What does it mean to be privileged?

[SummerMadness]

I've seen sports athletes being referred as privileged, sometimes even called lucky, why are they referred to in this way, but this is never said of politicians or people in business? There often seems to be a very patronizing aspect to the designation of privilege, as if someone should be thankful.

If you are the center of a billion dollar industry, generating large amounts of revenue, and are one of the best people in the world that excel at your job, how is that a privilege? Being born rich, is a privilege, working your way to the top of any industry is not a privilege.

And let's say that everyone is privileged, what makes one person's privilege more acceptable than another person's to speak on a subject? Does having a lot of money and appearing on TV make one qualified? Or must one study a subject in-depth to speak on a subject?

 

[Rion]

A) How is this related to American politics?
B) Here's a quick break down of privilege for people: Privilege: The Left's Original Sin

 

[timewerx]

Being born rich, is a privilege, working your way to the top of any industry is not a privilege.

Actually, in your examples, none of them is priveleged.

Being wealthy or powerful or influential is a position of great accountability. In the Judgement, God will also account for things we did and whether we did the right thing with wealth and power.

This is why the rich will find it very difficult to enter Heaven because many will not be able to account for things they did with the great wealth and power they possessed.

This is why Jesus was a lot more lenient and kind with the adulterer and the Samaritan woman who is also an adulterer. Women held lowly places in those period and largely innocent (much less accountable).

On the other hand, Jesus at times was harsh and displayed anger to the Pharisees who loved money and positions of power. Many of them were indeed influential and rich.

How are they accountable? First of all they could have used that influence and wealth to do good and promote justice and mercy upon the land. But instead of doing that, they used their wealth mostly for giving themselves comfort and luxury. And when they gave to charity or their tenth, it was more about the image and the rules "They gave out of their abundance...but the poor widow gave everything". If things got inconvenient, they're gone. This is why Jesus also called them hypocrites.

It's sad to say that there are many Christians who behaves much like the Pharisees concerning wealth and power.