Re: Absolute truth, the testament of truth.
Ironcross, I'm going to break my former edict because you actually asked a good question I have an answer for.
You ask what the point is of labelling certain advantages as "privilege", and then you mention that you have "no rotten teeth privilege" among a slew of others.
Okay, so here's the main point. Your lack of rotten teeth may give you some tiny advantage, but it is not culturally defining. You aren't going to be stopped in an airport, harassed on the street, criminally profiled without good reason, turned down for the average job, spat on, reviled, mistrusted or otherwise shat on if you have, or have ever had, one or more rotten teeth. You may get some small blowback, but it will be pretty small potatoes on most days and in most situations, unless you're, I dunno, trying to be a male model or something, and the rotten teeth are very visible when you smile.
By contrast, women still face wage gap issues (although this is shrinking), and people of colour still face systemic racism (thank you for accepting that this is still a thing, btw, that's why I'm engaging you at all). And those are just the tip of the iceberg. These are big issues, and the reason they exist is because the system is still supporting them. Our name for that imbalance is privilege. That's all. Privilege doesn't mean better or worse. It means unearned advantages, or a lack of unearned disadvantages. It's a scale thing. Incidentally, graduating from high school, or not doing so, can eventually fall into class privilege, since it may limit the sort of jobs you're going to be able to do, and this will affect your earning power and thus your freedom and worth under capitalism.
In the legal system, if you went to court over custody of a minor against a woman, you might actually run into a little bit of female privilege in this area, because men have had a pretty tough skate, historically, when it comes to custody. We're working on that, because it's not fair.
The reason privilege is causing all the hell it's causing is very, very simple. It's because people like you, and people far more resistant to change than you, are freaking out about it. It's also a problem because people far more angry than I am are using it like a bludgeon, furthering the problem. I'm not doing that, and most people on the left aren't either. The term is, quite literally, just meant to say "Here is an umbrella beneath which these issues fall. Let's start taking them apart and making them better". Again, it is not your fault that you experience privilege, and it's not my fault. Recognizing it is first and foremost for helping to minimize it. If you know of a woman who has been harassed in the workplace, ask her if she wants your help, and if she does, help her in whichever way is best, even if it means calling someone from your own group out for bad behaviour. If you are with a person of colour and they get harassed, open your mouth and speak up, or if you're afraid to step on toes, ask that person ahead of time, if possible, if they want your help if things get ugly...because they might.
And you're probably turning this around as you read and say "yeah, well this just proves that I think I'm better than they do, or that there's a gap and I'm making it worse". If all you ever did was white-knight women and step in front of people to take their punishment, then sure, maybe. But if you simply raise awareness, ask how you can help and generally put yourself out there as an ally, someone who's not going to take crap just because, then you're getting on the right path.
Don't automatically clench when you hear the term "privilege". It's not a dirty word. It's not a dirty concept either. It does exist - and you've tacitly admitted it exists by explaining your experiences and by saying you know some people have it undeservedly rough - and by admitting it, that doesn't make you bleeding-heart leftist. It means you are willing to be socially aware of problems and have decided to put your money where your mouth is.
Regarding your gender thing: still an impasse there. You don't have any authority. Think what you want, but the moon's really and truly not made of cheese.
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