Blog #2: Johnson and S.C.W.A.A.M.P.

Privilege, Power and Difference

by Allan G. Johnson

Johnson's Argument:
In Johnson's work, he argues that we all live and exist in a world dominated by Privilege. He asserts that this privilege is blinding, and often those who possess it are unaware. In this blissful ignorance, those with this privilege are unaware that having such benefits are often at the expense of another group. There is no high without a low to measure it against. Those with this privilege are so afraid to confront this fact. This aversion to acknowledgment seems to be a major issue Johnson addresses in this piece, and argues different ways by which the privileged can approach their own status.

Passage's of Interest:
Several passages in the text really hammered home Johnson's argument. In addition to those, there were some which made me pause and say "Wow". Some of these selections are listed below:

1) "More than once, I've been asked to talk about consequences of social domination, subordination, or oppression. At such times, I feel like a doctor trying to help a patient without ever mentioning the body or naming what's wrong. We can't get anywhere that way- and we haven't been. Our collective house is burning down, and we're tiptoeing around afraid to say "Fire""

This seems to me to encapsulate completely Johnson's argument. It is almost as if no one in the metaphor wants to shout fire for fear of being blamed for starting it. Rather than acknowledge that a gap does exist, an often ugly gap, people try and keep steady their own lives and merely ignore such concerns. This calcifies on a larger scale into the blinders of privilege.

2) "Whites can assume that when they go shopping, they'll be treated as serious customers, not as potential shop lifters or people without the money to make a purchase. When they try to cash a check or use a credit card, they can assume they won't be hassled for additional identification and will be given the benefit of the doubt."

This literally made me stop reading and be like, "Really?". I kind of took a step back and thought "Wait. Could me thinking this is so out there be because I am privileged and just never even conceived this?" Not only never conceived it, but would never be able to because of who I was? It made me think a bit.

3) "Regardless of which group we're talking about, privilege generally allows people to assume a certain level of acceptance, inclusion, and respect in the world, to operate within a relatively wide comfort zone."

I am privileged. Like Johnson I am a heterosexual, white male. While my parents were never breaking the bank, and even struggled a bit, I never had extreme financial problems growing up. Upon reading this passage, I realized I am not alone in finding it difficult to understand people different than myself. I consider myself a very open, understanding, and tolerant person, but I would be a liar if I said that the ills that come with privilege still don't cling to me. It is strange to come across a work like this at the point I am at in my life. I have been frustrated by the fact that I will never be able to walk in someone else's shoes. This article makes me think that it is because I am a part of a larger privileged culture, and as much as I try to be 100% understanding, I can never hit that number. All I can do is continue to try.

Comments/Discussion:

While it sounds like the canned response, I really did enjoy this text. I consider myself an empathetic person, but have lately been trying to not self compare others while being empathetic. The main thing that I took away from this is that we are all different, I don't mean that to sound so corny and Dawson's Creek, and since we can't ever experience another person's complete life experiences, we have to be unafraid of confronting the tough issues rather than falling back into our warm comfy ignorance. To stand outside of this is scary and leaves you open for criticism. I am not brave enough to do this all the time, but reading texts like this at least allows me to poke my head out.