Chapter 2- Privilege, Opression & Difference

I read chapter two of the Privilege Power and Difference. In chapter two the topic of privilege, oppression, and difference are discussed in great length and detail. After reading this chapter I learned the problem that surrounds the term of difference, is really a problem as much as the terms that relate to why people are different such as privilege and power. Difference however is not the problem, the illusion or misunderstood fact is the popular conception is that people are afraid of what they don’t know or understand. In chapter two the topic of the diversity wheel is brought up as an aspect to which we can compare and accurately describe one another to classify people into distinct groups. The different characteristics listed in the hub of the wheel include age, race, ethnicity, gender, physical ability, qualities, and sexual orientation. Around the outer ring others listed are religion, marital and parental status, and social class indicators of education, occupation, and income. It was brought to my attention while reading chapter two that if we change or slight shift are status in the wheel could change peoples lives tremendously. The book states the reason why there is trouble that comes with diversity is not the obvious differences of people from each other, rather the way the world tries to in ways include, exclude, reward, or punish, credit or discredit, elevate or oppress, value or devalue others by their differences. Another detail that is brought to light is that in America is that we only accept two genders in our culture while most accept several, which means if you don’t fit one or the other you are automatically labeled an outsider. A quotation that says “No one was white before they came to America; it took generations, and a vast amount of coercion, before this became a white country.” (Baldwin 17) This quotation shows that by force and powerful domination against other people, that a group of people who classified themselves as white were able to rise to power and control other groups who they felt were less superior in doing so made the other groups inferior. In turn this type of treatment has lasted until the present day, not in every aspect but is clearly present in our culturally diverse society. In chapter two we also learn that privilege exist when one group has something of value that is denied to other groups because of groups the people belong to, not because of what they didn’t do. This explains the conclusion that privilege is highly associated to what race you are a member of. There are two types of privilege mentioned one types is “unearned entitlements”, which are things with some sort of value that all people should have. The second type is called “conferred dominance”; this step proceeds to go further than the other by giving a clear cut advantage in power to another group. The power of privilege increases the power of others and dominates the rule of others, and in turn it helps increase the level of what is called oppression on the lives of others. Oppression is named in chapter two as being the social conflict that results between privilege and oppressed categories. I believe that privilege can often be used in negative ways for the benefit of only certain people, and it should be reviewed as a term that should not be viewed with such a positive connotation for what it is usually used for is not positive in any way.