Perhaps one of the most overlooked privileges is not wealth itself, but having enough margin in your life to respond to reality. Over the last few years, we have become fluent in the language of privilege, speaking easily about financial privilege, pretty privilege, racial privilege, passport privilege, educational privilege and social privilege, and in doing so we have become increasingly aware that people do not all start from the same place and that some doors open more easily for some than for others. Yet there is one form of privilege that seems to receive far less attention, and that is the privilege of being able to do something with the information you have, not simply knowing, but acting, because the truth is that information alone changes very little. We like to imagine that if people only knew better, they would do better, and entire industries are built around this assumption, from self-help books and documentaries to podcasts, awareness campaigns, public health initiative...
The other day, I was at Quickmart doing some regular shopping. On the wall, a large poster caught my attention: “Shop & Win. Grand Prize: A Car.” The rules were simple — spend at least 3,000 shillings, and you automatically entered the draw. Almost at the same time, Cadbury was running its own promotion. Buy two of their products, and you stood a chance to win prizes. Now here’s the truth: I don’t even like chocolate, and I rarely buy drinking chocolate. But I found myself at the counter with two Cadbury items in hand. I also spent more than I had planned in Quickmart just to qualify for the draw. All of a sudden, I was no longer shopping for what I needed — I was gambling with my shopping cart. And this is where the realization struck me: nobody is immune. We like to think gambling is only about betting shops, casinos, or shady lottery schemes. But everyday promotions, loyalty cards, and “win big” campaigns are simply socially acceptable versions of the same thing. Promotio...