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Blog Post #4: Where White Privilege Came From by Allan Johnson (Quotes)

      In Where White Privilege Came From, author Allan Johnson first details the history of white privilege- a concept that began many centuries ago. It began with the British attempting to conquer Ireland, and with that, establishing a sense of dominance which led them to their idea that the Irish were biologically inferior, and should be treated as such. From that point on, concepts of race were in existence, which allowed for opportunities of control and poor, subhuman treatment by those in "power," both with race and economic status. An example of this is when upper-class whites encouraged lower-class whites to firmly identity with their white culture, because it allowed them with some form of privilege, despite being exploited by the capitalist system. The quote from the text, "I may be poor, but at least I'm white," depicts the mindset that many of the people of that time had. The topic of race, and the immense abuse that went along with it, was so prevalent that issues of social class flew under the radar. This not only caused harsh economic systems and unfair working conditions to be minimized, but also created a structure where race was deemed very polarizing, and minorities were essentially 'the lowest of the low.' This all resulted in dynamics that still operate today. 

    Johnson also discusses how despite elements of force, and systems in place, there was always a factor of choice behind everything. He states that "People who participate in social systems, in short, are not robots or puppets in relation to them." He makes it clear that it was not like the entire nation all felt the same way, as opposition to practices such as slavery did exist. He describes these movements as "strong," meaning that those who were aware of both sides of the argument could make a conscious decision regarding their stance on racism. Johnson continues saying, "A system’s (...) characteristics can load the odds in ways that create paths of least resistance, but the rest depends on what people choose to do from one moment to the next." This type of "path" is one that is the easiest to follow, even if it is a detrimental one. It is common, in accordance to the sociological model, that people will tend to think and do what the 'majority' upholds. They may feel some doubts, but refuse to act on them- perhaps due to fear of consequences, or maybe because they have been led to believe that their voice will make no difference. Those that do choose to make a difference, though, can have long-lasting, substantial effects if done so properly. 

    Johnson also emphasizes that although him and his ancestors are not directly to blame for this "troubling history," his role as a white, upper-middle class man has its own specific history that can be brought into question. He states, "We can participate in systems in ways we’re not aware of and help produce consequences without knowing it." Johnson details his personal 'chain reaction' of privilege, starting with his grandfather, who owned a dairy farm. The land that was purchased, though, had been claimed by a Native American tribe decades before. The whites in power did not care about this, and the dairy farm went on to be successful, making his grandfather money that would be inherited by his kin. Johnson would benefit from this money, as it allowed him to pay for his house. This shows that his current status rooted from what was basically gentrification and the neglect of Native Americans. White people are often oblivious to their past, and how it has provided them privilege and advantages, which, in turn, works to perpetuate the systems further. 

Comment:

I'm always astounded by the justifications made by whites to make their actions seem valid. Johnson mentions how, "It was a common belief among whites that they were doing Africans a favor by bringing them to live their lives in service to whites as a kind of deliverance from an inferior and savage existence." It is already insidious that they put black people in a state of subordination, but the fact that they truly would view it as something that black people should essentially 'thank them for,' helps me to grasp just how superior white people made themselves within society. 

Image from the Woolworth lunch counter sit-in (Greensboro, NC [1960])

Link to the book "History of Africa" by Kevin Shillington-- an informative read that dives deep into the realities of slavery, among many other things.

Blog Post #3: Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol (Argument)

                   South Bronx (1990) 

  In Amazing Grace, author Jonathan Kozol argues that those a part of the lower class, living in run-down, dangerous neighborhoods, are often in that situation through no fault of their own, and have to deal with experiences due to someone else's decisions. He describes the culture of the South Bronx, and how it is a very crime-ridden community with countless homicides. Many victims are younger people, often harmed at random, like in one instance where a mother was murdered and her baby was wounded after being shot in the stomach while standing on a street corner. Kids have even been shot simply waiting at the bus stop. Another clear example of this is Pediatric AIDS, in which babies are born with the virus because their mother was infected. The common denominator is that many people enter the world under harsh circumstances, and must live in an environment that could be fatal for them or their loved ones... and there is nothing they can do about it. Kozol ponders, "What it is like for children to grow up here? What do they think the world has done to them? Do they believe that they are being shunned or hidden from society? If so, do they think that they deserve this?" (5) These children must grow up in a place where drugs, illness, and death are so normalized, that they become desensitized. Kids play in the playground while their parents wait for needles to inject heroin. They have become so used to the tragedy and the struggle that it is almost a joke to them. Take Cliffie, a seven-year-old boy who's a South Bronx resident, for example, saying that "Everyone is going to burn to crispy cookies" (10) in reference to the new medical waste incinerator put down the street. Their fate is seemingly permanent, as those with power don't care to help, and if they do, they don't get it 'right,' such as making it very difficult to get welfare payments, or people only qualifying for the SSI program if they are extremely sick. This is a obliviousness and a negligence that the text describes as "evil," and Kozol makes it clear that those among the impoverished should not be blamed for their status, but instead the larger society is to blame for making their hardships almost inevitable, because of the "rules" of privilege and power.

Point of Discussion:  Kozol mentions the elementary school in the South Bronx neighborhood, saying that 7 out of 800 students do not qualify for free lunches, as these students only classify as "poor," while the rest are considered "destitute." This put a lot of things into perspective because growing up, in my school, those numbers were probably flipped, because of the rarity of impoverished students in the community. It shows the gravity of their situation and how so many of the kids were in the same 'boat' when it came to lack of money.

                                               

This New York Times article discusses the New York City crime rates