"No, the problem is that in the world as it is, huge issues involving race and gender shape her life and mine in dramatically different ways. And it's not some random accident that befell her while I escaped. A tornado didn't blow through town and level her house while leaving mine alone. No, her misfortune is connected to my fortune; the reality of her having to deal with racism, and sexism every day is connected to the reality that I don't. I didn't have to do anything wrong for this to be true and neither did she. But there is is all the same. All of that sits in the middle of the table like the proverbial elephant that everyone pretends not to notice" pg 9
This quote made me think of Franklin from the Peanuts comic. In the photo below, he is included by sits alone on his side of the table. Charles Schultz wanted to include a black character, which is inclusive, however, he also is highlighting the difference and "otherness" of Franklin. And the fact that readers notice shows how those differences have been assigned different meanings and privileges.
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The scene from A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving that left may people wondering why Franklin is sitting alone. Allstar Picture Library Limited/Alamy |
Johnson discusses the difficulty of confronting privilege and oppression, which are socially constructed and maintained by social institutions. He specifically talks about the difficulty people have discussing these topics, especially those with privilege, as it involves naming the problem, including, as the quote discusses, that these huge issues do have impacts on individuals even if those individuals haven't done anything wrong.
I resonated with the idea of "the proverbial elephant" and the feelings of guilt or defensiveness that can come, especially for those privilege, when discussing these ideas. I have felt those things myself, but also growing up in Rhode Island in primarily white spaces, didn't really have to engage with these ideas. As Johnson says, privilege comes with "the luxury of obliviousness." After going to college in Chicago and being exposed to more diversity, and then also volunteering with the Peace Corps, I became a lot more comfortable discussing these ideas though still felt these feelings of guilt and defensiveness.
I agree with Johnson that the more you name and talk about these big ideas, the easier it is. It is also easier to recognize privilege and oppression in yourself. I can understand in some ways why people with privilege want to stay comfortable in the idea that they are a good person so can't be racist or part of a racist system. I think that since I started thinking, studying, and discussing these ideas, my brain is always working and analyzing and reflecting, which can be exhausting. But even the ability to think about these things could be seen as a privilege. I have all my basic needs met so can engage in this higher level thinking.
Points for Discussion: How to incorporate this reflection in a daily teaching practice? The curriculum my school uses does include reflection questions, however, they are very high level and are used as part of intellectual preparation. I think it would be useful to think about this in terms of behavior management. In a lot of ways, schools are set up to control and get students to comply, which feels complicated and uncomfortable while working with students in Providence who are from backgrounds that have been oppressed in the past, especially as a white teacher.
Basically, I want to talk about being a white teacher for kids of color. I am trying to teach and need some sort of organization in the class, but also don't want to further oppress people that have historically been oppressed.
