Anyone always feel guilty for how much privilege they have

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Honestly, no.

And it's bad that I don't.

Intellectually, I know I am luckier than most. But living in this city with the housing market what it is and the cost of living so high, it is difficult to feel happy. Rich people self-select into Vancouver; others self-select out. I am surrounded by young people who are gifted massive down payments for condos and who have never had any student loans. I'm 31, struggling to pay mine off, feeling like I'm falling behind. My job pays well, and it's hard, but I still don't get ahead. Meanwhile the rich get richer.

I've got a roof over my head. I can afford to eat. I can spare money for fun things. But this feeling that I am surrounded by people who don't have to worry about anything, and who have everything handed to them... it's tough. I really think I should move away, because it's greatly warping my sense of things.

[Ferguson97]

I don't feel guilty for what I have, I feel anger that others do not have what I do.

[Kleine Scheiße]

guilt is just prayer for people who haven't automated their egotism into irrelevance

[Crumpets]

Sometimes, I guess? It's pretty contextual. Like, sure I went to a private high school, but I've also had to work two full time+part time minimum wage jobs, one where I had to clean vomit off a bathroom floor. So if I'm talking to some random DC type who tells me how good Millennials have it, no. If I'm talking to a co-worker who had to work their way out of poverty or an abusive home to get to the same place I'm at, then yeah.

[支持核绿派 (Greens4Nuclear)]

[for the US posters] You're not doing college right if you don't experience this at some point.

For me it was especially salient because I went to a flagship state school as an out-of-state student- which meant I got to rub shoulders with both 1) international students who were often from more "elite" family backgrounds than mine would be in the US, and 2) in-staters, who are more socioeconomically diverse than out-of-state domestic students.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Not for one minute.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

I don't think it's about being guilty for ones privilege but rather recognizing you have that privilege and then using your position to make things better for other people who may not have those same advantages.

I was born into a pretty affluent upper-middle class family and went to private school for most of my life, which was certainly privilege, albeit my orientation has resulted in a lot of hardship I wouldn't have had to face if I were a straight man, for sure.

I think conversations around privilege should have the goal of simply making people aware of their advantages, which they may have taken for granted before, so they can be part of the solution towards removing the barriers that make things harder for people in different situations than them.

Just my two cents.

[bagelman]

Not really, because while I live in an affluent community where I barely need to lock my doors at night, I am completely priced out of going back to college now that I'm more ready to give it another go.

[It’s so Joever]

[for the US posters] You're not doing college right if you don't experience this at some point.

For me it was especially salient because I went to a flagship state school as an out-of-state student- which meant I got to rub shoulders with both 1) international students who were often from more "elite" family backgrounds than mine would be in the US, and 2) in-staters, who are more socioeconomically diverse than out-of-state domestic students.

Ironically college has made me less like this. Whenever I hear people on campus open their mouths I become 5 steps more conservative out of annoyance.
It also doesn’t help that my roommate is loaded lmao.

[the artist formerly known as catmusic]

I do sometimes.

I recently did because I was with my friend when she got a phone call from her dentist that with two insurances the cost of a procedure she needs was going to be over $4000. She had money to pay for it but she was going to drain almost everything she saved after 2 years of working. She's moving in with me and my parents for 2 weeks to save $1000 in rent because of it. I have never had to think about things like that - I really felt my privilege in that moment and felt so guilty.

In general though, I think guilt is a loaded emotion; one I don't particularly want to deal with. Like almost everyone, I am privileged in some ways and not privileged in others. I've gone through things nobody should have to because I'm gay and effeminate. I've also gone through things for being Jewish...and for not being "Jewish enough"....and for being irreligious. I also have pretty bad mental health issues...but I'm privileged enough to have my parents pay for therapy and have insurance that pays for most of my medication.

Everything in life is a balance. Guilt gets you nowhere; feeling sorry for yourself also gets you nowhere. We can't change the privileges we have - we can only do our best to try to make sure others are allowed those same privileges. Volunteer, do things that inspire and motivate you to be a good person. Donate time, donate money. Meet people and learn from their stories, be open and care for others. I know for me, I always pick up the check at dinner when I go with my friends who are less fortunate. The extra 20 bucks won't make a difference to me, but it will to them. Little things like that are how I handle any "guilt" I have.