Privilege, Power, and Difference by Alan Johnson

Alan Johnson is the author of the book Privilege, Power, and Difference. In this post, I plan to share some topics from this book that had an impact on my thoughts about privilege.

The first quote I want to share is from chapter 1 of Johnson's book where he said, "we are not prisoners to some natural order that pits us hopelessly and endlessly against one another" (4). This stood out to me because it made me realize that most people who are privileged never went out of their way to achieve it. These people were simply born into a more desirable social/economic class, race, or sex. A white man born into a rich family is inherently more privileged than a woman of color that was born to a middle class single parent household. The problem comes in when the privileged person does not acknowledge or push back against inequalities that they see others facing. This also includes the harrassment and objectification that men aim towards women, as well as the traditional gender roles they try to uphold. If the man chooses to act against his privileges and instead work to find a solution, the discrepancies in power among classes could be minimized. 

The Diversity Wheel
Retrieved from: https://blogs.lanecc.edu/engaging-diversity/wp-content/uploads/sites/76/2015/02/Privilege-Oppression-and-Difference.pdf

As I mentioned before, acknowledging your privilege is a key part of finding a solution. Johnson mentioned that a lot of men deny being priviledged because they don't believe that you can be privileged if you're miserable. The two are not mutally exclusive, privileged people are just as susceptable to emotional hardship as non-privileged people. The difference is perspective, while someone can be sad or upset that their parents bought them the "wrong" car for their birthday, another person could be feeling the same emotions because they don't know if they'll be able to eat dinner that night. 

S.C.W.A.A.M.P is a framework designed to bring to light which traits our society deems valuable. It stands for Straightness, Christianity, White-ness, American-ness, Able-bodieness, Maleness, and Property ownership. The focus isn't necessarily on individuals that fall under these categories, but on the systemic privilege and the ideology itself. These "values" are maintained regardless of the individuals that have attempted to bridge the gaps.

Johnson included many examples of race priviledge towards the end of chapter 3. This is a great way to help some people who may not be able to conceptualize the impact that it can have if they aren't directly affected. One of these examples was, "Whites don't have to deal with an endless and exhausting stream of attention to their race" (29). While appreciating different cultures and perspectives is a positive act, race shouldn't be the only thing that you notice or comment on when you interact with someone. As a multiracial woman, it's like a breth of fresh air when someone doesn't start a 25-minute-long debate with me on why I'm "definitely" spanish (I am not) and isn't trying to touch my hair or tell me it looks better straightened. I'm pretty white-passing, so even I can't imagine how much attention is brought to those who look darker or have kinkier hair must feel. 

On reflection, I wonder how many people are unaware of (or just ignorant to) their privileges. Do you think if a privileged white person were to visit a place where the societal norms are different, i.e. white people were the minority, they would be able to understand their privileges in America? Or do you think their ego/ignorance/entitlement would shield them from being cognizant of their advantages?

An important thing to remember is that anger and hostility doesn't get us very far, it only adds fuel to the fire. Work towards a solution instead of becoming part of the problem. Kill 'em with kindness!

~Angel