Privilege, Power and Difference
In Privilege, Power, and Difference, Alan Johnson challenges the way we usually think about inequality. Instead of focusing on individual attitudes or personal morality, he asks us to look at the larger systems that shape people’s lives. His main argument is that privilege is not about being intentionally harmful or unfair. It is about how social systems are set up to benefit certain groups while putting others at a disadvantage, often without anyone having to actively choose it. What resonated with me most is Johnson’s idea that privilege exists whether or not we recognize it. A person does not have to ask for privilege, believe in it, or even be aware of it in order to benefit from it. That idea can feel uncomfortable, but it makes a lot of sense. It pushes back against the belief that success is only about hard work. Effort matters, but effort alone does not explain why some people have access to more opportunities than others from the very beginning. Johnson also talks about ...