Life is unfair on multiple levels (Photo by In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images)
In recent weeks there have been increasing demands for people to think about their privilege. Some, perhaps concerned that their privilege might be denounced, have even taken to pre-emptively denouncing themselves so that the world knows just how privileged they are and how much they intend to go away and think about it, until things blow over at least.
There are, of course, hierarchies of privilege, something we learn from the earliest days at school. Although I don’t recall there being any permissible prejudice against anyone because of the colour of their skin at my state primary, other groups were not so lucky. Throughout my schooling, aside from an intense antagonism towards gays — this was the 90s — there was a vast amount of opposition to people with ginger hair, ‘othered’ to such an extent that redheads were defined by nothing but their hair colour and were bullied accordingly. Yet even this was obviously minor compared to the real matter of privilege, which only expressed itself after we left education.
At this point, as we all struggled to find work and somewhere to live, one group of people were fortunate above all others — those who, fresh out of university, were able to put down a deposit on a flat in London straight away, rather than spend years in rented accommodation, seeing most of their salaries disappear each month into someone else’s pocket. It was not only that this was a divide between renting and owning — having a stake in a property or paying for someone else’s stake in it — but that it had serious knock-on effects down the line.
People who owned a place of their own in the capital had a wider and more appealing choice of jobs that they could go into — not because they were any more brilliant, had better CVs or any particular skin colour or hair colour. In contrast those forced to rent had to take whatever work was available in order to paddle fast enough not to sink in the big city and thus boomerang — fear of all fears — back to their parents’ home.
Many of the most desirable, hard-to-get-into, careers went to this former group of people. To take just the most high-profile example, many if not most of the people in my generation who made a stab at acting — whether successful or not — were able to make that attempt because their parents had helped to buy them a property, house them in the capital, or otherwise keep them financially afloat.
Of those who did succeed in that profession I can think of any number of people at least as talented as them, if not more so, who would have been just as likely to succeed but who never had the opportunity to give it a shot. Now you could say that if they had really wanted it, and fought for it, and stacked shelves at night while doing endless read-throughs during the day, then they could have managed it.
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SubscribeAs always a good article from Douglas Murray trying to see through the fog which is being created around issues which are more perception than real. This is the “hate crime” effect where the words or actions of the perpetrator are irrelevant to the crime. You only have to remember that Amber Rudd, the home secretary at the time, was reported for a hate crime for talking about immigration in her conference speech.
The issue of privilege is very high on the perception agenda. The idea someone got something that I didn’t must be because of something untoward, and the current main drive is skin colour.
One of the co founders of the “Rhodes must fall” movement was back on the Today program this week. This young man benefited from a Rhodes scholarship, yet he has taken that as a right not a privilege. He is reported to have abused a young white woman who was a waitress in a cafe. He abused her because of her “privilege” and appears to think that was his “entitlement” to do so because of the colour of his skin!
We have lost all sense of perspective just to meet a narrative on race. It will fall apart eventually but how much damage will be done, how many lives damaged because the colour of their skin gives them perceived “privilege” before then.
“One of the co founders of the “Rhodes must fall” movement was back on the Today program this week. This young man benefited from a Rhodes scholarship, yet he has taken that as a right not a privilege. He is reported to have abused a young white woman who was a waitress in a cafe.”
And what an obnoxious little s**t he is.
I hope she “accidentally ” spilt something very hot in his lap.
One of the universal aspects of modern activism is that everyone expects the world to change to accommodate them rather than the other way around. A just society does this to an extent, but it has to be reciprocated by the individual. There are simply too many conflicting views for it to be otherwise. The constant supply of new grievances and privileges demonstrates this perfectly.
Lesson learned – remove folks who seek grievance compensation from your life. It seems like that’s what folks I am talking to are doing. Shunning them. Grievance folk can zap the life-blood and soul, they are like zombies and to be avoided. Maybe they’ll get the message. Life is short. Only put those around you who are constructive, positive. & grateful.
Hence ‘neurodiversity.’ Apparently, autism is now a ‘superpower’ and is to be celebrated. Interestingly enough, a lot of people with autism see nothing to celebrate… Funny that!
Yes, PHLH has been with us for some time. It is one of the main reasons why the media and the arts are now full of middle and upper class know-nothings producing endless garbage. It is why so many of us now refuse to consume or fund the MSM, or go to the theatre or cinema etc.
It’s a mainly upper middle class phenomenon. Champagne socialists claiming that the white working class are both just as privileged as they are, and, at the same time, stupid, uneducated, and unfit to vote.
Anyone with less than a million pounds in the bank should just divest from the word ‘white’ completely. It is an absolutely moronic word that only serves elitist, out of touch metropolitan oligarchs. Until very recently in history, absolutely NOBODY saw themselves as ‘white.’ The predecessors of today’s wokies invented the notion of a ‘white race’ when they were going around enslaving and murdering half the world, and now they’re using the same notion to assuage their liberal progressive guilt. The Celts have never and will never be ‘white,’ nor would we ever want to be; nor indeed will Ashkenazi Jews, nor the Poles, nor the Russians, nor the Hungarians, nor the Serbs, nor the Croats, nor anyone in the working class in the UK, regardless of ancestry. It is a slippery and ominous word that bodes no good thing, and seems to unleash a multitude of evils. Better to stick with a shared history and common values instead.
You missed out the word ‘twits’, I think.
I definitely think we need a good hard look at class inequalities. Not from the point of view of shaming etc but to get people from more privilaged class backgrounds to at least acknowledge the interdependent functionalism that exists between the classes with the aim of creating a more compassionate and collective approach and consciousness towards poverty, hardship and most importantly how our societal class based inequalities actively discriminates against the poor.
Not only in terms of intrinsic (perceived) value and worth but in terms of being able to afford the depth and breadth of the goods and services produced by Our Society.
Does this mean a more tiered (means tested) pricing system for certain goods and services which are normally beyond the price threshold for the poor. If there is one thing that drives crime it is the feeling of being locked out of luxury goods and services.
I say all this because in recent weeks my activism has been more focused in the Telegraph comment pages and there is demonstrated by a hardened Conservative minority an attitude of pure selfishness that takes shaming to another level.
The selfishness is beyond the exclusivity of Woke communities but a form of sociopathic denial in which ‘lessers’ need to work harder, pull themselves up harder by the boot straps whilst in complete and utter denial that privilaged jobs and opportunities are a finite resource unless they are so deluded that they think we can all be barristers, lawyers or multinational business persons.
Class inequalities are historic constructions which are directly based on the hierarchical ordering of humans dependant on role and functions and are entirely arbitrary.
That said, pure equality in terms of monetary value I’m sure would limit the scope by which we can employ one another so a reasoned and deeply analysed debate does need to happen to determine the just balance between equality and inequality.
I suggest the Conservative Establishment preempts the Liberal Establishment and begins/owns/co-opts the narrative of this much needed discussion now so that class collaboration (interdependent functionalism) wins out in favour of class antagonism (interdependent dysfunctionalism).
Just about the first almost reasonable semi-woke comment I have read.
Well put.
Priveliged not privaliged.
Of course those of us who don’t or can’t live in London are also treated as second class citizens by our capital based elite.
I want compensation for this injustice!
Apparently, class privilege is the only kind of ‘privilege’ the wokies don’t recognise. Ironically, it’s precise the kind of ‘privilege’ that lies behind 99.999999999% of privilege in our world today. Makes ya think! 😛
An accurate, although rather depressing essay, beautifully illustrated by the caption photograph of a dejected Aston Villa fan trudging homewards.
As Pliny (the younger) said, “There is nothing more unequal than equality itself”.
Perhaps the forthcoming war with China will cheer us all up a bit? We certainly need it.
I do like the writing of Douglas Murray but I am not so sure why the ‘privilege’ tag should be appended to so many of us when it only applies to a small handful.
There appears to be a massive growth in the last 25 years of the ‘entitlement’ generation who are not prepared to put in the hard yards to attain the living standards they desire.
I am from the ‘baby boomer’ generation and readily admit my lifestyle is comfortable but not lavish. Yes we were more fortunate than our parents generation who spent six years doing military service to defend our country and for many it ruined any career ambitions. they spent most of their lives living a hand to mouth existence.
It maybe difficult for those in London and the Home Counties to get on the property ladder but for the majority who live outside the M25 it is far more affordable if you are willing to make the sacrifices that we did back in the 60’s and 70’s.
Without realistic expectations and ambition life will be a disappointment.
“it is far more affordable if you are willing to make the sacrifices that we did back in the 60’s and 70’s.”
I got on the housing ladder quite early in a very modest way – no furniture, no TV (for a while) and no car. I only did this because I had the incentive of becoming engaged. It turned out well – the property, not the engagement, but I clearly recall comments from people on more-or-less the same salary as myself who were convinced that Daddy had paid for it all.
I’m sure it’s harder now, our population was smaller then, but nobody wants to make sacrifices either. I don’t have any solid evidence to support this but it appears to me that, in general, people of Indian and Chinese origin spend less on booze and fare much better.
Yes so many 20 and 30 year olds, believe they are entitled to so much and gripe constantly when they feel they have lost out.
Many spend on entertainment, holidays, and consumer goods and save little. No wonder they get bitter when others get on the property ladder and they cannot.
The rot starts when they leave a free of charge bedroom at home for a university residence or bedsit- often for the social life. When I started university (in my mid 20s) I commuted and paid my own way- including university fees- no one had the money to fund me to live away and pay rent elsewhere.
I am reminded of an aunt and uncle who for at least five years lived in a caravan whilst saving for a house deposit- with no luxuries or holidays.
My parents did not help me- far from it, we ended up helping our parents, but by means of living frugally, working hard and never living in London we have ended up with two fully paid for homes.
It’s a choice we make – privilege doesn’t always make huge differences.
My husband and I come from modest backgrounds. We worked really hard over the decades for everything we have and admittedly it’s a lot. That said, having grown up in a dysfunctional home (alcoholic father who committed suicide, mother who worked like a dog, brother who committed suicide, etc.), I feel I owe nobody anything. I have overcome quite a bit, more than most. I like who I am because of it and nobody is going to shame me into thinking otherwise. We have been able to provide for our children with the best that life can provide – Ivy League educations, apartment down payments, the lot – with no government handouts at all; We wouldn’t even think if it. Moreover, we have paid our ‘fair share’ in taxes. For the past 20 years, we pay more than enough to buy our apartment in cash annually. I am proud that we have been able to do so. I am relieved that my kids didn’t have to slog through the emotional trauma and financial insecurity that I did. That said, we have worked just as hard over the years to instill in them not only a work ethic, but the love of reading and learning and traveling. They are wonderful human beings. I repeat, nobody is going to shame me by spewing ‘white privilege’ invective in my face. It’s demeaning and its meant to be. I won’t have it.
Good for you and well said! It seems that your ‘resilience’ is the ‘privilige’ you have earned and that has served you so well.
Most of my well-off friends have parents who were self made and climbed to the top from generally humble beginnings. From what I can see, hard work and talent does get you somewhere. Look at all the second generation British Indians in banking, law and medicine. They’ve climbed the ranks more or less overnight.
Unless you want to move to a socialist state that doesn’t allow inheritance in any form or caps it, there isn’t much else you can do, outside of trying to reduce the barriers to entry.
I don’t think you can ever make a fully level playing field though, only in a Utopian Marxist fantasy would that be possible.
As much as I enjoy Mr. Murray’s lashings of reason and common sense that are in such sort supply in the media these days I’m starting to wonder if perhaps we’re wasting too much intellectual energy and time on people and issues that just aren’t worth it.
That’s not to say regressives haven’t or don’t cause damage to decent and innocent people but when a toddler is having a ‘terrible twos’ meltdown and demands ice-cream do we really need to proffer a list of applicable health, financial and scheduling reasons why having ice-cream just isn’t an option right now?
Why not just say “No! – now shut-up and get your ass back in the car!” ?
As far as I can tell the purveyors of this infantile trash, complete with the buzz phrases ‘systemic racism’ and ‘white privilege’, don’t have anything substantive to say.
IMO, we give them far too much credit.
Other than “me want ice-cream now” none of them seems to have any kind of goal, much less a plan for reaching that goal or an actual metric to measure success.
When mine had a terrible two’s tantrum the best way I found of dealing with it was to walk away and totally ignore them.
They quickly got the message.
Perhaps you’re right, treating them like terrible two’s maybe the way ahead.
I understand your point, but they just so happen to have been the overwhelming majority of self-styled ‘thought leaders’ for quite some time. Although fortunately, they seem to be on the back foot at long, long last. I have to say they won’t be missed.
I seem to remember an adage that said that ‘privilege had to be earned’ but I may be wrong, I am into my 68th year after all. Obviously, things change with the years, hopefully for the better. However, I wonder whether I am alone in my thoughts, that we are being subjected to an orchestrated agenda to subvert the accepted history of this country to something else that lies within the thoughts and strategies of those wishing, at any cost to the Country, to change what the Electorate has decided. I read/hear of the French doing this, the Germans doing that, with the ‘perceived’ inference that we would be much better off with them, than on our own. Our ‘history’ is subjected to ridicule because of an agenda from the BLM movement but wait, for a moment. France abolished Slavery 15 years after Britain did. Consider the dreadful acts of the German, Dutch French and Italian Empires committed in Africa and, in respect of the French, in South East Asia. How can they reconcile that history, should they want to ally themselves to the EU, and that doesn’t account for the Austrian/Hungarian Empire or the Spanish, Portuguese or Russian Empires for that matter. The Abolition of Slavery in this country was marked by monuments as early as 1834 with many more modern ones. Why is this never presented by the BBC (AKA the GBC (Guardian Broadcasting Corporation)). They adhere to the pretence that we have forgotten our ‘past’. It is so shameful.
I consider not living or working in London a privilege. Do I need to shame myself and do something to help those unfortunate metropolitans?!
Ironically, the Quinoa and Flip Flops brigade probably think you’re under-privileged to not be in a position to savour the delights of ethically sourced kale souffles and fundamental vegan avocado creme brulees. They do say there’s no accounting for taste!
I remember all this very well. To be fair, the UK population was 10-12 million lower than it is now, so there was a lot more property available. I recall some friends buying a delightful 3 bedroom house in Stoke Newington for £60,000 – probably only a multiple of 3.5 times average salaries back then, if that.
PHLH – guilty as charged as are my sisters. However, my Dad did work in his shop from 5.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Saturday and 6.00am – 9.00 am on Sunday. Then there was the bookwork and banking and ordering and shelf stacking. Also, we went on one holiday per year for one week in September, several times to a caravan owned by one of our customers. My Dad’s attitude was work hard and spend little. His sacrifice was for his children. If the Government or society take away his right to earn his money and spend it how he likes in the name of equality, why should anyone bother? Oh yes, that’s right, experiments in socialism have shown that they don’t.
One of the main engines of resentment against privilege (and other social ills) is the lack of financial opportunity for the children of non-wealthy parents. Not so long ago, a young blue collar worker could comfortably earn very good money even in a semi-skilled occupation working 50-60 hours a week (and without having to dedicate himself to his employer as if his very life depended upon it). The new discipline on labour introduced under Thatcher (not entirely unwarranted of course), and aggressively developed thereafter, has led us into the situation where many ordinary citizens are left behind in a high rent gig economy with no real hope of ‘getting on’. To state the flaming obvious, life without hope of improvement is pretty dismal and leads to negative feelings towards more fortunate others. Speaking as someone who was orphaned at 14 from a rather dysfunctional white working-class family background, the privilege of others (in terms of financial and psychological resources) can at times be quite hard to swallow.
Thanks to Douglas for another superb article. I’ve been thinking about this at length; that attractiveness is a privilege that works along a continuum. Some are attractive enough to gain some advantage in the normal job application and career advancement process, depending in part upon the persuasions of the employer, while others are so attractive that they gain well-paid work related primarily to their appearance. Nobody really complains because it is the luck of the physical draw, and I suppose we all feel we would use such an asset to our advantage too if we were so blessed. At the same time, we do not really worry about the disadvantages that being of less-than-average attractiveness may bring in some fields of endeavour. We can’t say ‘Ugly People Matter’, because that would require an objective measure of attractiveness so that members of the under-privileged group could be identified. Even then, there would be varying ‘degrees of ugliness’, and help, support, or platitudes would have to be offered proportionately depending on where a person stood on the ‘ugly scale’. Of course, this would get very complicated indeed, but it may be a glimpse of one of the major challenges facing the Woke contingent in the Social Justice future.
Mr. Murray mentions “people from what is now being called (somewhat sinisterly to my ears) the ‘white community’. What is sinister about that community?
It’s not the ‘community’ that is sinister, it’s the use of the term ‘community’ itself. The implication is that ‘white’ people form a homogeneous whole, one of shared values and aims, when that is obviously not the case. While that is merely an inaccuracy, what is sinister about that is the ascribing of identity, ie. a cultural construct, to skin colour. Using the term ‘white community’ is an abstraction that erases individual differences and expresses an underlying racism. The same goes for any other ‘community’, black, gay, trans etc. They are not monoliths, but using if for whites is especially worrisome because whites are perceived to be the oppressor in the current context. Sinister indeed.
Its the use of the phrase “the white community” that Mr Murray finds sinister..NOT white people.
Good article. Your journey through life is easier if you are born to the right parents. Following that thread opens up a can of worms….what makes the right parent? Should only people who can offer a good life to children be allowed to breed? Etc. Life is currently a lottery and you can’t punish people at either ends of the scale for being with or without privilege…… And, the poor will always be with us…who said that? The price of success though is being/ having a responsibility to help those who can’t help themselves.
On this note, are we allowed to criticize under-privileged, oppressed, disenfranchised Guardian hacks and intersectional social justice activists? I feel that given they’re only earning a mere 100 000 pounds or so a year, we should maybe stay in our lane and not deny and denigrate their lived experiences… Of course, if they ever hit 101 000, then all bets are off!
Good looks can be a positive and a negative. People make assumptions. I was always considered good looking and perhaps I got the halo effect but I don’t think so. What I did notice was that people assume things about who you are:- stupid, gay, up himself etc etc and if you spurn people they despise you.
Also some people see you as a useful vehicle and again if you don’t agree with them they despise you. Now this might all be true for everybody I don’t know but it is naive to think its all roses. Its possible likely in fact that I haven’t made the most of my good looks but I think more important by far than good looks in life is a support structure with older wiser people who want the best for you.
Also as far back as I can remember the story in films has not really been about the good looking guy or girl being the good person. It has been about exactly the opposite so in effect society has pretty much always told me I am the villain with privelege.
Anyway on your main point, no the privilege of having rich parents is a real privilege and there should be equality of opportunity where equally talented people have similar chances, if you don’t agree with that it undermines your moral authority in disagreeing with identity politics which frankly we need public figures to disagree with, So I say to you Douglas educate yourself.
That phrase about education- unless it refers to children in schools – should be avoided at all costs. All despotic regimes use either that or “re educating”, the Chinese are currently “educating” the Uighur. The Principal of Liverpool College of Performing Arts was quoted as thanking some BLM (or similar) for “educating ” him. Obviously, if he had not done so he would have lost his job.
I’m in the fortunate position of being retired and fully intend to resist all attempts to educate me or to kneel in subjugation to anyone.