what is it like to be priveliged?

Lanolin · Nov 7, 2020

I sometimes got a glimpse into this world when I worked in retirement villages, the ones in the posher areas some of the residents where extremely well off and were always going on overseas trips and thought nothing of spending a few grand here and there. But I wouldnt really want to exchange my life for theres as paradoxically it seems very empty because they hardly see their children or grandchildren...as the retirement villages do not actually allow children to stay there.

I dont know that some worked hard I think a lot of people are just lucky, its not hard to invest your money in something and let other people do the work or leverage of something you already have you just need to know what to invest in, thats not really working I would say. And Some people just strike it rich.

Children in posh schools of course, never had to earn anything they were just born into to wealth. I think its kind of cool to not have had any pressure to leave school early and earn money to support your family. You could just follow your passion or do art or whatever your talent was. money being no object.

I had a friend in high school who had wealthy parents who were doctors, and it was assumed she was bright and would just go to university, all paid for of course. She would never have to take a loan or be in debt. she took overseas trip nearly every year with her family, she got computers given to her, a car, a clothing allowance, extra tuition and all those things ordinary families struggle to afford. we were friends but some things I couldnt really relate to the way she complained about certain things like what she ate and fear of getting fat maybe cos she could just eat whatever she liked as her family never had to struggle to put food on the table, and she also dined out regularly wheras in my family that would be a rare treat.

she had a photographic memory and did well in exams, but she didnt think she was that smart, just lucky, and didnt seem like she had to work hard. I dont know what she is doing now, but I remember her saying that university she would meet 'prospects' i,e future husbands, whereas for me, the fact that I could even go to university was an achievement lol. Intersting how our lives were quite different, she didnt quite fit in the high school cos she was a bit snobby or people perceived her as snobby to those less well off. we would get our goods from the warehouse because it was cheap, but she would never shop there as it was beneath her.

Lanolin · Nov 7, 2020

Christians are VIPs to God.

we might not be in this world, but we count in heaven. And the good thing about it He will wipe all the tears from our eyes. Sounds too good to be true, but am truly looking forward to it.

I often think how Jesus would say the first shall be last and the last shall be first, its kinda like what teachers say to children when they line up and of course everyone wants to be at the head of a queue and its all pushing and shoving to be first initially. So some teachers invented a 'back leader' lol.

TheIndianGirl · Nov 7, 2020

I think it's all relative. Thinking of the people I know, I think each is somehow privileged. One person doesn't make too much but she is renting this beautiful two-story garage apartment/house for a very low cost; her landlord hasn't raised her rent in years. Another person I know lives on benefits but she lives in a Section 8 building in a very nice/safe/rich part of town (she could be living in a Section 8 housing in a slum). She lives in a modern apartment paying basically nothing. While I make more than both, both are living in a larger/nicer apartment than mine. Growing up, we spent below our means and basically lived on bare necessities. I think that spilled over into my adulthood. I'm 34 but still using my IKEA furniture (like my $10 coffee table) that I bought a bit after college. So, even I see someone else's material wealth I know that won't make me feel content, so I don't get too jealous. I didn't really feel jealous of anyone in my high school (we were all in the same income group I guess). In college, I did encounter privileged people whose parents were able to afford all expenses such as housing, tuition, etc.

Lanolin · Nov 7, 2020

Thats good as jealousy and envy can be very damaging in families like if theres a favourite 'golden child' who can do no wrong, but the others are treated as inferior.

I mean look what happened to Joseph. His brothers were so jealous of his privelige, that they sold him to slavery but he forgave them.

Or what about Jacobs wives and Rachel and Leah. Rachel was favoured and Leah was like the runner up. Though it was Leah whos lineage led to Jesus not Rachel, who died in childbirth.

Rachel hadnt really done anything to earn the privelige, she was just favoured. she had good looks, which she was born with. I am not sure why Joseph was favoured, maybe good looks again.

But when you look at Jesus he didnt favour those that were good looking at all, He went after those that were broken and the sick that needed a phsyician, not those who were already whole or well off and already had their reward.

Lanolin · Nov 7, 2020

thinking further on this
I work in school which might be termed 'underpriveliged'. we have a rating scale and its decile 2. there are ten deciles 10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest.

Ten decile schools are where the children get chauffeured to school, never go without lunch, which is gourmet, have everything paid for, get the opportunity to go on field trips overseas, their parents are pros or wealthy and own their own homes and probably have at least 3 properties in their portfolios. They have heaps of staff, and the best of everything. All the children that go to these schools will just about guranteed having a good job, career or profession when they leave. None will drop out. if they ever need money, aside from. asking mum and dad the banks are all too willing to lend as they know they will get it back. some schools are so wealthy that they dont even pay tax somehow they squirrel their money away in offshore accounts.
extracurricular activities include such things as orchestra and underwater hockey (in a purposefully built pool) and a life long old girls/boys network. social events are all paid for. the school employs contract gardeners instead of teaching the children how to garden...it would never get childrens hands dirty!
Seriously, it sounds bit like paradise.

decile two schools, here we have cases where some children dont have stationery cos their parents cant afford it, or go without lunch, hardly anybody owns their own home they might be renting. we have staff but in limited positions because it costs to pay staff, so any extra activities are out of staffs own pockets.
parents dont usually volunteer cos they will be too busy working. schools rely on donations for any extra goodies. and fundraising can only raise limited amounts in a poor area. children may be truant for whatver reason but usually they get sick or have to look after a family member, because they get less healthcare than a priveliged child does as its expensive.
students are more likely to drop out, because of the need to work and make money now to look after the family, and because it costs to go on to higher education, which many parents cant afford to pay for, or in a big family, only one child may get to go.
because of more special needs children we get more teacher aides, but support staff are not paid very much at all.
The thing about working in decile 2 schools is that we get more govt funding. This is because many parents cant afford to pay for a lot of the necessary things, things like books, or computers which automatically puts children at a disadvantage.

I know people say education is the key for many to get out of poverty, and it might seem that way, but when you think about it, its not so clear cut (and of course, one needs to somehow pay for higher education!) for those already priveliged, why would they even really need an education, since they can just live of their trust fund savings, make investments with capital they already have accrued or rely on their family connections (or good looks!) to get wherever they need to go in life.
education can certainly gives underpriveliged options, but the education one might recieve would not be the same quality as what someone who is already priveliged would recieve, if Im making sense.

Mii · Nov 8, 2020

Lynx said:

I think it's sick that you used sic brah

I only learned what that meant "relatively" recently but this is the first time I've seen someone use it on CC ha.

Lynx · Nov 8, 2020

(sic) means "That's the way the person I'm quoting spelled it. I take no responsibility for such atrocious spelling."

Lynx · Nov 8, 2020

Lanolin said:

thinking further on this
I work in school which might be termed 'underpriveliged'. we have a rating scale and its decile 2. there are ten deciles 10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest.

Ten decile schools are where the children get chauffeured to school, never go without lunch, which is gourmet, have everything paid for, get the opportunity to go on field trips overseas, their parents are pros or wealthy and own their own homes and probably have at least 3 properties in their portfolios. They have heaps of staff, and the best of everything. All the children that go to these schools will just about guranteed having a good job, career or profession when they leave. None will drop out. if they ever need money, aside from. asking mum and dad the banks are all too willing to lend as they know they will get it back. some schools are so wealthy that they dont even pay tax somehow they squirrel their money away in offshore accounts.
extracurricular activities include such things as orchestra and underwater hockey (in a purposefully built pool) and a life long old girls/boys network. social events are all paid for. the school employs contract gardeners instead of teaching the children how to garden...it would never get childrens hands dirty!
Seriously, it sounds bit like paradise.

decile two schools, here we have cases where some children dont have stationery cos their parents cant afford it, or go without lunch, hardly anybody owns their own home they might be renting. we have staff but in limited positions because it costs to pay staff, so any extra activities are out of staffs own pockets.
parents dont usually volunteer cos they will be too busy working. schools rely on donations for any extra goodies. and fundraising can only raise limited amounts in a poor area. children may be truant for whatver reason but usually they get sick or have to look after a family member, because they get less healthcare than a priveliged child does as its expensive.
students are more likely to drop out, because of the need to work and make money now to look after the family, and because it costs to go on to higher education, which many parents cant afford to pay for, or in a big family, only one child may get to go.
because of more special needs children we get more teacher aides, but support staff are not paid very much at all.
The thing about working in decile 2 schools is that we get more govt funding. This is because many parents cant afford to pay for a lot of the necessary things, things like books, or computers which automatically puts children at a disadvantage.

I know people say education is the key for many to get out of poverty, and it might seem that way, but when you think about it, its not so clear cut (and of course, one needs to somehow pay for higher education!) for those already priveliged, why would they even really need an education, since they can just live of their trust fund savings, make investments with capital they already have accrued or rely on their family connections (or good looks!) to get wherever they need to go in life.
education can certainly gives underpriveliged options, but the education one might recieve would not be the same quality as what someone who is already priveliged would recieve, if Im making sense.

If you were watching TV a few years ago, I bet you were watching Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous with Robin Leach, and eating your heart out.

For somebody who pays so much attention to the rich people, you sure don't know much about the downsides. It's almost like you are focusing only on what you wish you had, consciously ignoring the negatives about it.

Lanolin · Nov 8, 2020

i remember looking into christian missions, and the ones for overseas, some of them were like work as a teacher. But what they really meant was work as a teacher in missions schools for children of missionaries, because their children would go to separate schools from everyone else on special mission stations.

many of the children of the host country did not even have school! They had to go to work or if they had school could only go as far as primary school.

Treeboy · Nov 8, 2020

Lanolin you havent met enough people. I have worked for multiple businesses that the father built and are leaving to the son and worth over 100mil i would easily guess. Every body in my family makes great money my father is a multimillionaire and that does not even mean much anymore in america. It is not happiness.

You want more money, people with more money want to fit in and have people genuinely like them. They have personal struggles with worth like anyone. When you have no struggle for survival it doesnt make life easy. 1 guy i worked for is probably close to a billionaire and i happened to b on vacation and he was staying at the same hotel. He has the same problems any middle class man has. He just rode on his private jet there.

You dont have anything more than you can hold in your hands. Grow a garden.

Lanolin · Nov 8, 2020

Treeboy said:

yea true just a different set of problems maybe.
If you were privleiged you'd maybe worry that people only liked you for your money.
Though I dont think middle class problems are huge problems really. Its more of a 'what do people think of me' kind of problem then a 'I dont know how Im gonna survive the next week' problem.

Lanolin · Nov 9, 2020

Job had problems but he kinda thought he was immune to calamity becuase of his privelige, and the way he responded wasnt initially a kind of 'I need God more' type of response but more of a 'why is this even happening to me?!' 'Im so good. it shouldnt, why God?!'

I think when youve had that cushion of privelige, you just become used to all the comfort maybe.

is that elitism or arrogance? I dont know, but i think privelige can then lead to elitism and arrogance that you end up trying to tell God what to do.

its more of a kind of 'I paid for this, now I expect a return' instead of realising that privlige is often just a gift and is not based on how good or bad you are, or how hard you work.

calibob · Nov 9, 2020

What is it like to be priveliged? Wow that's a loaded question. Well I lived within 5 miles of the Tijuana/ San Diego border for over 20 years. After seeing many of our neighbors living in lean to's, in junkyards and along the coast route with only 3 sided make shift plywood shelters in the cold wind on the beach. No clean, water heat or electricity. It caused me to re-evaluate our living conditions here in the USA.

Drinkable water, roofs, walls and windows that don't leak. Food! 12 years free education for our children. Emergency rooms that accept people that need help now without money. Uh, Affordable electricity, we don't have to build a fire to cook or stay warm. Most have a computer, TV and car. And many countries don't even have freedom of religion and in some Christians are beheaded. Most of us here are priveliged and few are aware of just how thankful the should be.

(If anybody needs directions in order to go see it for themselves, I'll be glad to supply them). Be thankful. Be very thankful.

Lynx · Nov 9, 2020

You never appreciate what you have until you have something less against which to compare it.

Lynx · Nov 10, 2020

This thread reminds me of Proverbs 30:8-9. That's where the guy is saying, "Lord please don't make me either poor or rich, because if I was poor I might have to seriously consider stealing just to get by, and if I was rich I'd get too big for my britches. Please just make sure I have what I need when I need it."

8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

Imagine, a guy praying that he will not be rich...

calibob · Nov 10, 2020

Lynx said:

This thread reminds me of Proverbs 30:8-9. That's where the guy is saying, "Lord please don't make me either poor or rich, because if I was poor I might have to seriously consider stealing just to get by, and if I was rich I'd get too big for my britches. Please just make sure I have what I need when I need it."

8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

Imagine, a guy praying that he will not be rich...

Yes. (And) It was written by the wisest and wealthiest man in written history. King Solomon

Lanolin · Nov 10, 2020

theres often a phrase 'you dont know how lucky you are'
a lot of people who are priveliged dont know how lucky they are as thats all they know. Privelige often puts people in a bubble and they never even see what others dont have.

That is not to blame the privlieged for their ignorance, as many people put up appearances so that they dont need to accept charity, or be a burden to anyone. A scholarship child going to a private school can only pretend so much though.

but its often not likely that a child whos parents can afford a private school puts them in a public school, although it does happen (as a high school friend was) and then one starts to notice a kind of attitude shift when they realise all their friends are not as well off as they often assume them to be.

in that sense those who are priveliged really have nothing to complain about, though one must be polite and listen to a few gripes it just gets very old after a while! it would be like a fertile woman complaining about having children, when someone whos infertile or barren has no chance even if they had all the money to do IVF and they take all the drugs and everything...

at the retirement village, the managers had to listen to an endless round of petty complaints that drove them round the bend, these baby boom retirees had all the mod cons, safety, security and a good life they were priveliged to spend with no worries about maintenance as everything was done for them, but one can bet that there would always be something to complain about. it kind a drove people nuts because if they werent happy they would make sure other people wouldnt be as well!

Lynx · Nov 10, 2020

Lanolin said:

at the retirement village, the managers had to listen to an endless round of petty complaints that drove them round the bend, these baby boom retirees had all the mod cons, safety, security and a good life they were priveliged to spend with no worries about maintenance as everything was done for them, but one can bet that there would always be something to complain about. it kind a drove people nuts because if they werent happy they would make sure other people wouldnt be as well!

Oh the irony! The irony!!

DesertWanderer · Nov 15, 2020

We are priviledged.

As God's very own, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are priviledged to be living on this side of Pentacost. As His elect, we get to spend the rest of eternity with Him in paradise. Living here on this decaying planet, we can sometimes overlook what is to come.

All the gold, prestige, or riches in the world can't match any of what God offers us in His eternal Kingdom. The best thing is, no one can take that away from us--no matter what our job, no matter whet we drive, no matter how much we have.

How can we not tell others?

Lanolin · Nov 16, 2020

DesertWanderer said:

sounds good to me.

Although I never thought what we drove was THAT important. With so many cars on the road, what type of car it is doesnt really factor in anything so long as it gets you from a to b and is registered. People dont make room for you unless you drive an ambulance.

what is it like to be priveliged?

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