The motivation to have a discussion about privilege itself implies a great deal of privilege - most of the world's population is too involved with basic living to do such a thing, even discounting a lack of internet access and associated skills. All discussions presuppose the value of discussion, favorably biasing the outcome of the debate.
The billions of basic workers of the world do not benefit from discussing privilege - it's not as if a discussion is going to improve their status. The purpose of such a discussion for the privileged is to enable them to modify themselves to better function in the world, potentially increasing their privilege, ironically over and above the very people who are ostensibly the generating force, or reason, for the discussion to be had in the first place.
To put this in historical terms, the 1960s in the West marked a tipping point - multinational capital overcame the power of national capital. One facet of multinational capital is multinational markets, multi-ethnic markets, and the capitalist desire to be anti-racist and globalist. The primary outcomes of this in the United States were the civil rights and women's rights movements, which would allow the previously nationalist culture in the US to become global.
The inherent problem with this entire process is that it's eternally hypocritical - the purpose is to allow capitalists to better function with respect to a global and diverse consumer base, but the purpose of capitalism itself is to exploit all entities with power, transferring capital up the hierarchy. The purpose of "enlightening" a previously bigoted American capitalist class was to allow said capitalists to make more money, from establishing better and less insulting relationships with the exploited people of the world.
In other words, the problem isn't the reality of Gordon Gekko, but rather his image - the problem is that Gordon Gekko looks and acts like a rich asshole instead of looking and acting like Barack Obama. So the solution is to change the look of the capitalist monster, change his "attitude", give him some "street cred", and then send him out to the do the same thing that Gekko was doing, except far more effectively since he's a public relations success instead of a failure.
Pulling back from the metaphor, the entire cultural structure of political correctness, of multiculturalism, and of anti-racism, is not intended to nor does it improve the lives of poor people around the world. It's intended to increase the power of Western capitalists, and when jeers and boos follow George W. Bush, but then cheers follow Barack Obama despite his even greater destruction and terrorizing of the world, it's Job Well Done (or "Mission Accomplished"). When citizens in the United States congratulate themselves on their anti-racism, telling themselves it's the result of enlightenment and "greater consciousness and understanding", shunning any consideration or self-reflection in favor of perpetual self-praise, their Moral Glory indeed can receive no shade to block out it's sun.
This is very frustrating for everyone who understands that only true human solidarity throughout the world will save it, and the big obstacle of capitalism is aided and abetted by a Righteous Western populace who refuses to view themselves through an honest lens, probably because they are on the side of the capitalists.
The billions of basic workers of the world do not benefit from discussing privilege - it's not as if a discussion is going to improve their status. The purpose of such a discussion for the privileged is to enable them to modify themselves to better function in the world, potentially increasing their privilege, ironically over and above the very people who are ostensibly the generating force, or reason, for the discussion to be had in the first place.
To put this in historical terms, the 1960s in the West marked a tipping point - multinational capital overcame the power of national capital. One facet of multinational capital is multinational markets, multi-ethnic markets, and the capitalist desire to be anti-racist and globalist. The primary outcomes of this in the United States were the civil rights and women's rights movements, which would allow the previously nationalist culture in the US to become global.
The inherent problem with this entire process is that it's eternally hypocritical - the purpose is to allow capitalists to better function with respect to a global and diverse consumer base, but the purpose of capitalism itself is to exploit all entities with power, transferring capital up the hierarchy. The purpose of "enlightening" a previously bigoted American capitalist class was to allow said capitalists to make more money, from establishing better and less insulting relationships with the exploited people of the world.
In other words, the problem isn't the reality of Gordon Gekko, but rather his image - the problem is that Gordon Gekko looks and acts like a rich asshole instead of looking and acting like Barack Obama. So the solution is to change the look of the capitalist monster, change his "attitude", give him some "street cred", and then send him out to the do the same thing that Gekko was doing, except far more effectively since he's a public relations success instead of a failure.
Pulling back from the metaphor, the entire cultural structure of political correctness, of multiculturalism, and of anti-racism, is not intended to nor does it improve the lives of poor people around the world. It's intended to increase the power of Western capitalists, and when jeers and boos follow George W. Bush, but then cheers follow Barack Obama despite his even greater destruction and terrorizing of the world, it's Job Well Done (or "Mission Accomplished"). When citizens in the United States congratulate themselves on their anti-racism, telling themselves it's the result of enlightenment and "greater consciousness and understanding", shunning any consideration or self-reflection in favor of perpetual self-praise, their Moral Glory indeed can receive no shade to block out it's sun.
This is very frustrating for everyone who understands that only true human solidarity throughout the world will save it, and the big obstacle of capitalism is aided and abetted by a Righteous Western populace who refuses to view themselves through an honest lens, probably because they are on the side of the capitalists.
