General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Yes, acknowledging privilege is hard work. [View all]hfojvt
(37,573 posts)otherwise Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey and Serena Williams are all part of an "oppressed group".
Okay, take away the fame, how are the 3 million plus black households with over $100,000 in net worth, part of an "oppressed group"?
Go even further than that, how is my black co-worker part of an "oppressed group"? He's got almost the same job I do. In fact, he has the job that I wanted. How is he any more oppressed than I am?
And, once again, to claim that "privilege is the opposite of oppression" is to say that "everybody should be oppressed".
Life, I would say, is often like a long walk through a minefield. Some people for whatever reason, have more mines to dodge than others. But having 20% fewer mines to dodge really isn't a privilege when one still has a long, tiring, and dangerous walk to go on. My walk, is NOT a cakewalk. In fact, it is a harder walk than Michelle Obama's. She, after all, is privileged to fly right over that minefield while most of the rest of us have to walk.
That, being able to fly above, would be a privilege.