Discussion

Privilege even in veganism: Recently, I was re-subjected on Hathor to a popular but not universal vegan position: that the only reasons anyone eats meat are tradition and pleasure. That no one eats meat because they must. We can just eat rice, beans and grains in lieu of meat. That assertion is rolling in privilege. Specifically, the privilege of not having a health condition for which doctors advise a special, non-vegan diet. Let’s get one thing clear: the debate about whether or not some vegan diet ... READ MORE

Hypocrisy and credibility issues for the U.S.A.: After the 2004 presidential election, I engaged in some surprisingly restrained discussion between Americans and Europeans. The Europeans felt betrayed by not only Bush, but the people who voted for him. They were actually afraid of what the United States might do under his leadership in Iraq and elsewhere. The Americans, for the most part, didn’t get it. The U.S. wasn’t perfect, but surely no one doubted the country could be trusted, did they? They did. Americans were hurt to learn ... READ MORE

Abused kids can’t really sue their parents: I recently searched online for the question of how an adult abuse survivor might go about suing his or her abusive parent. The results I got astounded me, but they shouldn’t have. I know my country wants parents abusing its kids. It makes this clear so many ways. This is just one more. First, the cultural. Most of the search results lead to other people asking my question. The responses they get range from “You’d be much better off just getting ... READ MORE

Future topics: No, I haven’t forgotten this site. I’ve been slowly making my way through a nightmare recently, and believe me, elements of what I’ve gone through will end up here, as there is a lot of privilege involved. But due to what I’ve gone through, it may be a while before I have the headspace and energy to get worthwhile articles written. In the meantime, I’ve been thinking about a few other topics I want to write on. For example, anarchy and ... READ MORE

Fascism in America: I recently described compulsory voting as “fascist” to a friend the other day, which got me thinking about the term and wondering just how well I understand it. I looked it up on Wikipedia and found that Mussolini used it to describe putting the state ahead of the individual to such a degree that any needs the individual had that didn’t get met by meeting the state’s needs… that was just too bad. But there’s some debate over what “fascism” ... READ MORE

Personal Privilege List: I’m making a list of personal privileges I’m aware of having. You’re invited to post your own list in the comments. The purpose of this exercise is to get us thinking, so there are no wrong answers. Some of these privileges are pretty lame. Some of them have a flipside. For now, I just want to look at how I look at privilege. I am not counting any “privileges” I’ve earned for myself: by definition, privilege is something ... READ MORE

Ludicrous history privileges: I came across this tidbit in an article I was reading online tonight: Explorer Captain James Cook, who gave this plant the botanical name of “intoxicating pepper”, first discovered kava kava. Kava has been used for over 3,000 years for its medicinal effects as a sedative, muscle relaxant, diuretic, and as a remedy for nervousness and insomnia. My first thought was a sarcastic “Wow, Captain Cook predates Jesus!” because, obviously, if it’s been in use for 3,000 years and he was the ... READ MORE

Beginnings: Every website has to begin somewhere, and I thought I’d start this one with some outside reference material on the topic. Invisible privilege comes in many forms – white privilege, class privilege, male privilege being among the better known. I’m starting with an article on white privilege that neatly addresses other forms of privilege (since none of them exist in vacuum to each other): From Peggy McIntosh on White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack: I think whites are carefully taught ... READ MORE