Privilege, Power, and Difference By Alan Johnson

 This post will follow the quotes option in the blog post assignment doc. This book is titled Privilege, Power, and Difference, written by sociologist Alan Johnson. In his introduction, he explains that his goal in writing this book is to show how we can move forward in society and evolve past white privilege amongst other privileges such as straightness, maleness, and classism. He also says something that I believe to be incredibly important. His purpose is not to make anyone feel as if they are to blame. This feeling of blame that often gets put on unsuspecting people can cause the opposite effect of what was desired. The desired effect is societal change and equal opportunities for people of all races, classes, genders, and sexual orientations. 

In chapter one Johnson writes, “Men’s violence and harassment aimed at women is epidemic in the United States” (Johnson 3). He wrote this as one example of how it is not just class or race that divides us. It's gender and sexual orientation as well. There’s been an uptick in violence towards women recently. He also describes a “glass ceiling that lets women see the executive suite but keeps them from being promoted” (3). This is a great way of showing the differences between men's and women’s opportunities in the workforce. Johnson then goes on to show how we can change this difference by realizing that we are “not prisoners to some natural order that pits us hopelessly and endlessly against one another” (4). With this realization, we can free ourselves of this hierarchy that we have made and accept that we are all equal. 

Chapter two goes on to explain how we all can love one another. Not in a utopian kind of way but we can all “work together or just share space in the world” (6). But, some powerful force is halting us from this coexistence. This force is the society we have made and whom we deem decent and productive people. Chapter three goes on to discuss how we need to talk about power, privilege, and difference if we ever want to see a real change. Johnson realizes that this is not an easy subject to discuss but it needs to be. Difference is not the problem. Diversity is what makes our world big and bright and to show how everyone is different he includes the diversity wheel. I have also included it in my blog post for everyone to see. 

After reading these three chapters from Johnson’s book, I have come to the realization that we can no longer place blame on people in this society. Instead, we should redirect them and show them what privilege and power look like and how that negatively affects us all in one way or another. The question I ask after reading is how can we implement Johnson’s philosophy into our everyday lives?

The diversity wheel