Being born and living in a developed country. It feels pretty shitty when you have to dial with a pile of papers and almost imposible requirements just to get visa – an opportunity to work and live like a person. I am not telling that everything’s immediately perfect but it’s so great to have a good, solid foundation for start
Being able to turn off bad news. People being killed because of their race. Being bombed in another country. worrying about walking alone in the dark in your town because you’re a woman. Being able to say “this news is bumming me out and causing me stress, I’m just going to turn it off.” Privilege.
How easy it is to live in US daily. A few friends who have lived all over the world have remarked this experience. They weren’t saying it was necessarily better in all ways…just said easier to live as a whole.
For some reason people think it’s their right to posses a giant box that isn’t on their property and should be able to put it wherever they want when not on their property. Like there are guaranteed volumes of space all over the world.
It’s all privilege, all around. Waking up in a bed by yourself, maybe in your own room…Showering in hot water and doing your business in a toilet that flushes… Having breakfast in the fridge and a car to drive to work… Before I leave the house I’m already ripe with privilege.
Voting. it is a right in the USA, but a privilege that many countries don’t have and so many people just don’t value it. They don’t show up to the polls. Even with expanded voting which, come on, if you can’t be bothered to take an hour or two out of four years to have some say in what is going on now, do you really honestly think you can convince someone you care that much?
Health. Being physically able to do anything. From working to grocery shopping to driving to everything in between.
The chores and errands people consider a nuisance are a pipe dream for others.
ETA: a way people could value their health and use their privilege of health to help others is to practice considerate practices to prevent others from becoming ill😅Stay home when sick, wash your hands, mask if sick, etc etc. So many people develop disabilities from viral infections and it something we as a society can do to help others.
The time and effort your loved ones do to help you with stuff. Whether it’s something medical, financial, or simply just being there to support you in the smallest ways (like keeping the house clean, making food for you to eat after work, and so forth). Don’t take those who love you for granted because they’re the ones who do their best to help you. Especially when they have their own problems to deal with.
Freedom of speech. The fact that we can not only question the government but insult and demean the people in power is something new that has not existed for most of human history.
The rise of ageism both in person and online is an indicator of someone
who didn’t pay attention to what human lifespan was like only 40 years ago.
take life for granted and don’t appreciate all the struggle it took for all of us to get to this point (advances in medicine, technology, agriculture, and lack of predators are the only reasons you and I are even here right now.)
who is incredibly sheltered/immature
are projecting their fear of aging.
So many of our ancestors died by the smallest scrape or cut, suffered and died from what are now preventable illnesses, diseases, etc., dealt with harsh climate, predators….hell, there is no guarantee that you or I will get home safe today (driving is the most dangerous thing we tend to do nowadays.)
As someone who has grown up with a lot of early death in the family, and as someone who has had many profound near-death experiences, I think ageism is fucking stupid. It is a privledge, a luxury, not a guarantee or a right for everyone born. We are all one accident away from death, and it sucks that young people online are essentially making fun of older people for not [checks notes]dying in our mid-twenties. That old lady you see sitting on her porch is what everyone should aspire to be. Treat older people with respect, because we’ll all be there one day, if good health and luck are on our side.
I hope you make it home safe from whereever you are coming or going today. Live to be my age (32) and beyond.
Feeling safe walking in the place that you live. Where grew up. I didn’t worry about anything. I lived in the middle of nowhere. A farm. Even when the power went out, it wasn’t a big deal. Fire up the wood stoves. Maybe, I had a fear of coyotes. Never really saw it until I was later teenager.
I live in South Florida I get scared every single day. Just walking my dogs. Everything is wrong.
Mentors and/or examples that the system works. Growing up in a neighborhood where nobody “makes” it out and the only means to thrive is illicit activities. Why would any kid think that staying in school and getting a decent job is the way to go?
Grew up middle class but in a town that had lots of upper middle class. Saw a lot of people study hard, get good grades, go on to good schools. In college my friends studied hard and not wanting to feel left out, I did too. My parents were proud, but they had the mentality of, “doesn’t matter what your grades are or where you got a degree, it’s what you do with it afterward.” Well, yeah, I guess, but if you go to a good school and get good grades, two things have happened: you’ve already elevated yourself compared to people who went to shitty schools and/or got bad grades. And more importantly, you’ve started a habit of pushing yourself to excel.
If you have people in your life encouraging you to do that, and/or people who are examples of that working, that is a privilege.
A good education. I get so upset with the grammar warrior everywhere. And literacy. I was having a conversation with a family member the other day an older gentleman. I don’t see very often, and we did not communicate very well. Later that night, I learned that he did not know how to read. I felt really ashamed for talking about everything. I read in the newspaper or saw online. Kudos to him for having a successful life, but how do you function without being able to read? I just can’t comprehend it.
Assuming they don’t suck, grandparents. Mine were gone by the time I was 11. I wasn’t close to my mothers parents, my paternal grandmother passed from cancer when I was 6. My grandfather was the only one I really got to know. I’m so jealous when I meet someone in their 40s that still has a grandparent around.
Having a car and being able to drive, I know a handful of young adults who either don’t have their license or have a license but don’t have a car because they can’t afford the costs associated with owning a vehicle.
It’s weird how I feel lucky to have struggled and suffer just enough to appreciate my privilege but not enough to have traumatized me.
If things had been too easy I’d take it for granted, if they had been too hard I would be damaged in ways that make life harder to enjoy. Somehow I got the perfect mix and I’m happier than I ever could’ve hoped to be.
Good health. As someone with chronic illness I see people every day who take their health for granted. Especially infuriating to see alcoholics and drug addicts actively destroy their bodies. I’d trade with anyone in a heartbeat to have good health, imagine not being able to cope with liquor and drugs because your body can’t even handle it. Just you and your demons. People have no fucking idea what they have til it’s gone.
No mental health issues. No depression, anxiety, ADHD.
Living with the three is so much hard work. So much harder than those who are lucky enough not to have them.
Having a good partner. I was in a very physically abusive marriage prior to my current marriage, and I’ve never been happier than knowing I will never ever be strangled, thrown stuff at or have beverages poured over my head. It’s such a blessing to have a partner now that I know nonmatter how bad things get, he will never make me question my physical safety.
Being raised to not be egotistical. Being raised to not expect the sun and the moon from everyone you meet. Being raised to know the world doesn’t revolve around me. Humility is incredibly valuable- and it’s a lost art these days.
Living in the EU: Free movement to so many interesting countries, living in relative safty with a caring wellfare state, a high level of workers and consumer rights and high standards for environmental protection.
Free community college in your state. If you take it seriously you can get into some really good four years with a huge scholarship. Plus if you go to school full time and through the summer you make around 18-20 grand through Pell Grants depending on the state so if you work a part time job on top of that you’ll make plenty of money for rent and food and the coursework is typically a lot easier than a four year but counts for the credits.
A secure home – whether it’s your parents or another family member. Knowing you will never be homeless and somewhere to go to no matter how much you f up in life is a huge security blanket.
Social aptitude. I really struggle with socializing sometimes. It takes me a very long time to get comfortable enough around people to have a concise or genuine conversation instead of spending the whole time trying to think of what to say next. I’m verbally clumsy and terrible at saying what I’m thinking. I really envy you guys who are good at it.
Not thinking about who could be dangerous. I live in a very safe place, but very white. Most white man dont think twice, most white woman think only once. But I know from coming out as gay that it aint like that anymore. I always of everybody around me have to think, will they accept me or would i be safe around them. And i know not only lgbtq+ people have this. Even if we life in a very safe country
People really take running water for granted. It’s the one thing I wanted most, during the flood. I can go without everything else, but the water killed me.
Good parents, people don’t realize how much you NEED a good family in order to be successful in life. Education, especially school, everyone hates it and complains all about it, but only if they knew. Being able to stay warm in winters and cool in summers through air conditioning. having food, heck comfort itself is a privilege people don’t realize they have
Coming from a family or community that lives long. You don’t get it until you talk to someone who’s used to seeing people die in their 40s, 50s, 60s. It shapes so much of how you view and time your life.
Easy access to good food- not like fancy food, but food that is good for you. I’ve lived in urban food deserts and rural food deserts (they do exist). The ability to have a store or delivery readily available with fresh, or even frozen/canned, fruits and veggies is a life changer. Right now, I have to drive over forty minutes on dirt roads for fresh produce and can’t get anything, not even a pizza, delivered. I have access to transportation, but it’s really terrible for my disabled and elderly neighbors who can’t drive and rely on social services (now being cut in the US) or relatives (many of whom are working more rn bc of cuts to childcare or higher prices and can’t afford gas reliably). Produce goes rotten on the shelves, has for years, bc no one can afford it either. Moving back to a big city in a few weeks and the first thing I’m doing is walking to a grocery store and buying some kind of vegetable.
Lots of countries who make up the majority of Reddit’s user base (USA, Canada, UK, other first world nations) don’t realize what a privilege having a first-world passport is
When I go through border patrol as a Canadian, I rarely get a second look. I only have to split for visas when the countries have a blanket rule, and they’re just a formality. I can pick up and go wherever I want to.
Other countries don’t have that luxury at all. Movement is not nearly as free for them.
Comments
Freedom. It’s not free.
Drinking water
Being born and living in a developed country. It feels pretty shitty when you have to dial with a pile of papers and almost imposible requirements just to get visa – an opportunity to work and live like a person. I am not telling that everything’s immediately perfect but it’s so great to have a good, solid foundation for start
Having good parents who enable you to succeed.
Getting to study
Education!
Really solid social skills
social acceptance.
Transportation in childhood. So many kids’ opportunities in childhood revolve around whether someone can get them there or not.
The most valuable thing in this world is health.
Really good relatives and friend. I would die for some of them
Being able to read/ learn
People who genuinely care
The right to vote, and serving in the military.
Clean drinking water.
Life
Having a functioning car.
A home that’s safe.
Food that isn’t contaminated with chemicals
A partner that stands by you in times that are hard as well as easy
Tree’s
Don’t having to worry about work visa.
Air conditioning
Being able to turn off bad news. People being killed because of their race. Being bombed in another country. worrying about walking alone in the dark in your town because you’re a woman. Being able to say “this news is bumming me out and causing me stress, I’m just going to turn it off.” Privilege.
A car
How easy it is to live in US daily. A few friends who have lived all over the world have remarked this experience. They weren’t saying it was necessarily better in all ways…just said easier to live as a whole.
Stable mental health
Having a loving family
Having good parents
Driving / owning a vehicle.
For some reason people think it’s their right to posses a giant box that isn’t on their property and should be able to put it wherever they want when not on their property. Like there are guaranteed volumes of space all over the world.
It’s all privilege, all around. Waking up in a bed by yourself, maybe in your own room…Showering in hot water and doing your business in a toilet that flushes… Having breakfast in the fridge and a car to drive to work… Before I leave the house I’m already ripe with privilege.
Voting. it is a right in the USA, but a privilege that many countries don’t have and so many people just don’t value it. They don’t show up to the polls. Even with expanded voting which, come on, if you can’t be bothered to take an hour or two out of four years to have some say in what is going on now, do you really honestly think you can convince someone you care that much?
Having a friend who is just a phone call away and always cares for and supports you.
Access to good mental health services
Health. Being physically able to do anything. From working to grocery shopping to driving to everything in between.
The chores and errands people consider a nuisance are a pipe dream for others.
ETA: a way people could value their health and use their privilege of health to help others is to practice considerate practices to prevent others from becoming ill😅Stay home when sick, wash your hands, mask if sick, etc etc. So many people develop disabilities from viral infections and it something we as a society can do to help others.
Clean drinking water.
Health
Indoor plumbing
The time and effort your loved ones do to help you with stuff. Whether it’s something medical, financial, or simply just being there to support you in the smallest ways (like keeping the house clean, making food for you to eat after work, and so forth). Don’t take those who love you for granted because they’re the ones who do their best to help you. Especially when they have their own problems to deal with.
Being bored. At home. During your day-off from work.
Parents
Teachers
Coaches
I would say life. I see so many young people throw it a way on stupid things like pride or the rules of the street.
A home you grow up in
Freedom of movement in privately owned vehicles across borders
Real love – in action and feeling that continues for the lifetime.
Freedom of speech. The fact that we can not only question the government but insult and demean the people in power is something new that has not existed for most of human history.
Just every day resources to take care of themselves. Especially when at times when someone wants to get a job or be entertained by some distraction.
Health.
Driving
Aging.
The rise of ageism both in person and online is an indicator of someone
who didn’t pay attention to what human lifespan was like only 40 years ago.
take life for granted and don’t appreciate all the struggle it took for all of us to get to this point (advances in medicine, technology, agriculture, and lack of predators are the only reasons you and I are even here right now.)
who is incredibly sheltered/immature
are projecting their fear of aging.
So many of our ancestors died by the smallest scrape or cut, suffered and died from what are now preventable illnesses, diseases, etc., dealt with harsh climate, predators….hell, there is no guarantee that you or I will get home safe today (driving is the most dangerous thing we tend to do nowadays.)
As someone who has grown up with a lot of early death in the family, and as someone who has had many profound near-death experiences, I think ageism is fucking stupid. It is a privledge, a luxury, not a guarantee or a right for everyone born. We are all one accident away from death, and it sucks that young people online are essentially making fun of older people for not [checks notes] dying in our mid-twenties. That old lady you see sitting on her porch is what everyone should aspire to be. Treat older people with respect, because we’ll all be there one day, if good health and luck are on our side.
I hope you make it home safe from whereever you are coming or going today. Live to be my age (32) and beyond.
Edited for typos
Feeling safe walking in the place that you live. Where grew up. I didn’t worry about anything. I lived in the middle of nowhere. A farm. Even when the power went out, it wasn’t a big deal. Fire up the wood stoves. Maybe, I had a fear of coyotes. Never really saw it until I was later teenager.
I live in South Florida I get scared every single day. Just walking my dogs. Everything is wrong.
White privilege
Working out
Simply having enough to eat, to go to bed without your stomach cramping from hunger pangs
Having such reliable/easy access to clean drinking water that you literally shit in it.
decent parents
Growing up in a warm and loving home with both parents
A good mattress, a blanket and a bed ?? Idk why people don’t talk about it.
Safety, shelter, food
Vision.
Attending church/synagogue/mosque etc
Water
Having access to clean and hot water.
Mentors and/or examples that the system works. Growing up in a neighborhood where nobody “makes” it out and the only means to thrive is illicit activities. Why would any kid think that staying in school and getting a decent job is the way to go?
Grew up middle class but in a town that had lots of upper middle class. Saw a lot of people study hard, get good grades, go on to good schools. In college my friends studied hard and not wanting to feel left out, I did too. My parents were proud, but they had the mentality of, “doesn’t matter what your grades are or where you got a degree, it’s what you do with it afterward.” Well, yeah, I guess, but if you go to a good school and get good grades, two things have happened: you’ve already elevated yourself compared to people who went to shitty schools and/or got bad grades. And more importantly, you’ve started a habit of pushing yourself to excel.
If you have people in your life encouraging you to do that, and/or people who are examples of that working, that is a privilege.
A good education. I get so upset with the grammar warrior everywhere. And literacy. I was having a conversation with a family member the other day an older gentleman. I don’t see very often, and we did not communicate very well. Later that night, I learned that he did not know how to read. I felt really ashamed for talking about everything. I read in the newspaper or saw online. Kudos to him for having a successful life, but how do you function without being able to read? I just can’t comprehend it.
Education.
Assuming they don’t suck, grandparents. Mine were gone by the time I was 11. I wasn’t close to my mothers parents, my paternal grandmother passed from cancer when I was 6. My grandfather was the only one I really got to know. I’m so jealous when I meet someone in their 40s that still has a grandparent around.
having a cat
The ability to have and defend left wing beliefs.
(Also right wing but order reflects the leaning environment of the post)
Pretty privilege/ rich family/ good friends
Stability at home is everything.
Indoor plumbing
Having a functioning body. Or one that‘s not just in pain all the time regardless of how you treat it.
People! Never liked them much myself.
Education.
Having a car and being able to drive, I know a handful of young adults who either don’t have their license or have a license but don’t have a car because they can’t afford the costs associated with owning a vehicle.
Appreciation
It’s weird how I feel lucky to have struggled and suffer just enough to appreciate my privilege but not enough to have traumatized me.
If things had been too easy I’d take it for granted, if they had been too hard I would be damaged in ways that make life harder to enjoy. Somehow I got the perfect mix and I’m happier than I ever could’ve hoped to be.
Good health. As someone with chronic illness I see people every day who take their health for granted. Especially infuriating to see alcoholics and drug addicts actively destroy their bodies. I’d trade with anyone in a heartbeat to have good health, imagine not being able to cope with liquor and drugs because your body can’t even handle it. Just you and your demons. People have no fucking idea what they have til it’s gone.
A quote from a poem I heard recently said we have the “luxury of ignorance“. Been stuck in my head a few weeks.
Ageing
No mental health issues. No depression, anxiety, ADHD.
Living with the three is so much hard work. So much harder than those who are lucky enough not to have them.
Having a car. If you don’t have one, you are at the whim of your town’s public transport.
Driving
Having a good partner. I was in a very physically abusive marriage prior to my current marriage, and I’ve never been happier than knowing I will never ever be strangled, thrown stuff at or have beverages poured over my head. It’s such a blessing to have a partner now that I know nonmatter how bad things get, he will never make me question my physical safety.
good health
A healthy, stable, calm lifestyle
Driving a car.
Clean water.
Being white
Driving.
Voting.
(Although I would argue that voting us as much an obligation as it is a privilege.)
Driving. People drive like they own the roads.
Being raised to not be egotistical. Being raised to not expect the sun and the moon from everyone you meet. Being raised to know the world doesn’t revolve around me. Humility is incredibly valuable- and it’s a lost art these days.
Be grounded and be happy to simply be alive.
Having a loving partner that is loyal and caring. At some point you get so used to it that you don´t value it anymore – until he or she is gone.
Washing machines.
Being able to just go for a walk or get out for a minute.
Source: I was in isolation in a room in the hospital for ten months as I was treated for blood cancer. Free will was a joke.
Basic necessities of life, food, shelter, and water..not everyone has access to those.
Living in the EU: Free movement to so many interesting countries, living in relative safty with a caring wellfare state, a high level of workers and consumer rights and high standards for environmental protection.
Clean water
DRIVING
Drinkable tap water. Or, having tap water at all. Or having access to drinkable water.
Having parents who are loving and married.
My parents ‘stayed together for the kids’ and destroyed us and our view on marriage.
A regulated nervous system. You don’t know it’s a privilege until you’re Googling ‘how to feel human again.
Free community college in your state. If you take it seriously you can get into some really good four years with a huge scholarship. Plus if you go to school full time and through the summer you make around 18-20 grand through Pell Grants depending on the state so if you work a part time job on top of that you’ll make plenty of money for rent and food and the coursework is typically a lot easier than a four year but counts for the credits.
Drivers License
A secure home – whether it’s your parents or another family member. Knowing you will never be homeless and somewhere to go to no matter how much you f up in life is a huge security blanket.
Health and family
Social aptitude. I really struggle with socializing sometimes. It takes me a very long time to get comfortable enough around people to have a concise or genuine conversation instead of spending the whole time trying to think of what to say next. I’m verbally clumsy and terrible at saying what I’m thinking. I really envy you guys who are good at it.
Living in America
Not thinking about who could be dangerous. I live in a very safe place, but very white. Most white man dont think twice, most white woman think only once. But I know from coming out as gay that it aint like that anymore. I always of everybody around me have to think, will they accept me or would i be safe around them. And i know not only lgbtq+ people have this. Even if we life in a very safe country
People really take running water for granted. It’s the one thing I wanted most, during the flood. I can go without everything else, but the water killed me.
Stable parents, not just financially but emotionally too
I remember asking a friend to hang out. He said he couldn’t that night. He had to meet his Dad for dinner and talk about his future.
I was instantly envious.
Being able to have a job that keeps with cost of living and doesn’t wreck your body before you can retire.
Its a privilege to travel.
Vacation
Good parents, people don’t realize how much you NEED a good family in order to be successful in life. Education, especially school, everyone hates it and complains all about it, but only if they knew. Being able to stay warm in winters and cool in summers through air conditioning. having food, heck comfort itself is a privilege people don’t realize they have
Clean air
Hot showers
toilets that flush!
Aging.
Coming from a family or community that lives long. You don’t get it until you talk to someone who’s used to seeing people die in their 40s, 50s, 60s. It shapes so much of how you view and time your life.
good parents
Having freinds who are willing to let you be honest with them, and support you… didn’t… really appreciate them how I should have until I lost them.
Having both parents happily married and established so you can live your life without worrying about them
Easy access to good food- not like fancy food, but food that is good for you. I’ve lived in urban food deserts and rural food deserts (they do exist). The ability to have a store or delivery readily available with fresh, or even frozen/canned, fruits and veggies is a life changer. Right now, I have to drive over forty minutes on dirt roads for fresh produce and can’t get anything, not even a pizza, delivered. I have access to transportation, but it’s really terrible for my disabled and elderly neighbors who can’t drive and rely on social services (now being cut in the US) or relatives (many of whom are working more rn bc of cuts to childcare or higher prices and can’t afford gas reliably). Produce goes rotten on the shelves, has for years, bc no one can afford it either. Moving back to a big city in a few weeks and the first thing I’m doing is walking to a grocery store and buying some kind of vegetable.
Most white people don’t recognize or accept that they have privilege. (I am white people too, btw. I just recognize it.)
Being born with a penis must be pretty far up there on the privilege ranking
Food and nature accessibility.
My friendship!
Born in a non-religious family (former Jehovah’s Witness here)
Being in a peaceful country with no wars
Being born in a democratic society
Not having to worry about your next meal
Not being afraid of at least one person in your life.
Lots of countries who make up the majority of Reddit’s user base (USA, Canada, UK, other first world nations) don’t realize what a privilege having a first-world passport is
When I go through border patrol as a Canadian, I rarely get a second look. I only have to split for visas when the countries have a blanket rule, and they’re just a formality. I can pick up and go wherever I want to.
Other countries don’t have that luxury at all. Movement is not nearly as free for them.
Running water
being an elected public servant
being healthy enough to leave your bed… I didn’t realize what a privilege it was until I was bed bound for years from illness
Freedom of speech
Understanding and having a decent command of English