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The definition I provided, the first definition listed for the word in that particular dictionary, does not say anything about privileges having to be granted b

The definition I provided, the first definition listed for the word in that particular dictionary, does not say anything about privileges having to be granted by anyone. It's like peeving about "color" vs. "colour" - you're free to insist that one is more correct than the other, but it's quite a waste of efforts, especially since, if you bothered to try, you'd find it quite impossible to come up with an objective basis for your opinion.

orclev 13y ago
The dictionary does not capture the full context of a word, only by using it regularly and being exposed to its usage in literature and speech can the full context of it be appreciated. The closest you can come to that from a dictionary definition is to combine all the definitions provided and consider them as a whole, not as disconnected pieces. The difference between advantage and privilege is that a privilege is an advantage that is given by an outside force and ceases to exist without the influence of that external force. A person may be provided, given, or granted a privilege, it is not something they innately have. Similarly a privilege may be taken away at any time. An advantage on the other hand typically can not be taken unless it's some item or information that is providing that advantage and not some inherent capability. This is where the concept of a handicap comes from, it's a penalty applied to someone in order to balance a advantage they have. Contrast with a privilege which requires nothing to be added, merely the privilege to be removed. There is similarly no equivalent of handicap with regard to privilege as it makes no sense to add anything to attempt to balance a privilege when simply removing the privilege is far simpler. As for objective basis of my opinion, that's the easiest thing in the world, there's several hundred years of English literature to back me up. As for the abuse of the word privilege in this context, you could say being male provides someone with an advantage, or being female provides a disadvantage, but you can not say that someone has a male privilege, as that implies someones male-ness can be taken away.

orclev 13y ago

The dictionary does not capture the full context of a word, only by using it regularly and being exposed to its usage in literature and speech can the full context of it be appreciated. The closest you can come to that from a dictionary definition is to combine all the definitions provided and consider them as a whole, not as disconnected pieces. The difference between advantage and privilege is that a privilege is an advantage that is given by an outside force and ceases to exist without the influence of that external force. A person may be provided, given, or granted a privilege, it is not something they innately have. Similarly a privilege may be taken away at any time. An advantage on the other hand typically can not be taken unless it's some item or information that is providing that advantage and not some inherent capability. This is where the concept of a handicap comes from, it's a penalty applied to someone in order to balance a advantage they have. Contrast with a privilege which requires nothing to be added, merely the privilege to be removed. There is similarly no equivalent of handicap with regard to privilege as it makes no sense to add anything to attempt to balance a privilege when simply removing the privilege is far simpler. As for objective basis of my opinion, that's the easiest thing in the world, there's several hundred years of English literature to back me up. As for the abuse of the word privilege in this context, you could say being male provides someone with an advantage, or being female provides a disadvantage, but you can not say that someone has a male privilege, as that implies someones male-ness can be taken away.