Giving Oppressed People More of a Voice Than Privileged People

The norm in left-wing ideology or liberal subcultures is to give oppressed and marginalized people more of a voice than privileged people. Is this a good or bad thing? I explain in this video that it's complex. I outline the motivations behind this practice, and think that it is generally a good thing. But I also think it can be taken too far to the point of it being harmful, and I explore three scenarios or ways in which this can play out:
The first is when oppressed or marginalized people are given extra leeway or "free reign" to engage in disrespectful, hostile, or even abusive behaviors, usually towards either members of privileged groups or people who disagree with them.
The second scenario is when people are allowed to express untruthful or distorted ideas characteristic of mental illness. I explain how oppression and marginalization often places people at higher risk of mental illness, and I talk about some of my own experiences with this.
The third example most often comes up in the context of financial or socioeconomic privilege, and is when people's bad situations are a combination of systemic factors beyond their control, and personal choices or habits. In this situation, privileged people may often have things to offer more oppressed and marginalized people, and shutting down or excluding their voices can make it harder for the people who are struggling most to improve their situation.
I try to balance and synthesize both liberal and conservative viewpoints in this video, coming up with something I hope will be perceived as moderate and reasonable, that I hope can guide dialogue on these issues and contribute to solving some of these problems!

[@shaunadillon3053]

Alex your politics shows you are both introspective and observant of others. Thank you so much for this breath of fresh air. I hope you are feeling better and continue to make videos.

[@AlexZorach]

Thank you!!! I am feeling much better from my COVID experience, thankfully, not quite 100% but getting there.

[@laurenbarber8579]

Great points and ideas!!!

[@ChromaCee]

Honestly, I feel the word "privilege" itself has become so weaponized lately and used against both sides of the political spectrum (and I realized how much it hurts everyone, marginalized or otherwise, when my own mom called me "privileged" for "getting" to lie in bed all day because of depression and shame from my disabilities). I'm thinking the words "advantage" and "disadvantage" might spawn more productive conversation since they aren't "buzzwords," but still acknowledge the problems often associated with privilege.

[@anonimatovato8384]

It would help if higher class people wouldn't downgrade poor people all the time. No need to act all snobby lol! We're all humans, and nobody is better or worse person because of your bank account, but the media pushes these ideals that more is always better, perfect example, the Kardashians and Trump lol! Show people better ways to obtain success without degrading people. As for poverty, yes it is horrible situation and people might need social programs and there's nothing wrong with that, but if you're able to better yourself, please do so.

[@AlexZorach]

I agree, I think there is a large degree to which our society pushes this "more is always better" attitude, and that also applies to wealth and (perhaps more often) displays of wealth (which is not the same thing as wealth.) And I have also been in settings where there are a bunch of wealthier people speaking negatively about poor people. I think this is pretty different from what I'm talking about in this video though, which is about stuff that goes on in liberal-to-far-left circles. In these circles, it is pretty strongly taboo to put down or insult people for being poor. This video is mainly aimed at discussing the situations in which the wealthier or relatively-better-off people in the discussion are already being fully respectful, but that they're getting shut down by this sort of left-wing culture that views them as privileged and therefore less deserving of a voice. I don't know if you've ever encountered this at all? I definitely have, usually in a liberal college/university environment, and sometimes out in the rest of the world. It is sort of related to this "the rich are all out to get us" attitude that some people hold.