Assisgnment A- Privilege, Power, and Difference by Allan G. Johnson

Privilege, Power, and Difference by Allan G. Johnson

 https://ukrio.org/ukrio-resources/equality-diversity-and-inclusion/

I have attached a link to the Wheel of Privilege, produced by the United Kingdom Research Integrity Office. Please view the image and follow the external link to their resource webpage to learn more.

Talking points:

1. Johnson discusses how most of the issue is a lack of conversation about privilege. A lot of teachers at my school are nervous that they will get in trouble for discussing race, gender, and societal issues. The district has a new cultural competency initiative. However, you see teachers getting accused of "radicalizing" their students in the media every day. How do I discuss these things without the fear of getting in trouble? Johnson includes some ideas, but I am curious to hear from my classmates. How have you seen this done well? How have your administrators supported you? 

2. "Ignoring privilege keeps us in a state of unreality, by promoting the illision that difference by itself is the problem. This quote from Johnson really resonates with me. "Keeping things the same as they have always been" shouldn't be the goal. Growing up I always heard "don't talk about politics". This can connect to any social issue. We should WANT to discuss privilege in order to grow. Johnson thinks it is crucial. I think the media can victimize the "difference" and not the issue itself.

3. The concept of being privileged without feeling privileged stands out to me. This is highlighted in the last few pages of the text. I have heard men deny the existence of male privilege. In my personal experience, they are thinking too individualistically. White Americans have been in a state of priviledge for so long it has become our normal. Personally, it wasn't brought up for most of my life. It seemed like a foreign concept introduced to me in the last few years. According to Johnson, privilege is aligned with social category, not indivdual experience. You can be a man and still have bad experiences, but how often are these bad experience caused by being male?

Argument Statement:

This author, Allan G. Johnson argues that privilege is not tied to an individual, but to society.