The Privilege of Explaining Privilege

I've become tired of hearing the term 'privilege' bandied about by the Liberals in their class warfare efforts. Like so many other terms from the building of America, Liberals and minority groups have taken perfectly good words and bastardized them into another meaning, thus taking the terms out of our general discourse.

According to the online dictionary: "Privilege: a. A special advantage, immunity, permission, right, or benefit granted to or enjoyed by an individual, class, or caste. b. Such an advantage, immunity, or right held as a prerogative of status or rank, and exercised to the exclusion or detriment of others." The important word here is 'granted.' This indicates a 'grantor.'

According to Wikipedia: "A 'privilege' is a special entitlement to immunity granted by the state or another authority to a restricted group, either by birth or on a conditional basis. It can be revoked in certain circumstances. In modern democratic states, a privilege is conditional and granted only after birth. By contrast, a right is an inherent, irrevocable entitlement held by all citizens or all human beings from the moment of birth."

The sense of 'privilege' in general society is one that indicates favors for one among other equals. Having wealth or being successful takes a person out of the norm and no longer makes him 'privileged' but in a different strata based on work or luck or both. 'Privilege' comes from relatively equals in ability and success. It does not logically compare people of different success and wealth. The term 'privileged' has been misused for years, mostly by Liberals wanting to set one group of people against another---or else the Liberals are just stupid, a logical conclusion.

Merriam-Webster states: 'Good health care should be a right and not a privilege.' It should be neither. We have not been endowed with any right to force others to take care of us! Nor should others have an inherent right to not take care of us---we all being of the human persuasion! Health care should not be a privilege, but a need for a service easily given by others for just recompense. Who pays for that service can often be an event of contention, but it doesn't change definitions. [See a long definition of 'money' and 'wealth' somewhere.]

'We had the privilege of being invited to the party.' This is true. Among reasonably equal people, it is a privilege to be given something [an invitation] for nothing.

'I had the privilege of knowing your grandfather.' Another true statement. Again, among reasonably equal people, knowing a specific individual and profiting from him or her is indeed a privilege.

'He lived a life of wealth and privilege.' Not true. Wealth differentiates people, thus one group having more wealth, mostly from more personal success, would naturally have more valued items. And it's constituents would be able to purchase goods and services above and beyond what the members of another group can purchase. Thus, it is not 'privilege' any more than being smarter makes a person 'privileged.'

The next time you want to complain about the so-called 'privileges' of others, make sure you know the meanings of the terms.