Privilege, Power, and Difference

“Privilege, Power, and Difference”
By: Allan G. Johnson


Author’s Argument:

Johnson’s argument in this article is that the only way that the only way that the problem of privilege and oppression can be taken care of is if all of us become part of the solution.


Quotes:

1. “Privilege exists when one group has something that is systematically denied to others not because of who they are or what they’ve done or not done, but because of the social category they belong to.”

• This quote is pretty much the best definition of privilege I’ve read so far and has helped me understand it all more clearly. It says that privilege is the denial of something to one group because of their social category, not because of who they are specifically or anything in particular they’ve done.

2. “Also paradoxical is the fact that privilege doesn’t necessarily lead to a “good life”, which can prompt people in privileged groups to deny resentfully that they even have it. But privilege doesn’t equate with being happy. It involves having what others don’t have and the struggle to hang on to it at their expense, neither of which is a recipe for joy, personal fulfillment, or spiritual contentment.”

• This quote reminded me of the saying money can’t buy you happiness. This quote is saying that privilege doesn’t cause you to have a “good life” so most people who are considered part of a privileged group deny that they are privileged because they don’t view themselves as leading a “good life” or having a lot more then others. Privilege also doesn’t bring happiness or fulfillment, it just brings stress and struggle and the need for denial.

3. “We don’t have to think sexist or racist thoughts in order to participate in a system through which sexist and racist trouble happens. Participating is all it takes to involve us. It’s also all it takes to give us the potential to be part of the solution, for when we see how we’re connected to the problem, we can also see how we can make a difference by choosing differently as we participate in making systems happen.”

• This quote is saying that in order to participate in a negative environment we don’t need to actually do a negative act we just have to be part of the system and to not try to be a solution. If we can all be part of the problem then we can all be part of the solution.

Questions/Comments:
I really liked this article by Johnson, much better then the first one we read by him actually. I have a much clearer understanding of the meaning of privilege and everyone’s role in the problem and the solution. Maybe I liked this article better because the first Johnson article was towards the beginning of the semester and it seems like I’ve learned and grown since reading that article.