The Perils of "Privilege": Why Injustice Can't Be Solved by Accusing Others of Advantage
Phoebe Maltz Bovy
Sep 2024 · Macmillan + ORM
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About this ebook
"A prescient critique . . . showing how talk of privilege distract[s] from genuine injustices." — Tablet
"Privilege"—the word, the idea, the accusation that is nearly impossible to disprove—is the new rhetorical power play. From social media to academia, public speech to casual conversation, the word is utilized to brand people of all kinds with a term once reserved exclusively for those who came from wealth and old money—inherited advantage.
Today "privileged" applies to anyone who enjoys an unearned advantage in life, inherited or not. White privilege, male privilege, straight privilege—those conditions make everyday life easier, less stressful, more lucrative, and generally better for those who hold one, two, or all three designations. But what about white female privilege in the context of feminism? Or fixed gender privilege in the context of transgender? Or weight and height privilege in the context of hiring practices and salary levels? Or food privilege in the context of widening inequality for single-parent families?
In The Perils of "Privilege," Phoebe Maltz Bovy examines the rise of this word into extraordinary potency. Does calling out privilege help to change or soften it? Or simply reinforce it by dividing people against themselves? And is privilege a concept that, in fact, only privileged people are debating? The Perils of "Privilege" explores how this word is deployed, and offers ways to begin anew so many of the conversations it has silenced.
"The last thing on 'privilege' you'll ever need to read." — The Washington Post
"Privilege"—the word, the idea, the accusation that is nearly impossible to disprove—is the new rhetorical power play. From social media to academia, public speech to casual conversation, the word is utilized to brand people of all kinds with a term once reserved exclusively for those who came from wealth and old money—inherited advantage.
Today "privileged" applies to anyone who enjoys an unearned advantage in life, inherited or not. White privilege, male privilege, straight privilege—those conditions make everyday life easier, less stressful, more lucrative, and generally better for those who hold one, two, or all three designations. But what about white female privilege in the context of feminism? Or fixed gender privilege in the context of transgender? Or weight and height privilege in the context of hiring practices and salary levels? Or food privilege in the context of widening inequality for single-parent families?
In The Perils of "Privilege," Phoebe Maltz Bovy examines the rise of this word into extraordinary potency. Does calling out privilege help to change or soften it? Or simply reinforce it by dividing people against themselves? And is privilege a concept that, in fact, only privileged people are debating? The Perils of "Privilege" explores how this word is deployed, and offers ways to begin anew so many of the conversations it has silenced.
"The last thing on 'privilege' you'll ever need to read." — The Washington Post
Ratings and reviews
5.0
1 review
Mario Rustan
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July 4, 2024
Published in early 2017, this is a book that is against the grain. The writer is a lifelong Democrat who questions the prevalence of privilege narrative in American media, and how it distracts us from addressing workable solutions to inequality and distrust. A collection of American digital media stories from the late Obama era, the stories & the author's conversational comments might not be for everyone, especially those not familiar with American online chattering. And yet, this is a great documentation on how our interconnected world has been shaped, almost a decade later.
About the author
PHOEBE MALTZ BOVY is a writer born and raised in New York City, now living in Toronto. Her essays on privilege have appeared in The New Republic and The Atlantic, among other publications. She has a doctorate in French and French Studies from New York University.
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