Culture of privilege
Culture of privilege (culture) | |
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A culture of privilege (or culture of entitlement) is an expectation of deserving privileges. These may include exemption from punishment (culture of impunity) or the availability of goods, services or opportunities denied to others.
Contents
Official narratives
Cultures of privilege have a long history. Official Narratives about them, too have a long history, although sometimes they were unspoken or even unspeakable.
History
Racism
- Full article: “Racism”
- Full article: “Racism”
Xenophobia was given establishment backing as "racism", based on the (scientifically arbitrary) assignment of humans to different "races". Popular in the 19th and early 20th century, this idea meshed with Charles Darwin's writings about evolution to become eugenics, a concept no longer popular after WWII. Legal backing for racism was abolished in the 1960s after the civil rights movement. South Africa held out until [When?] popular opposition to its "apartheid" system lead threatened to inspire widespread civil disobedience.
21st century developments
Monetisation
In the 21st century, ever increasing monetisation is seeing the idea of social class being replaced by economic class. As the rapidly polarisation of income is leading to an expansion of the precariat, other social divisions are losing their significance.
National affiliation
Deprived of its official sanction, racism has become a taboo, and replaced by prejudice about national affiliation. Differential wage rates and restrictions on immigration mean that this is closely connected to the system of visas and passports.
Schooling
- Full article: School
- Full article: School
Schooling, also referred to as "education", remains as a social filter, allowing economic discrimination to be disguised and a plutocratic system to me presented as a meritocratic system.