The definition of overprivileged is: having more advantages or opportunities than others, especially when it’s considered that the person doesn’t deserve them. Overprivileged also means gifted, entitled, lucky, enabled, etc. Overprivileged basically means someone who gets more than the average person. An example of this would probably be a celebrity’s child. Any parent, given the chance to make sure that their child would be successful, would do it. If not taught to be hardworking, this is where being over privileged would come into play. They didn’t do anything to get what they have, but they were born into it. They thus have more chances for things they may want to achieve, like if they wanted to be an actor or a singer. An average person born of average people would not have that chance.
Backstage says, “According to a comprehensive study that examined 2,408,501 performers, ‘as low as 2% of actors are able to make a living out of acting.’” An average person would have basically the same chance as someone getting into Harvard. Meanwhile, 20%-30% of prominent actors owe their careers to nepotism. Typically, being overprivileged is often paired with ignorance. Overprivileged individuals struggle to see what they have or fail to see the world around them. They are so encapsulated in this bubble that they are oblivious to the terrible things that happen to good people around the world.
It doesn’t even have to be a celebrity. An example of this would be Cecily Bauchmann—who is an influencer with a net worth of 5 million dollars—flying to Florida to take her family to Disney World during Hurricane Milton. Despite the tragedy happening around her, Cecily’s ability to take such a luxurious trip at the expense of the suffering of countless others shows the extreme disconnection that can follow being overprivileged. Not only did she fail to take note of the crisis, but her actions gave a peek into how the overprivileged can be so absorbed in their own lives that they completely ignore the suffering of others. If she had thought about what was happening before deciding to take this oblivious trip, she might not have shown how completely insensible the rich can be.
But do I expect anything less? Not really. This type of behavior is not rare at all. Recently, Kim Kardashian spent upwards of $70,000 to throw a Wicked-themed party for her kids, nieces, and nephews. That amount of money could be life-changing for the ordinary person. She doesn’t care that inflation continues to steepen, along with house payments, phone bills, car payments, etc., while the average yearly salary continues to drop. The average person puts in so much effort to get to where they are, while she doesn’t do anything. She may argue that her success was a result of personal effort, without realizing that her starting point was significantly more advantageous. Kim’s parents were rich before her, so it resulted in the legacy continuing. But the Kardashian sisters will swear up and down that they worked for what they got.
This sense of entitlement is not only damaging to the over privileged but also to us as a society at large. It reinforces the idea of inequality, as it allows for tiers to be made. Those with power and wealth get to remain blind to the hardships faced by others, preventing any meaningful shift toward equality in society. While over privilege may seem like a simple consequence of what you were born into or hard work, it usually masks deeper social issues. People born into wealth and power have a huge advantage, one that shouldn’t be ignored. The reality they experience, combined with a lack of awareness or empathy for others, leads to a society where the privileged will forever remain completely out of touch with the struggles of the rest of the population.