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Very interesting take, especially at the end in enumerating privileges. I had a similar experience with my own Mom's Macintosh SE being the gateway to my life i
by rabialam 14y ago
Very interesting take, especially at the end in enumerating privileges. I had a similar experience with my own Mom's Macintosh SE being the gateway to my life in tech, and I don't know what I would done if she didn't introduce me to that at such a young age. I have been so lucky. Born in the States (even though mom's a foreigner which was a blessing in a lot of ways on account of the work ethic she tried to bestow upon me), college educated male with tech skills that were developed sort of circumstantially but very intensely at a very early age -- I feel so lucky, as if I "had a winning lottery ticket" for sure. And now, even as I am finally able to enjoy the the excitement and passion of a career that is exactly what I want to be doing -- I find myself so often feeling so incredibly anxious about why I am not doing more to help others gain access to my world. Frankly, I think that it's rare that (and sad that it's rare that) we have open discussions in the tech community about that word "privilege" where there isn't an INTENSE amount of denial, apathy, minimization, skepticism and disbelief (which, sadly, are some of the most common results of such privilege). For me, this post was a breath of fresh air that adequately expressed a lot of what I feel everyday -- I feel so lucky, but I feel so torn. Yes, I think I worked really hard to make good on my skills and develop them. No, I do not think that makes the world even remotely fair. Yes, I still feel like it is so unfair that in a lot of respects it is almost CERTAINLY a lottery. Yes, it continues to bother me that I feel sort of powerless about that divide, but yes, I would like to bridge that. Perhaps part of that is to start blogging as you have. I think that's what I like so much about this post: you are really leading by example in a way that is rare and yet quite needed. Good on you, and I look forward to reading more.
- danilocampos 14y ago> Frankly, I think that it's rare that (and sad that it's rare that) we have open discussions in the tech community about that word "privilege" where there isn't an INTENSE amount of denial, apathy, minimization, skepticism and disbelief (which, sadly, are some of the most common results of such privilege) Thank you for your comment – I'm glad you appreciated it, and that you mentioned the hostility a lot of this conversation can breed. Part of the problem, I think, is that it feels like an accusation to tell someone about their privileges. No one likes to be confronted, no one likes to feel like their hard work is being short-changed. So I decided to try and turn the conversation around. Maybe it'll be better received.
- 1123581321 14y agoYou and the author are looking for the word advantage, not privilege. A person wih an advantage plays by the same rules as others, but does better. An advantage is not necessarily earned. Privilege means to not have to follow the same rules as others and that's not what happened here. I'm irked that you've set yourself up to call this proof of privilege to discredit any disagreement. If you want there to be more discussion of the role that luck plays in our lives, you should not do that.
- danilocampos 14y agoYour word parsing isn't helping your case. According to AHED, privilege is defined as: a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people Believe me. These advantages were not universally available. I got lucky.
- 1123581321 14y agoA privilege is something like being Kim Jong Un instead of most other North Koreans. The advantage in that privilege definition is confusing here since it means an explicitly granted one but no rule-making power intervened in your life in that way. An advantage is like having a secret television in North Korea or living near the northern Chinese border. The rules for escape and censure apply exactly the same as they do to others, but the situation one randomly finds oneself in makes beating the game easier. That's your situation.