I'd like to chew on both the Johnson text and the YouTube
video a little bit.
First, I just want to say that I agree with everything
Johnson lays out. I specifically like when he gives concrete examples of white
privilege, male privilege, and straight privilege. For someone who might be unaware
of the ways in which they are privileged and fall into one or more of these
privileged categories, I think there are enough examples that at least a couple
of them will resonate with someone who is unaware of or disputes their
privilege. In addition, I also agree that acknowledging that there are issues
of power and privilege is essential if there is any hope to create solutions.
My issue with Johnson is that he stops there, at being able to acknowledge and
openly discuss these issues and how they impact the lives of the privileged and
the oppressed. I see no practical solutions beyond the discussions. Even as
someone who has been entrenched in social justice rhetoric and readings
these past few years that I’ve been in school, I often find myself asking the
question “What can I do?” And I think in a lot of situations when someone is
being exposed to these realities for the first time, after they get over the
initial shock, they want to be involved in creating and contributing to
solutions. Maybe Johnson digs into the issues more and offers more practical
ways to contribute to the conversation beyond simply having conversations, but
I don’t see them in this text. I think to say “if we’re ever going to solve
this problem, we need to acknowledge that there is a problem,” and then leave
it at that is a missed opportunity. What about readers who say “Wow. Yes. You
have my attention. I acknowledge. What now?” Maybe the solution is meant to lie
within creating awareness, but I’m not sure awareness is enough.
The YouTube video about microaggressions is interesting, and
certainly entertaining, but I wonder if it’s over the top in such a way that
might cause a lack of receptibility. Ironic, I know, to say that this video
might be offensive to white people. But maybe that isn’t the right word. Maybe
it’d be more accurate to say that it could easily put people on the defensive.
I mention this because it connects directly to Johnson who speaks directly
about “becoming so uncomfortable and defensive that conversation is impossible”
(12). This is a matter of intended audience to me, because as someone who
already has an awareness and acknowledges that microaggressions happen all the
time, I can see the ways in which this video is valid. But to the people who
aren’t aware, who I imagine are the intended audience, I think that the
presentation might immediately make them recoil away from the underlying
message.
Hi Dustin,
ReplyDeleteI definitely hear what you're saying. I didn't see a lot of concrete examples in Johnson's work as to how we can solve this problem of privilege outside of having conversations about it. And I think you're also right that we need to think of the audience here. While you and I might be aware that the examples brought forth by Johnson or the microaggressions presented in the YouTube video are completely uncouth and unjustified, others might be completely oblivious as to how their privilege affects others. I personally would never have the gall to ask an Asian person where they're *really* from, but others might not see a problem in that question.
Hey Dustin,
ReplyDeleteYour post resonates strongly with my thoughts, and I am glad that I’m on the same page with a fellow classmate & colleague. There is so much scholarly work published proving the existence of privilege and power, but it cuts off too soon for me as an educator, because I want to read something that addresses the “Now What?”
As for the video on microaggressions, I definitely got a similar vibe in regards to the tone that’s used throughout. For viewers who are reluctant to consider language as a means small-scale racism, I can see how one’s intelligence might feel under attack by the attitudes of the participants, who mock and degrade those who have used this language before. Just out of sheer curiosity, I decided to embark down the rabbit hole of comments below, and primarily saw negative reactions. Not only that, but the video overall is primarily disliked by viewers. This brings me to a question that you may or may not have pondered as well:
Do we as anti-racist educators try to cushion how we go about talking about privilege? If yes, aren’t we ultimately perpetuating the privilege of being "let down easy" about the reality of privilege?