Alan Johnson Reading

Alan Johnson's argument in Privilege, Power and Difference

https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/diversity-and-social-justice/social-justice/understanding-race-and-privilege

In the reading "Privilege, Power and Difference," the author Alan Johnson argues that the way people perceive each other in a society has to do with gender, race, ethnic background and sexual orientation. We are often quick to make assumptions about people without getting to know who they really are as a person. This only degrades and hurts our society but unfortunately it is human nature. Alan Johnson talks about taking initiative and changing how we think. In the text Alan Johnson says, "for myself, it means I have to take the initiative to find out how privilege operates in the world, how it affects people, and what all that has to do with me" (Johnson 10). Change starts with you and how you decide to act in a society. Johnson talks about race and how we often associate privilege with the most dominant race, "caucasian." So, what exactly is privilege? It is when one group obtains something of value that is not made available to others because of the group they belong to. When people become aware that they are apart of a privileged group they become defensive or guilty about themselves because of the way that they are perceived by others. We put each other into categories when in reality it shouldn't matter. Anyone, regardless of race or gender can deal with oppression, poverty, or discrimination, we are all human beings. Johnson also talks about gender and how women often have to take more precautions than men when out in public, and how they are treated differently than men when it comes to the workplace, etc. This also has to do with privilege. We are often too quick to react to situations and don't take our actions or words into consideration which is why it is important to maintain social awareness.