Small things We Miss Due to our Privilege and Class

We all want to be good friends right? We want to be caring, considerate and empathetic all whilst enjoying the fun of our compadres.

That being said, if we don’t pay attention to class and privilege inequalities between friends, we may run into some cul-de sacs and conflicts that may not be understandable due to our socioeconomic blinders.

Splitting the Bill

This is something that can cause tension amongst friends. When you go to a restaurant try be mindful of what class and privilege status your friends share. They may not have the money to split on your expensive wine and prawns. If they’re ordering water and siders that’s probably a sign.

Bailing on Plans

We live in a hurried culture and it’s more than understandable that sometimes we simply have to cancel plans at the last minute.

However, we need to be wary that not all of our friends are in the same position when it comes to travel and the costs associated.

Be more mindful of what your friends need to go through when making plans.

Time

We all want to spend time with our friends and sometimes we can feel abandoned when they aren’t available for a long period of time.

However, if they are working class for example, they may simply not have the privilege of copious amounts of time due to having to work ridiculous hours to barely get by.

If they have mental health issues on top of this (even without), sometimes this will influence their ability to spend more time with you as well.

It’s important to take this into account before you assume your friends simply don’t care.

We need to remember, even in the smallest of our interactions, we are simply not all equal. And instead of trying to police everything they do, a tiny amount of understanding and tolerance can go a long way.