30 Examples Of Privileges That Rich People Have That They Don’t Understand To Be A Privilege

Saving money. A lot of rich people seem to think that the reason people are poor is because they don't save money, but if they do, they can stop being poor. They never consider the seemingly obvious fact that you need excess money in order to save. If all you're making is the money required to sustain your life, then what money are you supposed to save?

The standard argument at that point is suggesting that poor people could save money if they stopped spending money on anything beyond what is absolutely essential - that all they need to do is remove all joy and fun from their lives and somehow that will make their lives better. They never consider the seemingly obvious fact that joy and fun are in fact essential to life.

Having to check how much you have in your bank account before going into a store

Been very very poor and now comfortable. Not having to worry about bills i something i think rich people will never understand until it happens to them. It was awful trying to decide who to pay and dealing with the ones we couldnt pay. The stress was absolutely horrific.

So I was raised upper middle class and became a social worker. I worked with people who were homeless and in prison. One thing that really struck me was the difference in talking to professionals and making phone calls in general. My clients would get flustered, intimidated, easily shut down, or just not articulate what we needed very well.

Unfortunately most “services” to people in need include giving them a paper with phone numbers on it. I can talk on the phone with confidence, ask directly for what I need, politely clarify if I’m not getting the right help, ask to walk through alternatives if they person I’m talking to can’t give me a direct answer, etc. My clients could not do that.

My tone of voice, clarity, confidence, amiability, etc on the phone or talking with “gatekeepers”/professionals are all huge privileges that the rich take for granted.

Never being afraid some unexpected expense will cripple your entire livelihood and possibly destroy it entirely.

“Self Made” people who grew up in a beautiful home in a beautiful neighborhood where the lights are always on, water is always running, and fridge is always full. Two loving stable parents, good school, all the school supplies, a well lit comfortable place to study, access to things like computers (or encyclopedias), tutors, etc. Who never had to ponder if college was worth it or if they should just enlist, learn a trade, or sell drugs. Who followed in the family footsteps to become a doctor or a lawyer, who rounded up “small” million dollar loans to start their computer companies or crypto companies, who by virtue of who their family was made valuable business connections, who didn’t spend 2.5 hours each way sitting at bus stops waiting for their transfer to get to and from school or work, who didn’t need to work a minimum wage part time job while still in school, who didn’t have s****y old cars breaking down, who wouldn’t be financially crippled for a month because they had to buy a work uniform, who had mentors who knew things like how to file for a patent, when you need an attorney, what an LLC is, how to buy and sell stock (before Robin Hood), not realizing it was easier for them than the next guy to make a good idea happen. You think the guy that invented Heelies was the first person to think kids would like shoes with wheels in them, or the guy who invented crustables was the first person to know parents would like the ease of picking up cheap pre-made PB&J sandwiches with a shelf life to toss in the kids lunch box? No, they’re just the first ones with that idea and the knowledge it takes to bring a product to market.

"I made good choices"

All you had were good choices.

Keeping their teeth

Privilege to fail and have a fallback

Going to the doctor regularly and for emergencies and not fearing how much it will cost.

I honestly just can't imagine a world where money wasn't a constant ache in the back of my mind. Gotta pay rent, gotta pay for food, car broke down time to empty our savings again and eat ramen for a month.

So I'd say the privilege they're least aware of is not having that sword of destitution around every corner constantly dangling over their head.

More money. Making money is easier if you already have it to begin with.

If you make a mistake, you can almost always fix the mistake if you have enough money. Speeding ticket? Pay the fine. You can’t pay the fine, they take away your license and then how do you get to work to pay the fine and fix it? When you don’t have money, you have to avoid making any mistake or it will take you years to fix it.

As someone who grew up poor, went to a rich private college on scholarship…

Understanding the norms of upper middle and upper class life. Poor people raise their kids with different values, ways of talking, ways of thinking, accents, different skills etc. It was a steep learning curve for me.

Having the money to replace any broken appliance (or anything really) in their home and never have to think about it.

"Oh the water heater took a s**t? I'll have somebody install a new one tomorrow."

Yards.
The amount of time I see posts that are like "why don't we just all grow our own gardens and share food?!" Yeah let me just start an entire garden in my living room, I guess.
The ability to have a place to just to exist outside, alone, without having to get in your car and go somewhere.

My boomer parents who have a gorgeous secluded backyard with a stream running through it, bbq pit, deck and patio are always telling me I need to spend more time outside, and I'm just like "what am I supposed to do? set up a deck chair in the parking lot? make a picnic for myself on the sidewalk in front of the window of the people that live in the lower units?"

Not having to worry about little things that take up poorer people's days (ie yard work, shoveling snow, cleaning the house)

Being able to afford good legal representation.

Being able to eat something different all the time.

Taking a year off to travel the world.

Backpacking through Europe is made to seem like a “cheap” vacation, but it’s not.