Alan Johnson - Privilege, Power, and Difference & S.C.W.A.A.M.P.“
Privilege, Power, and Difference
"We live in a society that attaches privilege to being white and male and heterosexual regardless of your social class. And if people in privileged groups don't include themselves in the solution, the default is to leave it to the lower and working classes to do it on their own. But these groups can't do it on their own, because they don't have the power to change entrenched systems of privilege by themselves." (Johnson 10).
Changing the social "norms" cannot be the burden of only those apart of the minority. Those who have power need to help those who lack power in order to make change.
"We can't talk about it if we can't use the words." (Johnson 11).
"So instead of talking about the racism and sexism that plague people's lives, people talk about "diversity" and "tolerance" and "appreciating difference". Those are good things to talk about, but they're not the same as the isms and the trouble they're connected to." (Johnson 12).
By avoiding or sugarcoating terms such as racism, sexism, oppression, and male privilege, it reduces the importance of the issues and also limits people from achieving the justice and change they constantly strive for.
"People don't want to look because they don't want to know what it has to do with them and how doing something about it might change not only the world, but themselves." (Johnson 12).
People with power or privilege often do not want to help those without power or privilege because it could change how others perceive them, they do not like change, and/or they are scared to change power structures.
Use the link below to access the article "Privilege, Power, and Difference" by Alan Johnson:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uMSd-j8Uqvm3T0HW0EdUoUUpXNSvE2zZ/view?pli=1
S.C.W.A.A.M.P.
In our society, the following ideas are value in our society. The S stands for straightness. Straightness involves traditional values and gender rules. Often those that are not straight have a lack of support when "coming out" and hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community are committed. The C stands for christianity. Christianity involves how important the Bible and scriptures are valued in our society. Some examples are christian holidays being put on a pedestal, laws against LGBTQ+ people. marriage rights on who can or cannot be married. The W stands for whiteness. Whiteness involves how those with a different skin tone aren't valued as much in our society. Often people of color's accomplishments are overlooked and are discriminated against. The first A stands for americanness. Americanness involves having pride for country and how hard citizenship is to get. Green cards have a very extensive process and as an American, one must do the pledge of allegiance and are expected to stand for the flag. The second A stands for able bodiedness. This involves having less job opportunities, being assumed as "less capable", and having excessive attention for minor problems but lack of attention for bigger problems. The M stands for maleness. Maleness involves men being assumed in higher roles such as doctors, lawyers, and judges. Men are also often not held accountable for their actions. Women are often questioned first such as "what were you wearing, were you leading him on, or how much were you drinking?" Finally, the P stands for property ownership. This means that having more money equals more opportunities, such as better education. Also, more expensive products influence impressions, for example, cars, outfits, and electronics.
Points To Share
Each person is going to have a bias on individual topics. It is important to keep an open mind, listen to others, not jump on people's words, and give time to truly think about your responses. Not every male is going to believe that being a male comes with privilege and not every person that is white is going to discriminate. Those with power and privilege just need to remember that their power and privilege can be useful for those who lack power and privilege.
