Response: Privilege, Power, and Difference by Allan G. Johnson

 “Can we all just get along”

In Johnson’s article, he mentioned how uncomfortable he was to talk about race with his Black friend because it has become such a taboo conversation to have. Although this article was written in 2001, I do think it still remains true even twenty-five years later, but I think it is by design. It is quite difficult to change systems of oppression if there is a limit to what you can discuss. It also requires people to deal with an uncomfortable conversation, which many are not mentally equipped to have. Race, gender, and sexuality is under what feels like a never-ending threat because of the lack of willingness to become comfortable with these uncomfortable conversations. While reading Chapter 2 of Johnson’s article all I could think about was the saying, “I don’t see color”. This saying gets talked about quite a lot, but it still resonates with me because it is clearly showing how the lack of conversation about race and privilege has made people think ignoring people’s race is somehow progressive when it is quite the opposite. These conversations are necessary to have because it opens up the door for potential societal change and hopefully a clearer understanding of the social constructs ruling our everyday lives. 

“You can’t deal with a problem if you can’t name it.”

In Johnson’s text, he states that, “You can’t deal with a problem if you can’t name it.” I found this quote to be quite interesting because it speaks to how often we ignore the problems of society which ultimately continues to perpetuate the issue. By naming the problem, we normalize the discussions surrounding it, and by normalizing these discussions we become steps closer to eradicating injustices that might be tied to it. Johnson mentions how painful “naming the problem” can be for some, but by naming it you can begin to fix the issue. 

“So Baldwin is telling us that race and all its categories have no significance outside of systems of privilege and oppression, and it is these systems that created them. This is what sociologists call the "social construction" of reality.”

Race as a social construct is a particular interesting concept for me. Its complicated history within our society and its ability to shape-shift when convenient for certain demographics makes me uncomfortable. When I think of it as a creation from our society, it makes me frustrated at how something so trivial in nature has become such a polarizing thing for us as humans to the point of destruction. 

Argument: Johnson argues that using one’s privilege and being willing to have uncomfortable conversations is the only real way we can enact change.