Thoughts on Privilege, Power & Difference

In his 2001 book Privilege, Power and Difference, author Allan Johnson argues that a pervasive trouble exists in American society resulting from privilege and oppression, leading to some categories of people facing greater challenges based on immutable traits. Johnson explains that his “primary goal is to change how people think about issues of difference and privilege.” (p. viii) Johnson later explains that the biggest challenge to achieving this goal is finding how to bring dominant groups into the conversation. (p. 11)

Some of my all-time favorite words-to-live-by are: You're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem. Johnson refers to this concept multiple times in the text, for example, when he says: “This book provides a way of thinking about the trouble that has the potential to help us become part of the solution by getting unstuck.” (p. vii) There are so many ways in which we are unavoidably indoctrinated into being “part of the problem” when it comes to privilege.

Privilege terminology

While I've given a lot of thought to privilege, especially while researching white privilege following George Floyd's murder, it was helpful for Johnson to define some terms, including privilege, being explained as people assuming a level of acceptance, inclusion, and respect, allowing them to operate in a wide comfort zone (paraphrased, p. 33). Further, epistemic privilege can be thought of as the “luxury of obliviousness,” while unearned entitlements are things everyone should have, like feeling safe and valued. Conferred dominance refers to one group having power over another. A new way of thinking about privilege introduced to me is that it matters more who others think we are than who we are.

Insights

I recognized my privilege as a cisgender person while recognizing how little attention was given to transgender individuals two decades ago. I thought that I owed a debt of gratitude to transgender people, for the targets on their backs means less homophobia is directed at me and other LGBQ+ people.

“If we take difference and diversity as reasons for fear and occasions for trouble, it’s because we've learned to think about them in ways that make for fear and trouble.” (p. 17) In reflecting on this, I thought about my six and four-year-old white sons, and how they have usually been the only white child in their classes, and they seem oblivious to this. I am working to shield them from internalizing racism, while not lying to them about the nature of the society in which they live, including its dangers.

Questions

A couple statements have me questioning their relevance in 2025. For example, “Over the last several decades… national surveys show a steady decline in the percentage of whites in the United States who express overtly racist attitudes toward people of color,” (p. 27). I can't imagine this as still being true, and wonder: What criteria is necessary for racism to be considered overt?

Reading that a “reluctance to come to terms with more serious and entrenched forms of privilege is why most diversity programs produce limited and short-lived results,” (p. 27) had me wondering if more recent DEI programs evolved to be any more effective.

Reading this paragraph 24 years since it was published had me making that familiar gulping sound that occurs when doom is closing in: “The ‘elephant’ is a society and its people for whom a decent and productive social life that is true to the best of our essential humanity continues to be elusive. In its place is a powerful kind of trouble that is tenacious, profound, and seems only to get worse.” (p. 9) I can't help but wonder how much worse it will get.

Random appreciation

Last, I'll note that I especially enjoyed the perspective of a sociologist, with about four decades of experience, boiling down what it means to be human in one paragraph on page 6.

4Is

The accompanying 4 Is of Oppression video was interesting and I appreciated this image to help make sense of it.