On Privilege

On Series (Little Books, Big Ideas)

by Julian Burnside

Part of a series that pairs leading Australian thinkers and cultural figures with important themes in life, this handbook contemplates the meanings of privilege. From the concept of legal privilege to the privilege of being born into wealth, this essay alludes to the author’s own childhood as well as to the treatment of asylum seekers in Australia and Cubans in Guantanamo Bay. Questioning the definition of privilege and determining who has it, this argument will appeal to those interested in politics, law, social justice, and current events.

Genres: Nonfiction

96 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2009

Reviews

[Vivek · Rating 1 out of 5]

My disappointment in this essay, and the discussion at the book launch, stems more from my expectations than any fault in Burnside's opinions. His thoughts are more scattered than engaging, dabbling between his birth into wealth, human rights in Guantanamo Bay and society's perception of art and Bill Henson. And he never explicitly brings up responsibility.

Rather than attempt to condense so many ideas into a twenty minute read, he could have provided a more intimate account of privilege in his own life: a currency he earned by working hard for some of Australia's worst, and which he spends by working hard for some of Australia's voiceless innocents. But I guess I'll just have to wait for his memoirs.

[Dylan Glatz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julian Burnside's writing seems characterised by a great paradox; whilst he expresses himself with a barrister's enunciated, elevated clarity, he allows himself to meander from topic to topic with great spontaneity. Some readers might enjoy these great discursive leaps across space and time, whereas others might not. I found myself in the former camp. Subsequently, to read On Privilege is to be afforded the great privilege of simply following along Burnside's wandering semantic journey. At a close-read, it is profound and pertinent. To step backwards and look at On Privilege from a distance is to recognise its interconnected circuity. This is to say that the finer brushwork is just as remarkable as the bigger picture itself.

As much as I enjoyed Burnside's essay, I can only mourn the fact that it was penned in 2009. For it to have been updated so as to reflect more contemporary discussions around human rights, privilege and the (mis)use of public power would be a real treat. With that having been said, it is difficult not to draw parallels between his discussions around Rudd's 2008 apology to Indigenous Australians, and the various discourses associated with the current Voice to Parliament Referendum. Regrettably, explorations of these (then-contemporary) political case-studies somewhat date the essay. If a week is a long time in politics, a decade is an entire epoch. As a result, readers of 2023 and beyond might be frustrated, if not startled, by the (relative) absence of urgency in Burnside's extemporisations on governments' delay in climate action: they can read less like desperate appeal to existentialism than an imperious arrogant tut-tutting.

Nevertheless, we are fortunate that Burnside, as an author, makes no bones about acknowledging and analysing his own privileges. This is the least he owes us, but he delivers us far more. For this, we are, ourselves, are exceptionally privileged.

On Privilege is composed with a voice as self-aware as it is salient. With a gift for analogy and syntax, Burnside has penned a delightfully thoughtful essay that will doubtless reward many a repeat-reading.

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burnside eloquently relates privilege in a few different contexts, including the idea of having the privilege of arguing against the Bush government and it's war on Iraq and the succession of Australian governments treatment of asylum seekers in detention centres (concentration camps really) and even the Bill Henson art controversy with Hetty Johnston's hysterical argument, even though as he points out she really hadn't seen the photos.
Burnside argues well and takes you along for a meandering but sustained argument.
Well worth a read.

[Tess · Rating 2 out of 5]

This literally took me 10 months to read 😐 very repetitive and no new information was presented.

[Tabitha Noble · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Privilege is almost always noticed by those who do not have it, while it often goes completely unnoticed by those who enjoy it. For the privileged to see the truth of their own position, they must first notice the existence of the less privileged- not only that they are less privileged, but also that they are beings of the same order, for whom the sight of privilege might be a source of torment.”

[Jack · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not especially well-written