Department of Irony: all-expense-paid trip to learn why you are unjustly privileged!

From the Hampshire College internal announcement service:

Posted on Wednesday, March 18th, 2009 by Pesha Rose Wasserstrom

White Privilege Conference

The 10th annual White Privilege Conference is being held this year in Memphis, TN, the weekend of April 3-5.

The school has allotted funding for 10-15 people, for registration, transportation, and hotel! Registration ends this wednesday, . . .

You can register at http://www.uccs.edu/~wpc/regdown.htm, but please let me know if you want the school funding!

. . .The funding is available to anyone who would like to attend this great conference!

[Note: the link in the original text is not active, but one can read all about the White Privilege Conference here.]

So, let's see. Funding for anyone: no qualifications, no demonstration of need. That sounds like a nice privilege. And at the Hilton, no less. Looks pretty nice.

Nice indeed. Putting together the information on the conference and hotel web sites, we find:

• New in 2008 Flat-Screen Televisions, 36-inch in our Standard rooms and 42-inch in our Executive Level rooms
• Wireless high-speed Internet access available in all 405 rooms ...
• Serenity Bed Collection® featuring the Hilton Suite Dreams Mattress & Box Springs by Serta®
• Bath amenities featuring the La Source line from Crabtree & Evelyn®
• Hilton's signature MP3-capable alarm clock radio
• Two dual-line phones with data ports and voicemail
• Coffee maker with complimentary coffee & tea
• Iron & ironing board
• Hairdryer
• Wake-up service
• Individual digital climate control
• Electronic door locks
• Complimentary newspaper delivered each
weekday morning
• Express video check-out
• Remote control television
• In-room movies and video games

So this is what privilege is all about!

Naturally, this suggests all kinds of possibilities. I'm already imagining a nice consciousness-raising conference on the evils of conspicuous consumption. And one on the social and environmental selfishness of the gourmet cook. Maybe the vintage wine connoisseur, too.

By the way, a minor note of warning: That "complimentary newspaper delivered each weekday morning" is actually the classic scam, as the Hilton's own website reveals but does not quite tell you. Hotels "give" you USA Today, but (1) they don't tell you that it goes on your bill--you need explicitly to indicate that you do not want this "service." (2) It's a gimmick that allows McPaper to claim ridiculously inflated "circulation" figures.

Just one of those fun facts to know and tell from the world of book history and publishing.

Now this is actually a very good example of how one kind of privilege proliferates, as two large corporations team up to boost their profits and con the consumer, who is either too prosperous, too embarrassed, or just too ignorant to worry about that extra $ .75 per day on the bill.

See how that works?