Privilege, Power, and Difference
What Can We Do?
By: Allan G Johnson
Johnson argues that topics such as racism, sexism, and other topics of that nature should not be to the side and not taken care of but brought up and recognized as a problem that needs to be fixed. And the only way to fix these issues is dealing with them personally. Where does making a difference start? With you, the only way to change something is to start to make a difference.
1."The challenge we face is to change patterns of exclusion, rejection, privilege, harassment, discrimination, and violence that are everywhere in this society and have existed for hundreds (or, in the case of gender, thousands) of years. We have to begin by thinking about the trouble and the challenge in new and more productive ways as outlined in the preceding chapters."
This is something that is faced all over the world, and has been around for, like Johnson, says hundreds and thousands of years. It is not just specified to a certain group, or section of the world but is everywhere, and something needs to be done about it. Johnson gives us, later in the book, tools that he believes will help solve the issues at hand.
2."Difference takes many forms, but the most important are those characteristics that are difficult Or impossible to change and that other people think they can identity just by looking
at someone."
This quote really stuck with me while reading the article, not really sure exactly why. People think that by looking at someone you can tell everything about them, but in reality, when people are judge by just looking at them, that person doing the judging is completely wrong. I have herd someone say, more than once, O when I first saw you i thought you were______ but now that i know you, man was I wrong. That is just one example that is easy to change, don't judge people before you know them!
3""If you don't make a point of studying history, it's easy to slide into the belief that things have always been the way we've known them to be. But if you look back a bit further, you find racial oppression has been a feature of human life for only a matter of centuries, and there is abundant evidence that male dominance has been around for only seven thousand years or so..."
He makes a great point with this quote, many people say that o no it has always been like this, when in fact it hasn't ALWAYS, just as long as they have been alive. If it has not always been a certain way, than it gives hope that one day it can go back to when it was not that way. It shows that racial oppression has not been along quite as long as gender in equality, yet today gender inequality seems to be lessening quicker than racial oppression.
Reading Johnson, it kind of motivates you to want to make a change, although deep down you know that it can not be down quickly. It gives a little hope that the little thing individuals do, can one day spur out and encourages others for the change through generations and generations. I think this was a good article to end with, and I enjoyed reading it, despite the length :).
1."The challenge we face is to change patterns of exclusion, rejection, privilege, harassment, discrimination, and violence that are everywhere in this society and have existed for hundreds (or, in the case of gender, thousands) of years. We have to begin by thinking about the trouble and the challenge in new and more productive ways as outlined in the preceding chapters."
This is something that is faced all over the world, and has been around for, like Johnson, says hundreds and thousands of years. It is not just specified to a certain group, or section of the world but is everywhere, and something needs to be done about it. Johnson gives us, later in the book, tools that he believes will help solve the issues at hand.
2."Difference takes many forms, but the most important are those characteristics that are difficult Or impossible to change and that other people think they can identity just by looking
at someone."
This quote really stuck with me while reading the article, not really sure exactly why. People think that by looking at someone you can tell everything about them, but in reality, when people are judge by just looking at them, that person doing the judging is completely wrong. I have herd someone say, more than once, O when I first saw you i thought you were______ but now that i know you, man was I wrong. That is just one example that is easy to change, don't judge people before you know them!
3""If you don't make a point of studying history, it's easy to slide into the belief that things have always been the way we've known them to be. But if you look back a bit further, you find racial oppression has been a feature of human life for only a matter of centuries, and there is abundant evidence that male dominance has been around for only seven thousand years or so..."
He makes a great point with this quote, many people say that o no it has always been like this, when in fact it hasn't ALWAYS, just as long as they have been alive. If it has not always been a certain way, than it gives hope that one day it can go back to when it was not that way. It shows that racial oppression has not been along quite as long as gender in equality, yet today gender inequality seems to be lessening quicker than racial oppression.
Reading Johnson, it kind of motivates you to want to make a change, although deep down you know that it can not be down quickly. It gives a little hope that the little thing individuals do, can one day spur out and encourages others for the change through generations and generations. I think this was a good article to end with, and I enjoyed reading it, despite the length :).
i still have your book. how do you want ne to get it to you?
ReplyDeleteNext time I'll be on campus is Monday around noon.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found that little surge of motivation that I was hoping Johnson would have for you. :)
ReplyDelete