I’m not sure if I should be bragging about this…
How privilege made my past year of “underemployment” possible
April 23rd, 2024 was my last day of being “fully” employed. Since then, I’ve traveled, done a lot of art, volunteered, read a lot of books, done a lot of political things, and traveled some more. I honestly didn’t think that this experiment would last this long or that I would manage to fit so many experiences into one year. Somehow it has though, thanks to the generosity of friends, frugal choices of my own and maybe a bit of luck.
If you’re new here, I encourage you to check out my “About” page to learn more about this blog.
Previously, I wrote a bit about how I’ve managed my finances to make this possible. The numbers in that blog don’t tell the whole story, though. The generosity, frugal choice and luck that I mentioned above? That can mostly all be tied back to privilege. In this blog I want to take a minute to break down some of the privileges that have made this past year possible. I’m also going to share some of the discomfort that I’ve felt from blogging about my privileged journey.
Rich White Girl
Melody, an older black woman whom I’ve formed an unconventional friendship with, jokingly called me a “rich white girl”. I cringed and started to protest, “I’m on food stamps too!”. She laughed, “Yeah, yeah, but you’re white and you’ve got your mommy and daddy.”
I can’t argue with her. I have so many privileges that have got me to where I am and will see me through hard times, despite forgoing my opportunities to be making substantial money in the now.
• Whiteness has granted me unearned social and economic advantages. These have likely included greater access to opportunities, fewer systemic barriers, andmore favorable treatment in some settings.
• Being able-bodied has meant I haven't had to allocate resources toward managing health limitations and has allowed me more flexibility in my employment choices.
• Being free of dependents, such as children or other family members, means I can direct my limited resources towards my own needs and choices rather than expenses such as food, housing, healthcare and education for people other than myself. Risks I take are only on behalf of myself, not others.
• Generational knowledge passed down to me about health, finance, and relationship building allowed me to learn these essential skills at a young age. This allows me to navigate such things more easily than those who learn them later in life or haven’t learned them at all.
• Generational wealth provided me access to an undergraduate education without debt. In turn, my education expanded my employment options and introduced me to further opportunities through people I met and things I learned.
• A result of this generational wealth, and possibly the most important factor in my risk-taking, is the financial and housing security of my parents which would act as a backstop to any downward spiral I might find myself in.
• My social wealth has created a safety net through friends who have hosted and supported me through both physical resources and emotional support that would otherwise cost money.
A few more I’d like to acknowledge: citizenship status, English language fluency, mental health stability, geographic privilege — so many things I take for granted!
Psychological freedom from survival anxiety
The combination of all the above resources, especially the last two, give me confidence in my safety net. This allows me to take career risks that those without similar backup systems simply can’t afford or even imagine. The internet refers to this as psychological freedom from survival anxiety. This freedom allows me “to make decisions without the constant stress of potential destitution, creating mental bandwidth for creativity, risk-taking, and personal growth rather than security-focused decision making.”
this could be possible for all of us if manufactured scarcity and survival anxiety wasn’t holding us back.
I like to imagine what a different place our planet would be if we weren’t so burdened by survival anxiety. Our capitalist conditioning might tell us that resource scarcity is necessary to prevent reckless consumption and harm to the planet and others. I have a different perspective though, with more faith in the goodness of humanity. I believe that it’s the survival anxiety itself that drives us to exploit each other and the earth. Heightened competition for resources causes us to lose our connection with each other as human beings.
Is this tacky?
I agonized for months about starting this blog and broadcasting this “project”. With all my privileges in mind, is it cringe for me to be blogging about my underemployment?
While always relevant, one could say that it's in even worse taste right now as the US and global economy crumbles around us. Millions are losing their jobs and are desperate to find new ones amidst the reckless tariffs being imposed by the US.
I want to show empathy for communities that are struggling to acquire resources. I understand that for many people living in precarious economic situations, the concept of "choosing" underemployment isn't just unrealistic but reads as tone-deaf to their daily struggle.
The principles I’m exploring — prioritizing well-being, rejecting toxic productivity, and strengthening community ties — shouldn’t be offensive though. My experience may look different from others, but the underlying questions about what sustains us are relevant across divides.
For many people with completely different circumstances, my blog will feel irrelevant. I hope though that people can look at my experience and say “this could be possible for all of us if manufactured scarcity and survival anxiety wasn’t holding us back.”
So, am I proud of what I’m doing? Yes, and I think that anyone who chooses to prioritize community and happiness is resisting the capitalist imperative in their own way, and that is something to be proud of.
A new theme of bragging
If this is bragging, then it’s just bragging about the ways that I’ve created a lifestyle that matches my values. Maybe if more people bragged about this kind of stuff then we’d be living more sustainably and caring for each other better.
I want to hear more about:
Times you skipped the after-work business networking event to help out a friend or neighbor
When you turned down a job opportunity because the company’s work didn’t align with your values
Times that you decided not to splurge on something fancy (because that might mean you’ll have to work more and miss more good weather later!)
How little you drove your car this week and how much you walked or biked instead
The wonderful walk you took around the neighborhood and the neighbors you greeted on the way
At the same time, look for ways to dismantle the systems of inequality that produce privilege. If your circumstances are similar to mine, I’d like to suggest that one way might be refusing to engage with the eternal growth paradigm of capitalism and redirecting your time to other causes. If a lifestyle like mine does not sound possible to you, consider what barriers are limiting your options and what means we have to collectively break those down.