Our conscious existence is multifaceted. It is a patchwork of highs and lows, triumphs and humiliations, loss, grief, betrayal, love, acceptance, generosity. We are fully occupied in experiencing life, even when we are bored and everything seems pointless. Especially then.
I think this pre-disposes us to dissatisfaction. It is virtually impossible for us to celebrate not having a disadvantage. There is no urgency in an absence: that space is filled by immediate concerns. Disadvantages, being various and almost infinite in number, make us all almost infinitely advantaged. Any complaint we might make can be countered by pointing out that we aren’t quadriplegic or schizophrenic or drowning or dead.
This is why “White Privilege” is not a helpful concept. Anyone can be accused of any number of privileges if all it means is not experiencing a disadvantage. There’s Male privilege (obviously), affluence, intelligence privilege, youth privilege, beauty privilege, mother-who-loved-you privilege, good-schooling privilege; high-expectations privilege, not-scarred-by-sadistic-bullying-as-a-child privilege, and so on. Not suffering a disadvantage should not disqualify you from thought on any topic. It should not make you a less valuable person or less deserving of respect.
Middle-aged Male Anorexic 