Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is

[malthaussen]

65. I doubt anyone would make that claim...

I certainly wouldn't. But it could be easily misrepresented that way. I suppose there are those who would claim that the meanest SWM is privileged over the most advantaged non-SWM, but I certainly can't think of a defense for such an extreme position.

I think, as others have pointed out, that starting socioeconomic class must also be factored in. However, if we group classes according to that standard, and then compare progress, if we still discover that the Straight White Males have an advantage, it lends credence to the idea that SWM have an across-the-board advantage. It still won't get the redneck into Harvard, but it might give him an edge if he applies to Ole Miss.

Possibly we could think of socioeconomic status as a "weight class" in boxing. The most talented and powerful flyweight is not likely to win in a fight against a mediocre heavyweight. But -- switching the metaphor back to privilege -- some flyweights might have an advantage against other flyweights, and so when we speak of the privilege of SWM, that is what we're talking about.

-- Mal