Privilege, Oppression And Difference By Allan Johnson: Chapter Analysis
In chapter one, "Privilege, Oppression, and Difference, Allan Johnson begins his argument that "difference is not the problem"( Johnson, pg 5 ). The author goes on to explain that difference by itself is not the problem, rather difference in conjunction with our ideas that cause fear. That being said, discrimination was a bigger problem in the past and it still is today. We starts with talking about Rodney King and racism he had received from police officers in Los Angeles. Johnson continues on with the idea that people are judged not for who they are or the things they have accomplished, but how they are perceived by others. For example, Johnson states "The British treated the Irish as an inferior race. even though their skin color was …show more content…
This trouble is rooted in a legacy we all inherited, and while we’re here, it belongs to us (Johnson p.12). People rarely talk about power and privilege because talking openly about it isn’t easy. This keeps us from looking at what’s going on and what makes it impossible to do anything about it. People are naturally afraid of what they do not know. The trouble around diversity Johnson states within chapter one of his book that people differ from one another. The trouble is produced by a world organized in ways that encourage people to use difference to include or exclude, reward or punish, credit or discredit, elevate or oppress, value or devalue, leave alone or harass. Privilege exists when one group has something of value that is denied to others simply because of the groups they belong to, rather than because of anything they've done or failed to do"(Johnson, 21). Privilege can also refer to unearned advantages. Throughout history, white males were given better education than other races and minorities. in addition, until 1955 whites had priority seating on busses and trains, blacks were forced to give up their seats if need be. Throughout history, whites have oppressed minority groups for self gain. Today, nothing of this extent is still active, but racism and oppression still exists. Johnson believes that we are all created equal and develop into who we are. one race is not above another, but
Review Of Diane Ravitch's The Troubled Crusade: American Education
1982 Words | 8 PagesIn the book, The Troubled Crusade: American Education 1945-1980 by Diane Ravitch it shows the fight to have equality in education especially in the chapters of Race and Education: The Brown Decision and Race and Education: Social Science and Law. Ravitch shows the injustice in which blacks were treated and the segregated system seemed impossible to escape, especially in the South. Ravitch shows the change in the idea of “color-blindness” (that all are equal despite race, religion, color, etc.) and how that was the goal until the pursuit for “color-blindness” was considered to be “racism in a new form” (p. 114). Ravitch explores the policy transformation from a “color-blindness” policy to a “color-consciousness” policy which were used when implemented
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473 Words | 2 PagesRace has a strong influence on an individual’s life. One way that race influences an individual’s life is that it can separate us from each other. For example, in “Fitting In,” by Timothy D. Prott, esq., the speaker talks about how race pushes us away from each other when he stated,”Race is just a word. / Simply a word.
Racial Caste System In The New Jim Crow By Michelle Alexander
748 Words | 3 PagesIn Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow she states that there is a new racial caste system—mass incarceration—in America. Alexander argues that the prior racial caste system, Jim Crow, has not ended—it’s merely been redesigned. Alexander’s main argument is that in this current era of colorblindness, it is not permissible to discriminate on the basis of race hence mass incarceration labels people of color as criminals and then uses all the practices that were “supposedly left behind”. Alexander uses the term racial caste because mass incarceration, like Jim Crow and slavery, were systems that denoted a stigmatized racial group and forced them into a permanent inferior position by law.
Privilege As Paradox Analysis
176 Words | 1 Pages5. Johnson discusses “privilege as paradox” to explain that being identified as individuals of the privileged group doesn’t really say much about who they are individually as a person. People are treated with privilege because others have a perception that they are associated with those particular groups and social categories. For example, white privilege is more about having the white skin color rather than who they are as people in general. One is not privileged because of who they are as a person but rather belonging the “white” category.
Religion And Relationship Diction In We Shall Overcome By President Johnson
458 Words | 2 PagesPresident Johnson used this religious and relationship diction to with a concerned and formal tone. His concerned tone is shown as he claimed that discrimination needs to stop, "We have already waited a hundred years and more, and the time for waiting is gone." His tone of concern indicate that the discrimination needs to discontinue quickly as possible because it might ruin the relationship between God and the "brothers" by creating more "pain" or injustice rather than "courage" or "faith" to the other children of God with different skin color. "God will not favor everything that we do," indicate that the actions which the mankind take, God will not favor it; meaning that discriminating God's creation based on different race will make God even more upset, which will eventually cause the bad relationship between God and "brothers." President Johnson also uses formal tone in his speech with his respectful and appropriate behavior, which is shown as he starts his speech: "I speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of
Marxism In Zoot Suit
1477 Words | 6 Pages“In union there is strength... If the hens can overcome the fox, what about human beings?” (Allende 154). According to a survey of 42,000 elected officials, “white men are 31 percent of the U.S. population, but hold 65 percent of all elected offices” (Henderson). Many claim that America stands for liberty and individual freedom, yet the Americans that say this are the same ones who receive the benefits of privilege.
Sneetches Thesis
557 Words | 3 PagesThroughout the Dr. Suess story “Sneetches” there were these creatures with the only difference—being that one group had a star on their stomachs. The group that didn’t have the star was often excluded and deemed as inferior. After some time of this system an individual came and told the “inferior” creatures that he could help them by adding a star. However, when the “star” creatures saw that they were losing their power they had to change to keep their superiority. When individuals have always had power, and have perceived themselves in some ways superior, equality is threatening.
Summary Of White Boy Privilege By Royce Mann
829 Words | 4 PagesTherefore, groups should coexist in America with equal opportunity and rights because the benefits given to minorities do not have to come at the risk of privilege to white
Jane Elliot's Exercises On Prejudice And Racism
1005 Words | 5 PagesRacism is violent! When we take a look back at history, there is nothing sadder than seeing how people were treated when they owned different skin color from others. Jane Elliott’s method, which divided the class into “in group” and “out group” and treated each group differently, had help many student realize the important of equality. Although this method might be unpleasant and insulting to some people, it is the only way to reframe people’s negative views in their mindset. People are born equally.
Similarities Between To America And The Gettysburg Address
470 Words | 2 PagesJohnson's argument is that America needs to acknowledge its past injustices and work towards a more just and equal society.
Whiteness As Property Analysis
715 Words | 3 PagesSince the time of colonialism, Blacks and Indigenous peoples fell under the totalitarian ruling of colonists who have obviously favored their own race over others in order to expand their political, territorial and economic powers. As a result, the non-whites (notably the Blacks and Indians) were unjustly segregated and classified as inferior to the
Socioeconomic Status In To Kill A Mockingbird
575 Words | 3 PagesBoth past and present societies are overshadowed by years of injustice and prejudice. People are often judged, criticized, or have their futures affected by the biased social norms that continue to linger in society today. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird displays and brings up a series of arguments that, although the literature was written more than fifty years ago, are still applicable to the present day, with some of those arguments being about the effects of an individual’s socioeconomic status in an arraigning community. Lee’s arguments on socioeconomic class suffice to say that, on most occasions, citizens who grow up and are naturally born with educational advantages are already at the top of the social hierarchy, while others believe that that kind of status becomes irrelevant when one’s morality is taken into account.
Disadvantages Of Privilege In America
540 Words | 3 PagesAccording to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, privilege is "a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor." To me, has to do with someone having a clear advantage of another. One example of an advantage of privilege would be to be able to afford college while the ones who cannot go to college are at a huge disadvantage. When it comes to society, privilege tends to be a very mixed opinion on what it actually means and to some, if it even exists or not. The biggest problem with understanding privilege is that it is not black and white and can vary drastically change between person to person.
White Privilege And Discrimination
1195 Words | 5 PagesThis article discusses white privilege and the impact it has on whites as well as people of color. White privilege is defined as the differences in power between white people and people of color, including the advantages white people automatically take for granted and the apparent disadvantages for minorities. Ways in which white privilege is able to persist, as well as educational methods that help people acknowledge and better understand white privilege, are addressed. Keywords: Color-blindness; Discrimination; Ignorance; In-group; Multicultural Education; Oppression; Out-group; Privilege; Racism; White Complicity; White Privilege; Whitewashing Overview Defining White Privilege
Argumentative Essay On Racial Equality
1734 Words | 7 PagesRacial inequality has plagued our society for centuries and has been described as a “black eye” on American history. It wasn’t until the passing of The Civil Rights Act of 1965 that minorities were given equal protection under the law. This was a crucial step on our society’s road to reconciling this injustice. However, the effects of past racial inequality are still visible to this day, and our society still wrestles with how to solve this issue. In 1965, President Lyndon B Johnson said: “You do not take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race and then say you are free to compete with all the others, and still just believe that you have been completely fair.
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