Blog Post #1 Privilege Power and Difference

                                             

                                           Alan Johnson: Privilege, Power and Difference 

 Argument  - This author Alan Johnson argues that conversations about privilege and power throughout the United States has not been productive. Alan Johnson makes an effort to change the way people go about these conversations throughout the book, and tries to offer up new ways of going about these complex conversations, especially from the perspective of a straight, white, middle class, male the he is. His mission is to change the stigma around these conversations and to provide tips on how to become more comfortable talking about having these conversations. 

Alan Johnson uses the strategy of providing examples to convey his message to his readers. While setting up his point in the introduction he uses words like white privilege and white racism, which he mentions may turn off some people from wanting to read further, more specifically white readers. However, he backs up these words with specific examples from his own personal experiences. Some of these examples include Rodney King who was a man of color that was brutally beaten by the hands of the police, or his experience when taking a course with a woman of color in which he thought about the injustices she will face like waiting longer to be seated at a restaurant or not feeling safe when walking home alone. By putting faces and names to these examples, it makes it more real to the reader, and should induce feeling of empathy for these people. By bringing up these injustices and recognizing the difference in the American experienced based upon who you are is important to note when having these conversations. Living in the same country as someone else and having a completely different experience based on your gender, race, and sexuality is a uncomfortable reality in America and these examples throughout the book highlight that point. 

Comments

One point made that I found important is the vocabulary that is used in these conversations about privilege. Words like Sexism, Privilege, Male Privilege, Racism all have a negative connotation to them and often are met with negative reactions. It is important for people to be educated on these topics, and to become more comfortable understanding and using these words in order to have productive conversations. One example of these words that is used in the book is feminism. This word is important because today it seems to have lost its meaning. Feminism is not an organization that is out to specifically target and hate men, rather is is about bringing up these hard and sometimes uncomfortable realities and trying to jump start women to get them to an equal place to men. It is one of the words that can turn a lot of people, especially men, off from wanting to join that cause. 

Hyperlinks

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/riots-erupt-in-los-angeles