment
PJ Alexander's avatar

I think most of us living so called regular lives know by now the privilege/circumstance which makes the most difference in most folks’ lives is economic. But it doesn’t get air time because it would require the most self-examination, acts of will, and plain work. Easy for our PM to walk in a pride parade and bang on about whatever immutable characteristics + privilege. Not so easy to solve the mess that is the Canadian housing crisis. It speaks to my fatigue around such things that I almost feel relieved now when I encounter someone who has economic ‘privilege’ and just lives their life without apology or self-recrimination. It may not be generous but at least it’s honest.

Expand full comment
14 more comments...

No posts