I think there is discomfort to being self-aware of your privilege or being apart of a minority. What Alan Johnson wrote about seems to acknowledge this discomfort within society, while also acknowledging the prejudices our society holds. Johnson alludes to the idea that we as a society must be able to understand where we stand amongst ourselves before taking any action. He also seems to speak on---and I agree with this---by saying that change is uncomfortable. Small change is quite uncomfortable, so obviously approaching an incredible societal shift in behavior isn't going to be easy. Our American society is very bad at being uncomfortable, yes, over the years many changes have occurred because people put themselves in uncomfortable situations. However, I have noticed that we as a society tend to take the easy way out and do nothing. But, in my opinion, doing nothing is also doing something. Doing nothing results in nothing, which results in no change being made within our discriminatory society. What I think people do not realize is that doing something doesn't have to be a "big" thing. For example, educating yourself on a situation (becoming aware) IS doing something. Because this is the first step to be able to change societies mindset. In class we were asked to relate Johnson's words to our lives. Sarah (shoutout Sarah) began to talk about how she got assigned a book not too long ago about the difficulties that undocumented citizens have to go through to get employed. She said that she was enlightened during this because she had never thought about that because she---a perfectly capable U.S. born citizen---can walk in anywhere with a résumé and apply for a job, without such a rigorous process. While she was telling our group this story, I made the same realization. I had never thought of that same privilege I held either. This simple interaction opened a whole new level of reflection and way that I viewed how some people struggle within this society.
Julia's Amazing Blog blog #1 ☮🤟
I really like your analysis. Your line "For example, educating yourself on a situation (becoming aware) IS doing something." should honestly be on a t-shirt. I wish more people in todays world would take a step back and realize that even just simply educating themselves on the issue is taking a step in the right direction, regardless of their opinion on the issue after. An educated society over an ignorant society any day 100%.
ReplyDeleteHey Juila! Your point on "Our American society is very bad at being uncomfortable" is so true! It is really damaging to avoid uncomfortable feelings at the expense of those who may suffer from a disadvantage. I really enjoyed reading your blog I can really tell you care about having an open dialogue :)
ReplyDeleteJulia, thanks for the shout-out! I like that you brought up how changes are always occurring. Society is dynamic and when it comes to issues like these and we choose not to do anything, we become stagnant. Which like you said is taking the easy way out. We choose to turn a blind eye to things that make us upset/uncomfortable. And in turn, people keep ignoring (maybe even forget about) all the injustices and struggles around them.
ReplyDelete