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35 “Invisible” Privileges That Most People Don’t Notice Because They Have Them
Interview With Author
Whether we like it or not, we’re all privileged. In different ways. In different amounts. But we’ve all got some type of advantage over others. And sometimes… sometimes we don’t even realize we’re privileged. No, not in the classic way you’ve probably read about on the internet! Some privileges don’t actually sound like privileges so some folks don’t realize that’s what they are. In other words, they’re ‘invisible.’
Redditor Woo_loo asked their fellow online users to name a privilege that most people don’t realize is a privilege and their thread went viral. From pointing out that feeling safe in your own home is something a lot of us take for granted to having the ability to read or even a bed to sleep in, some of these responses hit home hard with the simple fact that we take so many wonderful things for granted.
Have a read through some of the best responses that redditors have answered with and upvote the ones you agree with 100%. And be sure to read on for Bored Panda’s interview with the original poster of the thread, redditor Woo_loo themselves.
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#2
Living without constant physical pain. The idea that most people just exist without nonspecific pain is baffling to me.
Mrs_ Possum 3 years ago
And worse, invisible pain that people label you as somehow 'dramatic' or 'weak' for suffering from if you mention it. Been there, done that, been ridiculed for having a bad day 😬 Be kind, ppl.
#3
Feeling safe in your own home. Not worrying about rats, mice, roaches, bed bugs, bricks being thrown through windows, violence outside, break ins.
Woo_loo’s thread got 12k upvotes on the r/AskReddit community, over 7k responses, as well as a whopping 92% upvote rate. What’s more, the redditor got 58 medals for their efforts in bringing such an important and intriguing discussion to the forefront.
Redditor Woo_loo was very open with Bored Panda about what inspired them to create the thread and the fact that they didn’t expect their submission to “blow up like this” on the net.
#5
Being able to hold the hand of your partner in public without harassment or the fear of something bad happening to you.
#6
Waking up and just being able to see. What’s that like? No glasses, no contacts. Just wow.
Woo_loo explained to us that what inspired them to turn to r/AskReddit with their question was their line of thinking about all of the things that we have but we’re not constantly aware of.
“I was thinking about how people always say that we should be grateful for things like clean water and education so I wanted to know what else we were taking for granted that isn’t talked about,” they said.
#7
Being able to walk alone, especially at night, without any worry at all.
#8
Having a bed. When I was ages 8-11, my siblings and I had to sleep on the floor because we lived in a tiny one-bedroom apartment.
I remember turning twelve and finally getting to sleep in my own bed after three years of not having one. It was euphoria.
#9
Having an emotionally mature parent.
Tiredpossum 3 years ago
still don't have one. I still have to live with them tho. I'm not that old
In the redditor’s opinion, all of us, no matter how rich or poor, happy or miserable, all of us have something to be grateful for. However, Woo_loo pointed out to Bored Panda that they don’t expect that anyone’s constantly thinking about their privileges and how much they appreciate them. Imagine how exhausting it would be to always be grateful for hundreds of small wonders, every hour of every day. There wouldn’t be any time for living and making great experiences.
#10
Sleeping through the night
#11
Being in countries where you are able to speak insults to, openly criticise or question authority without going to jail
Oskar vanZandt 3 years ago
Within reason (excluding threat to life/well-being of others) we have freedom to express ourselves in the UK... I think that with free speech comes the responsibility to respect others' point of view too.
#12
Fresh water from the tap. Imagine living in rural Africa. Or Flint, Michigan.
I want cake 3 years ago (edited)
I grew up in rural Africa, and our tapwater was as clean as you could want it. On the other hand, for the first four years we only had electricity twice a day for an hour, but we made it work.
One of the things that Woo_loo believes (especially after reading through all of the plentiful responses that their question received on Reddit) is that we’ve all got a responsibility to help those in need and those in a worse position than ours. In short, the redditor is a humanitarian with a very honest desire to lend others a helping hand.
#13
Having pets. So many people discard them like they're playthings over the most mundane reasons.
Oskar vanZandt 3 years ago
I love my two cats- they are my chosen companions and would NEVER treat them like a non-living possession. I HATE when people do that. The only thing I control is their access to outside- too many unvaccinated cats in my neighbourhood. I also make sure they have enough good quality food, clean water and litterbox. (PS the eldest of the two is sitting on the desk next to me at this moment, keeping an eye on me).
“We should try to help people acquire the privileges that we take for granted and be a lot more aware of it. Not everyone has the same chances in life but we can make it as fair as possible,” the redditor opened up to Bored Panda, alluding to the idea that we’ve all got to do our best to ensure that society lives by the principle of equality of opportunity.
#16
Having a family that loves you. I grew up in a pretty loving family. It was somewhat dysfunctional, to be sure, but my mother loves me as does my sister. So did my grandparents. We were always a close family and we helped each other when possible. We were always supportive too.
I went to school with people whose parents couldn't have [cared] less about them. I mean straight up, just didn't give a [damn] if their kids lived or died. If your parents actively tried to keep you off drugs and off the streets and were emotionally supportive and not abusive, count your blessings.
#17
Honestly, Memory.
When Alzheimers hits, your brain is basically dead. That disease is heartbreaking for every party involved
Marette 3 years ago
I work with people with dementia. It is indeed heartbreaking, especially for their family who are now seeing a beloved parent that often doesn't recognise them, is aggressive, distressed or has reverted to a child-like state & can no longer feed or even toilet themselves. My 'privelege' is that both my elderly parents are healthy in body & mind... I give thanks for this every day & never take it for granted.
#18
Being conventionally beautiful
It gets you more than dates. It influences prison sentences; attractive people are less likely to get convicted, and more likely to get lighter sentences when they are convicted.
Job interviews, assessments of intelligence and academic performance are all biased to favour good looking people. They are also more likely to benefit from kindess from strangers
If you’re not familiar with equality of opportunity as a concept, it’s all about making sure that everyone’s able to compete for social status, as maintaining high social mobility. Or, in other words, it’s all about looking at people’s merits, efforts, and skills, not the social position they were born in. To sound all pop-culture for a moment, I’ll say that equality of opportunity is the rags-to-riches myth that the American Dream is built on.
#19
Being able to read.
Oskar vanZandt 3 years ago
I worked in education for a good chunk of my life and saw firsthand what low or no literacy can lead to... I had young people at age 16 who could barely string a sentence together and had great difficulty accessing the information they needed to learn successfully. I could provide simplified texts for them but even those were beyond their abilities... I'm sure they've gone on to struggle in life because of it.
In Woo_loo’s opinion, having access to clean water and proper education are the most basic privileges that absolutely everyone should have in their lives. Without them, you’re barely surviving. “Dirty water can result in many problems that most of us don’t have, but I also think that education is the most important because it's the backbone of society and people need it to improve their lives and establish a better place to live in.”
#23
Not having social anxiety. Imagine how breezy life must be. The amount of effort I have to put into doing normal things like checking out at the grocery store is incredible. I keep telling people that I got better over the years, but it's not so much that social interactions get less scary but more like I'm better at getting ready for said social interaction... or better at pretending that I'm uh, "normal." I'm almost 30 and I still feel like a seven year old who's mom left them at the grocery line to grab something real quick.
#24
Having indoor plumbing
A.M. Pierre 3 years ago
I once met a couple from a small village in Siberia. They didn’t have indoor plumbing or central heat, but they said it was okay because “we have warm sleeping bags”. 😳 I have never felt so wimpy before.
The redditor candidly shared their opinion that we should all stop acting like all of these privileges, small and big, don’t exist. “Everyone has some kind of advantage in life that others don’t and I'm not talking about the privileges that people talk about on Twitter to cancel someone, but the ones that are so natural to us that people don’t even realize that they exist.”
#25
No student loans. Don't take it for granted guys.
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
Depends on where you're living. In most countries loans are indeed loans which are pretty easy to pay back. In other countries they will be an eternal burden because you have to pay off 3 times more than you've ever loaned.
#26
Having a roof over your head.
Those that work jobs that don't make a living wage have no means to provide for it. Thus they are forced in to unsafe slums or having house mates.
Every day when I pull in to my drive way I reflect on this daily. There is something to be said about the peace of mind knowing you have a welcoming home waiting for you once your done work.
Like many things we grow accustom to having something with no expectations of change, this is something I'm always grateful and respectful of.
#27
Being able to complain about getting bored/not being able to socialize during a pandemic. If you're able to flourish or even live comfortably during these times, that's a privilege.
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
Whenever I read an article about people having terrible times because of lock downs and quarantaine, I just imagine being in a war where on top of having to stay indoors, you are cold and hungry, you can get picked up in a razzia, get shot for no reason or get bombed. And suddenly a lock down doesn't seem so bad at all.
Woo_loo continued: “By making life as fair as possible and establishing a system that helps people who are at the bottom of society and helping them get back on their feet instead of punishing them, we can help them acquire the privileges.” Are you up for the challenge, dear Pandas?
#28
Education. Where I'm from education is paid through (very high) taxes. We even "get paid" so we can focus on school and not being forced to drop out or take a giant student debt.
Oskar vanZandt 3 years ago
I personally believe that young people should be educated for free whichever route is deemed most suitable for them (apprenticeship, college, university...): we also need to stop stigmatising non-university learning. Not everyone is interested in or capable of studying at that level!
#29
my partner has to use IV nutrition because her stomach muscles don’t work properly preventing her from digesting food. Until I met her I never considered being able to eat as something i’m lucky to have.
Sasha Kuleshov 3 years ago
Your intestines wriggle your food down without you even noticing, that's mind blowing O_O
#30
Being able to go to a store without worrying if your wheelchair can fit through the aisles of if they have front steps.
Do you think that all of these things are privileges that most people don’t realize are privileges? Why do you think we tend to take so many of these for granted? How many of these privileges do you have without noticing them in your daily lives, dear Pandas? Share your thoughts and any extra examples of unseen privileges in the comment section below.
#32
Reliable electricity and clean running water.
#34
Being mentally healthy. Basically, my childhood was such that as an adult I have an overactive amygdala - the part of the brain that handles strong emotions and instincts like fight/flight.
As I’ve gotten treatment and medication, and as my situation has gotten better, I’ve had quite a few ‘whoa’ moments where it really hits me that this is how a lot of people naturally see the world.
#35
A steady income, even one that means living paycheck to paycheck. You have money to support yourself and the means to get assistance where you can. A lot of people don’t have that.
What do you think ?
Claudia Gotthardt 3 years ago
I think it is important to be thankful for the good things we get in life so thank you for listing all this positivity. :) I would, however, not call most of those "privileges" as this is something that has a negative ring to it. Privileg is often used to describe a somewhat undeserved/unfair advantage, given by some form of authority. Today you kinda feel bad if you find you have a privileg and this list is surely nothing to feel bad about. Lets just call it "Things we are thankful for". ;)
Daria B 3 years ago
Well said. Let's not turn the good things into negative stuff. We're already miserable enough. Let's turn this article into something that will remind us to appreciate the things we have.
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Deborah B 3 years ago
Being able to attend school without fear that the next school shooting will be at your school. I can't imagine how kids go through highschool in the USA.
Anarchy (they/them) 3 years ago
Honestly? In my experience no one talks about it, we just go through our normal lives and internally hope that today is not the day. I mean I don't even really think about it that often until someone says something related to it. It's just there and we all pretend that it's not
Load More Replies... Claudia Gotthardt 3 years ago
I think it is important to be thankful for the good things we get in life so thank you for listing all this positivity. :) I would, however, not call most of those "privileges" as this is something that has a negative ring to it. Privileg is often used to describe a somewhat undeserved/unfair advantage, given by some form of authority. Today you kinda feel bad if you find you have a privileg and this list is surely nothing to feel bad about. Lets just call it "Things we are thankful for". ;)
Daria B 3 years ago
Well said. Let's not turn the good things into negative stuff. We're already miserable enough. Let's turn this article into something that will remind us to appreciate the things we have.
Load More Replies... Deborah B 3 years ago
Being able to attend school without fear that the next school shooting will be at your school. I can't imagine how kids go through highschool in the USA.
Anarchy (they/them) 3 years ago
Honestly? In my experience no one talks about it, we just go through our normal lives and internally hope that today is not the day. I mean I don't even really think about it that often until someone says something related to it. It's just there and we all pretend that it's not
Load More Replies...
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