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Oh, so it’s the language argument HN just had in the “The Erasure of Women From Online Pregnancy Literature” thread. That discussion is about the notion that b

Oh, so it’s the language argument HN just had in the “The Erasure of Women From Online Pregnancy Literature” thread. That discussion is about the notion that because a trans woman doesn’t breast feed their child, the act must be called something other than “breastfeeding.” Or something like that. The notion is that doing so is “erasure” of the population of trans women with hungry babies. Because you are the rare exception to the rule that white people in America are, in fact, exceptionally advantaged in our culture and society, no one must state that white = privileged. Because it’s “erasure.” Gotcha. Well, I acknowledge that you feel you were disadvantaged by comparison to your neighbours as a child, and co-workers and employers as an adult. I would have hoped you and your minority friends all had the same opportunities, at least relative to ability. You can see what HN thinks of the erasure argument here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33674562 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33674562

leereeves 4y ago
No, it's about something much more significant than what word you use. The concept of privilege is often linked with attempts to correct for privilege by giving advantages to underprivileged people (which is equivalent to giving a disadvantage to those labelled privileged). And when someone does that, but incorrectly classifies underprivileged people as privileged, they end up giving disadvantages to underprivileged people. So when someone assumes all white people are privileged, they're facilitating discrimination against people who are white, but nonetheless underprivileged (for a variety of other reasons). You say "I would have hoped you and your minority friends all had the same opportunities, at least relative to ability" but you must realize that isn't the case. Surely you've heard that most universities admit black and Hispanic students with significantly lower qualifications than white students (even if the students lived in the same neighborhood and went to the same schools). Surely you've seen employment applications that ask what race you are, but not what class you are, when seeking to increase "diversity".

leereeves 4y ago

No, it's about something much more significant than what word you use. The concept of privilege is often linked with attempts to correct for privilege by giving advantages to underprivileged people (which is equivalent to giving a disadvantage to those labelled privileged). And when someone does that, but incorrectly classifies underprivileged people as privileged, they end up giving disadvantages to underprivileged people. So when someone assumes all white people are privileged, they're facilitating discrimination against people who are white, but nonetheless underprivileged (for a variety of other reasons). You say "I would have hoped you and your minority friends all had the same opportunities, at least relative to ability" but you must realize that isn't the case. Surely you've heard that most universities admit black and Hispanic students with significantly lower qualifications than white students (even if the students lived in the same neighborhood and went to the same schools). Surely you've seen employment applications that ask what race you are, but not what class you are, when seeking to increase "diversity".