Sunday, May 20, 2012
June 13...Privilege, Power and Difference
A
few semesters back, a student asked how he can be sure not to work on the side
of those who created and enforce this privilege and oppression…please write
about Johnson’s efforts to provide an answer to this question (Chapter 9 is his
overt answer, but understanding Chapters 1-8 are crucial to paving the way
toward his recommendations in the final chapter). I encourage you to answer
this question in as personal a fashion as you feel comfortable. In other words,
feel free to write about it from your particular vantage point.
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Johnson’s solutions provided in Chapter 9 did not surprise me. As I made my way through the first four chapters of the book, I was thinking about ways I would help combat the effects of oppression within my classroom, and Johnson’s suggestions matched up with my thoughts. I want to be able to hear my students, and see the societal privileges withheld from them. I want to be able to speak up for my students if they feel oppressed. I want to be able to affect change within the boundaries of my position as an educator. For me, being aware of the system of privilege is the first step to making an impactful difference. The second step will be implementing this knowledge in my classrooms to be an agent of social justice. That being said, I want to articulate two issues I had with the Johnson text, neither of which have much to do with the blog question. Forgive the rant.
ReplyDeleteJohnson sees capitalism as the driving force behind the system of privilege and oppression, I don’t. I think blaming an economic system takes away the force of the people behind that system. My historical viewpoint might be a little unique in that I see the world driven by individuals, so in my opinion, capitalism (and the privilege-perpetuating effects of it) is a reflection of the men (and women, but mostly men) who run that system and established that system. I love the idea of capitalism: if you work hard, great things will happen. Is this the reality of it though, no. But, I see the potential of capitalism as a driving force for equity; if the deep-established privilege system driven into capitalism by rich white males could be removed, then an equal playing field could be established. Some would still fall to the bottom of the economic ladder, but it wouldn’t be based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or disability status, it would be based on merit. The very nature of economics is that some people will have resources and some won’t, it’s unavoidable. So, in summation, I do not deny the historical evidence that suggests that capitalism perpetuated the privilege-oppression system, but I see that as a flaw of the individuals running that system, not the system itself.
Second point of contention: as a Marxist (from the best that I can tell), Johnson seems to downplay the impact of the individual. In Chapter 9, he articulated a metaphor about leaves and trees to show that one person cannot make a huge impact by themselves, but groups of individuals are powerful. I have a stronger belief in the power of the individual (see the above rant). I feel that people can transcend societal constrictions and affect massive change by themselves, and they then would provide hope and inspiration to those fighting oppression.
I feel like most of what Johnson says we can do about oppression are fairly straight forward ideas along the lines of treat others how you would want to be treated. These ideas about speaking out, listening to others, daring to step out of your comfort zone, leading by example, these are all very foundational common morals that many people would say they live by, or at least think they should live by, whether do or not. However, when we allow ourselves to acknowledge systems of privilege we realize that most people must not be living by these morals, or else the systems would fall. These are easy things to identify as laudable, but also easy paths to stray from. I like the idea of taking small risks. This approach aims to circumnavigate the notion that nothing we can do would ever be enough, which leads to defeat before we even try. It is worth while to remind ourselves constantly that being the change we wish to see in others takes practice. It is not easy to push back against a system that shapes the society in which you must live in and navigate through. A system which reinforces the very ideas you are trying to change. It feels paradoxical in a way, because we must participate in the system in order to change it.
ReplyDeleteRyan I agree and disagree with you in ways. I do see the value of the individual, and really you have to believe in the power of one to get up and teach everyday. But I think what Johnson was getting at was to emphasize the power of organizing. One thoughtful, kind, and dedicated person can make a difference, and many people together can make a difference, but many thoughtful, kind, and dedicated people together can really change the world.
This book has taught me a lot and helped me to look at things in a new light. In moving forward I think I will be more reflective and realize my own responsibility in either perpetuating privilege or not. Johnson has a lot of great insights but Lennon said it best: all you need is love. Some might say its not that easy, but really, in ways, it is.
Oh, Lennon. You know, some said he was a dreamer? He's not the only one though.... //cheese
ReplyDeleteI like Christina's summary of Johnson's points: treat others how you would like to be treated. It's important to realize that if everyone simply played nicely with one another, the world would be a much better place. And, isn't good will fairly contagious, so long as a few people have an open mind? I certainly know that if I'm feeling a bit off-kilter, all it takes is one person to give me a smile and say something that reminds me that it's going to be alright. I think that, by this token, we all ought to follow Johnson's advice and really dare to challenge the status quo, reminding everyone that something might just be a little bit off. Often, if I don't see how I'm acting poorly, a friend pointing my behavior out gets me straight. I don't criticize my friend or take it personally, because that is a path to hate and misery.
I think we're in an especially good position to plant these seeds, because we are going to have the opportunity to act as role models for young minds. I don't think it's a bold statement to say that we're all going to be pretty damn good teachers, and, because of this, we're going to be in a very key position to show people that we do intend to stand up to oppression and downplay the privilege society grants us. In doing so, we can help our students to stand on a level playing field, first, in the classroom, then, in the school, and hopefully, finally, in the community and the world.
Johnson asserts in chapter 6 that acting in accord with privilege is tantamount to following a path of least resistance. It's easy to laugh at a gay joke or a racist joke, because not laughing triggers a much wider range of emotions in our peers rather than simply going with the grain. We don't need to act like jerks, but, in my experience, when I let people know my stance on an issue, they respect that stance and usually quit committing the offense. Like Christina said, some might say this isn't easy, but, it is, and it has to be easy: what is more simple than asserting an opinion? We're American, for crying out loud! Looking forward, I am excited to begin to be an agent of change. I'd rather my hard work go noticed for what it is, rather than allow it to ride on the coattails of any of my number of privileges.
Like James, I think the most useful thing that I will glean from Johnson is awareness of privilege. That awareness will naturally cause me to react differently in certain circumstances. With family and friends (and students and colleagues), I'll certainly try and model the kind of behavior that recognizes the cultural weight that is placed on certain groups and not on others.
ReplyDeleteI am, however, not interested in making strangers feel uncomfortable. Frankly, I don't think that pointing out to someone in a public place that he or she is unfairly using privilege to oppress someone else is likely to change any minds, only further steel resolve in current behavior. Especially in our roles in the public schools, I feel that the best I can do is model best practices. In short, I don't like proselytizing, not in religion and not in morals.
I am with Ryan when it comes to Johnson's attack on capitalism. Yes, capitalism promotes an unfair distribution of power, but people were oppressed because of race, sex, sexual orientation, and disability (ESPECIALLY disability, see the Spartan culture . . .) long before ideas of free-market capitalism were even seeded. Perhaps what is unique in modern day America is that people can get away with saying that we are all equal, when it so clearly is not the case.
I am pretty sure that I'll be faced with the reality of this situation on a daily basis, so I'll have plenty of time to practice acknowledgement of my own presuppositions and do my best to reverse the effects of my position of privilege.
I think being informed and aware is a really good first step. Just knowing what the systems Johnson talks about are and how they work in society will put you on the path to making small positive differences.
DeleteThese ideas are not new to me. I’m not shocked to the learn that I was born with a ton of privilege. Knowing that I have this power has made me move beyond feelings of guilt and given me a sense of responsibility to use my power in just ways.
When it comes down to it I know I will not ultimately have a grand effect on the status of these systems (barring a revolution). However, I can use my privilege to help underprivileged individuals get the very most that they can out of the system i.e. a scholarship, a diploma, or a job. Maybe we can hope that this becomes a model and the seeds of change are planted when others see the small changes an individual can make in others lives.
Well I'll take this one as a brief response to your past student's question: "how he can be sure not to work on the side of those who created and enforce this privilege and oppression." My answer is that he can't. Johnson, as well as Christina, have pointed out that we can't really change the system without participating in it. We can't remove ourselves from society without abandoning our values and entire lives. And by the nature of privilege, we can't denounce the privileges we have, so it is up to us to become aware of how our privileges work within the grand scheme of things and actively work to delink the locks that privilege has placed upon us- and by locks I mean feelings of inferiority, guilt and anger against the system as a whole- to get rid of the multiple systems of oppression we need to work diligently and simultaneously to destabilize them. You can't "not work on the side of those who created and enforce privilege and oppression" because you can't help if you have some privileges. But it's not fatalistic- just because you can't remove yourself doesn't mean you can't do anything, just as Johnson has pointed out. Creating those moments of disturbance- what one of my GSEX professors would refer to as the rupture (the rupture in thought where things don't fall within the model of our lives to shake us up in order to change thinking)- is really important and can change a lot by the simple act of not participating in even the smallest displays of privilege.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit unsatisfied with Johnson's solutions. I suspect that I would have been unsatisified with whatever he proposed, because in the end there is NO answer to solving the problems of privilege. However, that aside, I think that his response to solving the societal hierarchies with a rendition of "ELE" (everybody love everybody - See Will Ferrell's movie Semi Pro for cultural reference) is not helpful. As teachers, I would hope that we would have already had the intentions to instill our students with values of respect and understanding. Johnson suggests very little that I hadn't already planned on doing throughout my teaching career.
ReplyDeleteAlso, like Kurt said in class on Monday, Johnson's book is geared toward people of privilege. While the students of RPS need to be taught the golden rule and others like it, I see Johnson's solutions doing very little when they are only being taught to the oppressed. Our middle and high school students are more than likely going to be on the oppressed side of the diagram. This is a message that needs to be sent to the top so that it can effectively trickle down to the base (I do not advocate trickle down economics for those of you wondering at my word choice lol). If the people making the major decisions, the privileged, see no reason to change, then short of a REVOLUTION I see Johnson's daycare/Bible study solutions not doing much.
Call me a pessimist if you want.
Danny & others - is there really no conceivable solution to the problem of privilege? It it unsolvable by its dualistic definition that isn't tied solely to any singular form of oppression, but is inherent in every form? I'm not sure if you're being pessimistic in not trusting humanity to overcome the problems of privilege or if you're actually implying that privilege is by nature a condition of human society that will always persist.
ReplyDeleteI think there are very real dangers associated with teaching people, in school, that they are the "oppressed." Obviously people who fall into one or more non-privileged category are bombarded with this message all the time, and it's equally problematic to ignore privilege or to refuse to use the jarring words that accurately reflect the harsh reality of inequality. However, I feel that the identifiers "oppressed" and "victim" are often used together, and that this is probably a really bad thing. It would be truly devastating for a teacher or a school to inadvertently convince an "un-privileged" student that they are victim to a social system that they did not create and leave the student feeling hopeless without tools to change the way things are. I know that "victim" is kind of a loaded word, but I've seen it frequently used to describe someone who doesn't take responsibility for their own future outcomes. I'm thinking specifically about a college-prep curriculum book, geared towards high-achieving students from "disadvantaged" [oppressed] backgrounds. A huge focus of the book is to develop "creator" thinking and language rather than "victim" thinking and language. Creators accept their own agency to affect their future and the world they live in, victims let the world happen to them. I can't help thinking about this when thinking about the risks of perpetuating oppression, and specifically a hopelessly oppressed mindset. No one knows how to fix things, or if the huge unfairness that comes with privilege even has the possibility of one day being dissolved. It's really tough stuff, and Johnson really doesn't provide adequate answers.
This may seem like a slight critique of the author because I think he could have gone further to show ways in which privilege can be mitigated. It seemed paradoxical to me that he would say privilege is subconsciously used but then being aware of privilege is a solution to dealing with it. It is kind of difficult to be aware of something when you don’t realize the time or place for it since it happens subconsciously. I think this is where perceptions come into play. You being aware of something is completely different from your audience being aware of something.
ReplyDeleteBeing comfortable with the idea of privilege is tough to swallow for anyone. Privilege or racism didn’t just develop yesterday nor will it end tomorrow. Socially constructed norms (such as privilege) must constantly be reaffirmed in order to exist. Perhaps generationally we can eliminate some of these social constructs as newer generations tend to challenge older perceptions.
(Just to kind of apply it to a classroom setting) I would tell my students that often privilege is something you are born with but is also something that is earned. Simply being born with privilege doesn’t guarantee one will die with it as well just as being born without privilege doesn’t mean one is doomed. I also think that teachers could use testimonials from successful people who were born non-privileged to show glimmers of hope for their students who may be feeling helpless in this invisible system. Perhaps a local government official (if social studies class of course!) could come in and share his story of success. I think that students need to be shown positive outcomes from the situation they may find themselves in such as the one regarding privilege. You can’t help being born. It serves you as a good and a bad sometimes. We aren’t the first generation dealing with self-identity, nor the last.
Nice second paragraph!
DeleteAccording to Johnson, it seems as though privilege for white males is most simply defined as the "luxury of obliviousness". I would agree with this statement. However, there is also a sense of "obliviousness" in every individual. As we have read, most consider their own situation to be the norm.
DeleteBut, like Jamie, it would be terrible to make it a point to remind the "non-privileged" of their situation, in order for them to see the disparities in life experiences. Hopefully, that came across the way I intended. I like your ideas for providing an insight on "privilege" in the classroom. Perhaps in a literature class, I could provide readings that have characters who were born without privilege, but gained privilege throughout life. My new education guru Nel Noddings would reply that teaching students to care for others and the world around them would help students to lose a "luxury of obliviousness" and embrace the needs of others whether privileged or not.
I would tend to air on the side of optimism, when it comes to privilege and all the isms. Does society have a long way to go? Absolutely. I can't speak for the rest of the world but despite all the things that are wrong with the way people are treated here in the United States, look at all the progress we have made over the later 100 years. No generation will ever solve all of these problems at once, but I like to think that with each passing year things get a little better. It's our responsibility to try to push things along as fast as we can. When I say it's a responsibility, I mean it, this issue shouldn't be ignored. I sincerely believe if you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem. I don't typically take hard and fast stances on issues, but these issues are too ingrained in our everyday life to turn a blind eye. I'm not saying you have to turn into the "OrShe" guy, but there is a time and a place where we can all make a stand, no matter how small. Johnson's stance is far to tactful and abrupt. If you interput every off color joke and reprimand every business that doesn't have wheel chair access you'll end up likely doing more harm than good. People respond to tactfully sincerity, not cynicism. We can all benefit from being more aware of our surroundings each day, to try to see the world through someone else's eyes;particularly those in the position of privilege. Nonetheless, in spite of Johnson's book's shortcomings, it served a appreciable purpose and I think we all benefitted from the discussion it stirred.
ReplyDeleteMarie here.
ReplyDeleteAmericans are much more comfortable talking about sex and money than they are racism in particular and other isms and phobias deriving from privilege. In some places, Johnson’s insights and examples were so on target that it looked like a scene from my own life and that of family and friends of mine. I applaud the effort he makes to bring these troubling issues and examples to the forefront.
Johnson's book was an excellent and courageous point of departure for a very sensitive and difficult conversation. I had no problem with the serious tone of the book because the situation is so serious. He is just as serious when being interviewed on video. I watched an hour-long interview with him and I do not believe he once cracked a smile. Also, because so much of what he shares about the dimensions of power is ever present in my existence and I never have the privilege of the luxury of oblivion not to notice I recognized the need for the heaviness of the tone. While I know what I know about the subject, his work reaffirmed it through an academic approach. Sometimes writers must, "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."
I was interested to see the hopeful sounding posts of many of the RTR class members. I guess that hope and faith are the only things we can grasp and hold on to if we are going to survive as human beings (although I have to admit that when I see and feel ongoing acts of inhumanity predicated upon privilege it is difficult to remain hopeful). Each day there are current examples of how the isms and phobias continue to inform the society through the legal system, the criminal “injustice” system, the healthcare system, the economic system and so much more that directly impacts me and those close to me.
Johnson’s list of "Things to do" may seem small, common sense, inconsequential, band aid approaches to a hemorrhage. However, “because you can't do everything does not mean you can't do something”, is my guiding principle. I will continue to be an example of courage and fairness that affirms the humanity of all that exhibit human qualities. I will continue to support organizations working for social justice. I will speak up and speak out when I feel an inner urging to do so. I usually do so at the time the incident occurs because I may not have the chance to have a do over. I will model and teach the students general respect and the need for courageous living. I will encourage the students to put forth their best efforts to reach for the stars every day of their lives.
Here’s the BUT - I will have to temper the optimistic, high-sounding rhetoric by providing them with realistic aspects of the society in which they live. I say that as I invoke the memory of Trayvon Martin and the hoodie in the gated community.
Marie again
ReplyDeleteThe realization that it is in our best interest as a society to work toward alleviating the issues raised by Johnson is summed up in a Dr. King quote which I have paraphrased and made gender neutral - "We must all learn to live together as brothers and sisters or we will perish as fools". The article below is from another blog post, Character Counts, and gives an additional example of how divisiveness is detrimental to all involved parties.
One of the great challenges to our humanity is acknowledging and overcoming our natural tendency to think less of and discriminate against people who are different than us racially, ethnically, religiously or ideologically.
Despite persistent rhetoric about prizing diversity, political debates often reflect disdain and contempt for those we disagree with and prejudices of all sorts are more readily stated. Indeed, there are disturbing signs that anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic attitudes are rising throughout the world.
A poem written in the 1970s by James Patrick Kinney called “The Cold Within” reminds us what’s at stake.
Six humans trapped by happenstance,
In black and bitter cold.
Each one possessed a stick of wood,
Or so the story’s told.
Their dying fire in need of logs,
The first woman held hers back.
For on the faces around the fire,
She noticed one was black.
The next man looking ‘cross the way,
Saw one not of his church,
And couldn’t bring himself to give,
The fire his stick of birch.
The third one sat in tattered clothes;
He gave his coat a hitch.
Why should his log be put to use,
To warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought,
Of the wealth he had in store,
And how to keep what he had earned,
From the lazy, shiftless poor.
The black man’s face bespoke revenge,
As the fire passed from his sight,
For all he saw in his stick of wood,
Was a chance to spite the white.
And the last man of this forlorn group,
Did naught, except for gain.
Giving only to those who gave,
Was how he played the game.
The logs held tight in death’s still hands
Was proof of human sin.
They didn’t die from the cold without
They died from the cold within.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
I think there's a part of me that, for a long time now, hasn't really believed that it's possible to change the fundamental nature(s) of society. I don't consider myself a particularly pessimistic person, but this is the conclusion I've come to nonetheless... I guess one of the main reasons for this is the inherently confusing nature of almost everything. So often, the line between right and wrong is so blurry that it seems impossible to know what causes to support or values to hold. Unearned privilege, however, is something that seems pretty negative no matter how you look at it, and I think Johnson does a fine job of hammering this point down in multiple ways. Because of this, I think I was hoping for some innovative or inspired solutions to the problems he points out in such detail, but, in the end, all he really says is "be a good person, an aware person, and speak up when you can." And I think these things are true, I do, but I don’t know if they’re enough to affect the change we all want.
ReplyDeleteI think, like Josh said, that the main thing I'll be taking from this book is an enhanced awareness of the ways in which privilege presents itself in the world and my own personal sphere, and, for that alone, I'm grateful to have read it. However, I still have a hard time seeing a potential resolution to the problems of privilege or oppression or capitalism. I think everything Johnson says in chapter 9 is useful and well-put and, if implemented, will surely help make the world a better place, but I don't know if it will be enough, or if anything will ever be enough, to solve or even come close to solving problems as large as the ones he addresses.
Just being aware of certain privileges and powers you have can help with this problem a little bit, but not too much.
ReplyDeleteAnswering your student’s question, you will not always be sure whether or not you are working on the side of those who created and enforce this privilege and oppression. I think it will be pretty obvious sometimes when working with people that you’ll know if you are working with someone who creates and enforces privilege and oppression.
An example of this happened not too long ago, when my neighbors were trying to sell their house. Their realtor, who was a white lady, asked them if they were willing to sell their house to black people. My neighbors said they do not care who the house is sold to as long as they see green. To me, the fact that the realtor asked this question shows that she has or is at least willing to create and enforce privilege and oppression. Now, my neighbors could have chose not work with her anymore, but they chose to still work with her keep her as their realtor. Honestly, I could see why though. They just want to sell their house, and if I was in their shoes (and white), I probably would have done the same thing.