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35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don’t Notice Because They Have Them, As Pointed Out In This Online Group
We live in an inequal world and, sadly, some of us have more than others. And not necessarily material things, but just mondane things that we don't consider to be privileges, like decent health or loving parents. Maybe you wouldn't call these privileges, because they are normal to you, but there are people who can only wish to have that.
Reddit user vianneyal asked people "What is something people don't realize is a privilege?" to remind us all to be grateful for the simple things we have or the things that help us to live our lives more comfortably. The thread quickly grabbed the attention of Reddit users, being upvoted 55k times in less than two weeks. Folks were mentioning all sorts of things that they feel grateful for or, on the contrary, to have.
While reading the list, upvote the submissions you agree with the most and if you feel like there is something missing, maybe you will find it in this Bored Panda article, published a few months ago.
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#1
This might sound silly to some but the other night I decided to change my bedding randomly and realized how lucky I am to be able to swap to another clean set on a whim. Clean laundry, multiple blankets, a whole drawer of socks...those things make me feel rich. A lot of people don't have another set of clothes or a clean, safe bed to sleep in.
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#2
Executive function.
Anyone in your life that you think is ‘lazy’, ‘messy’, etc. likely has some kind of executive function deficit. It’s common with depression, ADHD, ASD, and other mental illnesses. Imagine sitting somewhere, knowing you should do something, wanting to do it, but there is this weird mental block preventing you from getting up and doing it. That’s one of the many ways exec dysfunction manifests.
It is hell seeing normal people just be able to do s**t. And that goes for fun, happy things just as much as s****y, chore-type things. Even going to the bathroom when you feel the need to can be a struggle.
#3
Being able-bodied. Maybe it's cliche but seriously, all that can change in less than an instant. You never realize how much you take health for granted until it's screwed up.
#4
Buying groceries without having to carefully consider prices.
#6
Having your parents to fall back onto for help or advice during adulthood.
I've been estranged since I've been 16, life ain't easy navigating the world alone.
Helen Haley 3 years ago
Haven't had parents since 18. Learning to adult without parents isn't a picnic either. If you have them, and they aren't complete trash, treasure your parents.
#7
Having the freedom to focus on things like hobbies or finding your passion instead of just basic human needs like keeping a roof over your head and food in your stomach.
TheReader19 3 years ago (edited)
That really is a good life when you can do these things. In many cases having a hobby is damned expensive; and don't get me started on out of school activities (UK)
#8
Toilets
TheReader19 3 years ago
That's why I feel privileged to be able to have money to support a charity that provides people with toilets
#10
Privacy.
Not so much the whole big brother, everyone is watching/listening to everything thing, that’s a whole other can of worms. I’m talking about the simple pleasure of having a place which is just yours, with a door you can shut and be alone.
#11
Having loving parents in a healthy marriage.
#12
Being able to choose between Covid vaccines. Like there are many countries that are unable to get access to at least one vaccine, but in rich nations like the US, people can choose between which vaccine they want to get. And yet you have people who refuse to get the vaccine for non-legitimate reasons.
Julie C Rose 3 years ago
I also get annoyed with vaccinated Americans who rant about “unvaccinated” people when they mean anti vaxxers. No, people who are medically unable to get vaccinated, are children or are waiting to access them in their country aren’t “assholes”. People who are medically able and have access but refuse the vaccine are assholes.
#13
Having no gut or digestive issues.
I can tell you it's easier for people to accept when I say "I don't eat it because I don't like the taste" rather than saying "I can't eat it because it makes my stomach hurt"
For some reason, people think that because they can eat anything without any issues, the rest of the world can too. And if you say you can't, you're some sort of pretentious gluten-free hippie f******d who thinks they're better than everyone.
Some people just don't know how lucky they are yet they eat trash all the time.
Treat your bodies well people, especially if they work 100% correctly.
Jaguarundi 3 years ago
I have a relative with diverticulitis, IBS and endometriosis. She suffers with every bite of solid food.
#14
Being able to enjoy total silence.
(F**k tinnitus.)
Raven Sheridan 3 years ago
Yep, f**k tinnitus! I'll never know true silence. It's like having a mosquito trapped in my brain 24/7.
#15
Sewers. A literal city of tunnels you never see, draining and moving water in and out of your town/city, completely hidden from view. It's a f****n luxury and you'd be surprised how much of the world doesn't have that while the rest of the world never even thinks about it.
TheReader19 3 years ago
Went to Crete three decades ago and you had to through the toilet paper in the bin. Wonder if you still have to do that now?
#16
Eating three meals a day
#19
Some people don’t seem to realize how much of a privilege travel is.
There are a lot of privileges within that broad category, too. Some passports allow holders to travel pretty much anywhere they wish. Men can sometimes travel alone to places that women might rightly feel unsafe visiting. LGBTQ+ people are sometimes at greater risk than others, depending on the destination. White people are sometimes treated better as tourists than people of color.
There are layers and layers of privilege in travel, and I think sometimes certain people forget that.
TheReader19 3 years ago
Also being a black female, I always have to research if it's safe for my children and me to go to certain countries
#20
being able to work from home, especially during the pandemic
#21
1. going to university
2. being able to just do university while you're at university
#22
Being able to quit a job without fear of losing financial stability.
#25
Living in a nation where police actually receive rigorous training and are taught to use lethal force as a last resort.
#26
Having both your parents alive when your past the age of 30
Mushroomlover 3 years ago
I’m 40 and both my parents are alive at 67 and 68 and even a grandmother is still alive at 91!
#27
Weekends off work.
I think about this every Saturday when the gardener comes to mow. He brings his son to help him. My kids are sitting in their PJs working on coding projects, while his son is out helping mow lawns. That is his kid's Saturday off school vs. mine. The danger is that someday, if my kids become programmers or whatever white collar job, they will look back and say, "It's because I worked hard to gain these skills," taking for granted the privilege of the time to do it.
#28
Having both nostrils unclogged.
Panda Kicki 3 years ago
Relatable. I rather have Hyperemsis and all other pregnancy issues then the hormone related stuffed nose. I panic when my nose isnt working.
#30
Being in the life of family members.
I have yeeted people from my life who have made big surprised pikachu faces for things like stealing from me, emotional abuse, hitting me “even though they didn’t mean it they were just drunk/upset/emotional” whatever.
I give zero f***s about blood. If you want a place in my life, you keep it by being a decent person and that goes triple for relationships with my kids.
Edit: I do not let people around my kids just because they are blood related. If they’re abusive or creepy, they don’t get a free pass to be near my children.
#32
Growing up in a first world country.
Raven Sheridan 3 years ago
America might be a first world country, but it has a third world health care system.
#34
I noticed that i was privileged with eating to my taste- my dad told me how in mexico they ate what they had, it was rural farm life, i mean he continued to eat that way even living here in america, he would buy me and my sister whatever we wanted and make eggs and beans for himself.
i can eat mexican food, japanese food, chinese,burgers,italian whatever really.
#35
Going on vacation.
Many people take it for granted and behave like you couldn't live without goin on vacation twice a year. At least in middle Europe.
Well yeah you can! I've been on real vacation like twice in my life. And I'm 23 years old.
What do you think ?
Seabeast 3 years ago
Well, it's never actually free, it's paid for by taxes - but the cost is far, far less than it would be if you had to buy private health insurance.
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WildHoneyPie 3 years ago
I know this falls under being healthy but being able to breathe freely. My mother had rotten lungs from when she was 16 and for the rest of her life. Every time she'd see a new doctor they would invariably say "how long did you smoke?" Not even one single damn cigarette!
John C 3 years ago
While most of these are a healthy reminder to be thankful for what we have (and that's always a good thing!), there's an undercurrent here that I think it wholly unhealthy. Shaming people for the good position they were born into makes just as much sense as shaming people for the bad position they were born into.
Irina Deneva-Slav 3 years ago
Also, none of these are privileges. Some are luck, like having your parents live long enough, others are things we can afford by working, yet others are genetic. "Privileged" and "underprivileged" are antonyms yet regrettably they have come be interpreted as such. I do not have running water and money for food at the expense of anyone who can't afford these, there is no causal relationship between the two. I'm simply self-employed and lucky to live in a place with enough water, that's all. And I don't consider myself undeprivileged because both my parents were dead by the time I had my own child. Enough with the shaming.
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Seabeast 3 years ago
Well, it's never actually free, it's paid for by taxes - but the cost is far, far less than it would be if you had to buy private health insurance.
Load More Replies... WildHoneyPie 3 years ago
I know this falls under being healthy but being able to breathe freely. My mother had rotten lungs from when she was 16 and for the rest of her life. Every time she'd see a new doctor they would invariably say "how long did you smoke?" Not even one single damn cigarette!
John C 3 years ago
While most of these are a healthy reminder to be thankful for what we have (and that's always a good thing!), there's an undercurrent here that I think it wholly unhealthy. Shaming people for the good position they were born into makes just as much sense as shaming people for the bad position they were born into.
Irina Deneva-Slav 3 years ago
Also, none of these are privileges. Some are luck, like having your parents live long enough, others are things we can afford by working, yet others are genetic. "Privileged" and "underprivileged" are antonyms yet regrettably they have come be interpreted as such. I do not have running water and money for food at the expense of anyone who can't afford these, there is no causal relationship between the two. I'm simply self-employed and lucky to live in a place with enough water, that's all. And I don't consider myself undeprivileged because both my parents were dead by the time I had my own child. Enough with the shaming.
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