My complaint about tagging complaints with privilege tags like #firstworldproblems
August 30 2011, 8:45 AM
I see this tag come up frequently and I wish people would stop using it.
That and #whitegirlproblems. Here's why: * it's a form of passive aggressiveness. The user doesn't want to straight
our complain about something, so they tag it this way. Maybe they feel they
are whining, or more likely they feel guilty about complaining about a
privilege they have. In any case, it often comes across as a deflection of
the complaint. If you are going to complain, complain directly. If you want
to modify it, do it directly. Instead of saying "waiting all day for my
state of the art TV to arrive #firstworldproblems", why not say "I'm really
excited to be getting my super big screen TV, but I hate waiting all day!".
Or if you just want to complain, say "hate waiting all day for delivery!".
Or better still, focus on the positive and say "excited about the arrival
of my new TV!". * it deflects away from the idea of privilege. Privilege is not restricted
to the first world, and lots of people in the first world do not have
privileges. Complaining about your golf course or your expensive car or
private schooling are not First World problems: they are problems arising
from having wealth. If you don't feel comfortable complaining about your
wealth, don't complain. But if you do, it's not a First World problem. It's
a problem associated with wealth. Don't fish for sympathy or understanding
with that tag. * It assumes people in the Second or Third World don't have these problems:
maybe there are more iPhones in the First World than the rest of the world,
and maybe we have big and shinier technology generally, but by and large a
lot of things people complain about when they tag things
#firstworldproblems are universal problems. You have connectivity problems?
So does the rest of the world. You hate waiting for service or you dislike
bad service? Everyone does. These things are universal. You're like a lot
more of the world than you suppose. * it assumes you know what the rest of the world has to deal with when it
comes to specifics. If you are well versed in how your first world problem
specifically compares to the rest of the world, then perhaps you can use
that tag. Chances are you don't. I have no idea myself on what IT is rolled
out in much of the world, and every so often when I discover it, my
assumptions are invalidated by facts. I'd never complain about IT and tag
it with #firstworldproblems because my IT may actually suck compared to
many other parts of the world. * The first world concept should retire. There hasn't been a second world
since the fall of European communism. I assume the third world is now the
developing world, and the first world is either the West or developed
nations. Regardless, the idea of the First World should go the dust heap of
history. There's an implicit superiority in the "First" designation that
needs to go. * they seem vaguely discriminatory: this is especially true of the
#whitegirlproblems tag, which seems to me racist and sexist. Even
#firstworldproblems seems that way, for it implies "well Slavs or Africans
or Indians couldn't possibly understand these problems". To which I'd ask:
why not? It also works in reverse: if you are not in the group you tag with these
tags, you assume everyone that does belong to that group possesses that
privilege. Either way, it's a mild form of discrimination, but it taints
the way you and others think and is best avoided. Thanks for reading this complaint. My general rule that I try to follow is
to refrain from complaining in status updates and on social media
generally, but from time to time, complaining has benefits. It highlight
wrongs that people can become aware of and remedy. It let's people know how
you are feeling, and since a lot of people following you on social media
care about you, that is important. Finally, it helps you vent, allowing you
to get on with things. Those are all good. Thanks for reading this. If you think I got it wrong, please complain in
the comment section.
-----------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Handheld.
That and #whitegirlproblems. Here's why: * it's a form of passive aggressiveness. The user doesn't want to straight
our complain about something, so they tag it this way. Maybe they feel they
are whining, or more likely they feel guilty about complaining about a
privilege they have. In any case, it often comes across as a deflection of
the complaint. If you are going to complain, complain directly. If you want
to modify it, do it directly. Instead of saying "waiting all day for my
state of the art TV to arrive #firstworldproblems", why not say "I'm really
excited to be getting my super big screen TV, but I hate waiting all day!".
Or if you just want to complain, say "hate waiting all day for delivery!".
Or better still, focus on the positive and say "excited about the arrival
of my new TV!". * it deflects away from the idea of privilege. Privilege is not restricted
to the first world, and lots of people in the first world do not have
privileges. Complaining about your golf course or your expensive car or
private schooling are not First World problems: they are problems arising
from having wealth. If you don't feel comfortable complaining about your
wealth, don't complain. But if you do, it's not a First World problem. It's
a problem associated with wealth. Don't fish for sympathy or understanding
with that tag. * It assumes people in the Second or Third World don't have these problems:
maybe there are more iPhones in the First World than the rest of the world,
and maybe we have big and shinier technology generally, but by and large a
lot of things people complain about when they tag things
#firstworldproblems are universal problems. You have connectivity problems?
So does the rest of the world. You hate waiting for service or you dislike
bad service? Everyone does. These things are universal. You're like a lot
more of the world than you suppose. * it assumes you know what the rest of the world has to deal with when it
comes to specifics. If you are well versed in how your first world problem
specifically compares to the rest of the world, then perhaps you can use
that tag. Chances are you don't. I have no idea myself on what IT is rolled
out in much of the world, and every so often when I discover it, my
assumptions are invalidated by facts. I'd never complain about IT and tag
it with #firstworldproblems because my IT may actually suck compared to
many other parts of the world. * The first world concept should retire. There hasn't been a second world
since the fall of European communism. I assume the third world is now the
developing world, and the first world is either the West or developed
nations. Regardless, the idea of the First World should go the dust heap of
history. There's an implicit superiority in the "First" designation that
needs to go. * they seem vaguely discriminatory: this is especially true of the
#whitegirlproblems tag, which seems to me racist and sexist. Even
#firstworldproblems seems that way, for it implies "well Slavs or Africans
or Indians couldn't possibly understand these problems". To which I'd ask:
why not? It also works in reverse: if you are not in the group you tag with these
tags, you assume everyone that does belong to that group possesses that
privilege. Either way, it's a mild form of discrimination, but it taints
the way you and others think and is best avoided. Thanks for reading this complaint. My general rule that I try to follow is
to refrain from complaining in status updates and on social media
generally, but from time to time, complaining has benefits. It highlight
wrongs that people can become aware of and remedy. It let's people know how
you are feeling, and since a lot of people following you on social media
care about you, that is important. Finally, it helps you vent, allowing you
to get on with things. Those are all good. Thanks for reading this. If you think I got it wrong, please complain in
the comment section.
-----------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Handheld.