Disagreements and Conflicts between Audiophiles have we lost our brotherhood and maturity?

@mapman

there are many degrees of privilege, it’s not binary.  Both my wife and I have worked extraordinarily hard all our lives to achieve the levels of success we have.  My wife was “privileged” to attend a wonderful public school in Fairfax County, Virginia because her father was a school teacher in the county.  But due to an ugly divorce, she received zero support from either of her parents, and worked from the age of 16 to put herself thru college and law school at local universities.  

Although my grandfather was a tenant farmer, my father was able to achieve upper middle class status by putting himself thru college on the GI bill after joining the Navy at age 17.  He paid for me to go to a prestigious private school, Northwestern undergrad, and Harvard for graduate school.   Again, both my wife and I worked our asses off, but I’d say it’s pretty obvious I was more privileged (not even taking into account my white, male status).  

Having said that, there are many who are way more privileged than me, people who didn’t have to earn their way into highly selective universities and incredibly lucrative careers because of their wealth and family connections, etc.  So I think “privilege” is a pretty nuanced concept.

"Privileged" to me means having things handed to you.

@mapman 

It would be pretty hard to argue that whiteness isn't handed down to you.

I agree there is a difference between those who worked hard and those who inherited their good fortune. The issue is opportunity, do we really believe there is level playing field here?

As for 'fronting' we can't get past the skin we're born in, but my, my , my we sure can represent or misrepresent ourselves in so many ways. One can both learn from being 'the fly on the wall', or by playing a provocateur role. I've been told I'm being a devil's advocate more than a few times in life, does this mean those with the opposing view are God's advocates?  Does everything have to be a zero sum game.

would be the envy of half the population on earth

I would up that to 80%

Slightly related I still don't understand how people make 4 times more in the US than in Europe for the same job. I know the reasons now, but I don't understand how we got here. 

And compared that southeast Asia where this multiplier is over 10. Yes, we are privileged - based on nothing but where we are. 

Taking editorial license with the words of Albert Einstein, disagreement and conflict (argument) expressed as philosophical discussion are essential parts of science (of recording and reproduction of music); the greatest talent is the ability to strip a theory until the simple basic idea emerges with clarity.  This type of disagreement is healthy.  It is a hopeless undertaking to debate about fundamental value judgements. But if there is agreement on certain goals and values, one can argue rationally about the means by which these objectives may be obtained.  
 

I do not want these pages to be rose colored for there will be no value; however, I do not value sardonic expressions of emotion.  The takeaway I propose is that philosophical argument on these pages is healthy as long as it is consistent with a goal or objective as audiophiles, not simply to be sardonic in a failed attempt to be humorous in one’s own eyes.  I am sorry to say  that there are some rare occurrences of discourse on these  pages that does not conform to Einstein’s articulate position on healthy argument and become sardonic.  When this occurs, simply disregard it for it is posed by someone that is simply trying to seek attention, even if it is negative attention.  By participating you are feeding into their need