Interculturalism: How it Impacts Our Daily Lives

At some point in our lives, we have all violated and oppressed the rights of others. While we may not be consciously aware that we are part of a system, we are. Systems operate with actions and consequences, meaning for every behavior, action or choice we cause to occur, there will be a consequence of some type. One example of this would be talking badly about others or turning a deaf ear while others talk badly about others, is one way we can perpetuate a systems of oppression.

Either willingly, or unwillingly, we create systems which perpetuate "Privilege, Power and Difference" (Johnson, 2006). When we finally become aware of the systems, only then can we learn to make changes to lead us down the path of greater resistance.

In my essay I will start by discussing how systems of privilege operate and perpetuate. Second, I will discuss my positive and negative experiences with systems of privilege. Third, I will examine how I have participated in the path of least resistance.
How systems of privilege operate and perpetuate

"Culture is everyone's teacher" (Johnson, p. 86). With this thought in mind, we are truly a part of our surroundings, and with each interaction we take a piece of it and we add it to ourselves. From that point, once it has become part of us, we may then change it, or put our own experience with it and carry it with us. Systems are the same type of idea. We find a system we feel we belong in, we may change it or accept it, but through social interaction we spread systems like a viral infection. Even if we don't realize what we are doing, the systems continue to spread. "Systems do not exist without involvement of people". (Johnson, p.87)

Systems of privilege exist because we allow them to; we perpetuate them into motion and at times unwillingly enable them to continue even if they are oppressive to others. Our actions can make us volunteers for systems of privilege. When we remain silent against systems we continue to be volunteers for systems of oppression, and difference. When we do not follow the path of resistance we inadvertently condone systems of oppression. According to Johnson, "as long as we participate in systems, we don't get to choose whether to be involved in the consequences they produce".(Johnson, p.89) We do not have a choice of the fact that a consequence will occur regardless if we willingly, or unwillingly participate in systems of any kind.

Unfortunately, at times we are part of systems without even realizing it just by being part of the dominant group. Our non-verbal actions such as our beliefs and even race, class and abelism are the catalysts for enforcing the continued participation and continuance of these systems. Chapter 8 of Johnson's text explains that you cannot be "uninvolved"; essentially that at all times in life we play a role in a system regardless of our conscious acknowledgement. (Johnson, 2006)
Systems have three characteristics which can be identified as dominance, identified, and centered. In relation to how systems work, we can first examine dominance. Dominance can be viewed as the people in charge, or in my case the people in charge who look like me. While there may not be a large number of females in powerful positions, there are however an over abundance of white males in power.

Due to the fact that this is all I have ever known it has never seemed out of the ordinary to me. An example of this was that I have never paid attention to the fact that all of our Presidents of the United States past, and present have been white males. I have been far more attentive to noticing these types of things by taking off my blinders, and attempting to look at the dominant group from the non-dominant perspective. I have found that it is at times a shocking revelation to uncover these facts which are so openly present but often ignored. The reason that they are ignored is because they are commonly seen as identified.

Identified is a characteristic which can be described as how we identify the standard. An example of this would be the expectation that everyone should speak English, and speak it a certain way. In essence people are expected to fit the dominant culture, not the other way around. When we as a culture expect that everyone who steps foot on to the United States soil must speak English, we perpetuate a system of oppression and inequality for others. Of course it is easy for most of us who were born here, to speak English without any difficulty, because we are expected to. We can also pretend that a problem doesn't exist, but if you don't look like the ideal candidate for what an "American" should look like, (usually white in complexion and lighter hair color) you will most likely face some type of discrimination. The truth of the matter comes out with the statement of anyone can be President. This has been proven time and time again, that up to this point, unless you are a white male you will not be President, because if it were true, we would have seen a member of the non-dominant group hold the position.

In order to deal with my fears of being different, I have pursued higher education in order to better assimilate myself with the modern day culture. I did this purposefully to avoid any stigma that sometimes tends to come with being an Italian American. Growing up it was not uncommon for me to get picked on because of my last name, and because I openly admitted that I am Italian. The jokes were non-stop through my school years, and finally I realized that I couldn't let people have the chance to have any other reason to bring forth ridicule. Many people assumed that because I was Italian, that my family was in the mafia and we had certain advantages that other people did not. If this had been the actual truth, it may not have bothered me but because it wasn't, I didn't want the stereotype to follow me around my whole life. I suppose this is why on this matter I chose the path of least resistance in order to be accepted and o try and avoid ridicule.

Centered allows privilege to continue because it assumes or predetermines who fits into the ideal American mold. As we saw many examples in class of what an ideal American looks like in magazines and newspapers, I realized suddenly that my family did not fit into that mold. I have had the misconception all these years that my family was full of Americans, yet in comparison to the pasty face blonde hair, blue eyed people who hang out at Starbuck's, I realized that if that is what an American is, that I don't want to be associated with that stereotype. I am a human being and therefore I feel that taking the path of resistance in this matter is the best way I can assert that this system is corrupt.

Systems can perpetuate hatred, oppression and many other types of inequalities when we choose to ignore that systems do in fact impact our lives on a daily basis. Tim Wise made the following statement which relates: " I can think of nothing more rewarding , after all, than to serve as the threat of a good example; and there is no higher calling then to be prepared to die for your principles if need be, but even more, to be unafraid to live for them." (Social Justice, 1999). I have found over the past few weeks of serious self analyzing and discovery, that I would much rather be unafraid and live for my principles and convictions. Until recently taking a long hard look at the material and the story of my own life, I have realized that I have been ashamed to be who I really am for many years. I have not lived as a proud woman, daughter, sister, mother in an Italian family; I have instead tried to assimilate myself with the ideal American culture. Yet, now that I have brought these feelings to the surface, I can continue to explore them and begin to exploit systems which try to prevent me from doing so.

How I have been affected by systems of privilege, my positive experience

I have been affected positively by systems of privilege with the help of my mother. I wanted to obtain a position within a corporate organization and she was already employed there. My mother was also friends with two of the hiring managers for the position in which I had applied for. While I do honestly believe that I was qualified for the position, I know that I participated in systems of oppression against other people. I was of course given the job miraculously beating out 30 other candidates. I did not at the time or now know the other candidates credentials, but I am certain that there may have been some who were more qualified than me for the position.

By accepting the employment opportunity with that company, I became part of the system of oppression against other people. I utilized my inside source being my mother to help me obtain a job. With the help of my mother I was able to obtain a position that many other people were unable to obtain because of the system of oppression. Reflecting back on the situation today, if I knew at that point what I know now about systems, my choice would have been different, as in I would not have taken the position.

In chapter five of the Johnson text Privilege, Power and Oppression it gives a list of why members of the dominant group do not recognize privilege. I feel that I fall into many of these categories. It is not an easy thing to admit that I ignore my privilege, and a large part of why I ignore it is because I have never been made to acknowledge it until recently.

I can also say that I fall into the category of believing that it is a personal problem, and not my problem. I suppose the best way to paraphrase this would be to say that I have always looked at the problem of privilege as if though people who have problems have brought themselves, and that it had nothing to do with my privilege and their oppression. I know that deep down I want to hang on to the few privileges that I have. If I didn't have some of these privileges, I wouldn't have been hired for some jobs, been treated better than some in the non-dominant group. Unfortunately, I have a hard time changing my own way of thinking to understand that my privilege is someone else's oppression. While I can think about that fact, it's not the way in which I always base my decisions or behave towards others in the non-dominant group.

I know that my fear of the unknown and previous experiences has tainted me and made me look at the world through my special glasses which allow me to see what I want to see, and not what is actually there. I tend to base my current relationships around people who make me feel safe, people who look, act, and even think like myself. While I can honestly say that I do have some friends in the non-dominant group, I feel that by bringing that to light makes me no less of a racist, sexist, classist, abelist or heterosexist. It is for these very reasons that it has become difficult to look in the mirror at times. I can say that this was a positive experience, but in the end it was passive oppression. I did nothing, there for I was a catalyst for oppression to continue. I could even say that I was "off the hook" because I was able to benefit from the oppression of others. (Johnson, p. 111)

In relation to my experiences with the positive side of systems, Tim Wise discusses in his essay "The Threat of a Good Example" how we may find success in our efforts against systems of oppression, yet once we have found ourselves victorious we must then prepare to defend our victory against defeat, and we can find "redemption in struggle." (Social Justice, 1999). When I feel that I have slowly begun to make progress against systems which cause pain towards the members of the non-dominant groups, it's not enough, to say that I have done enough. I must remain aware and keep learning, and teaching others to promote awareness of the systems, by doing this; I can learn to be "the threat of a good example" for others.

How have systems of privilege impacted my life for the negative?

In the years prior to marriage, I was basically a starving student. What that means is that I made just enough money to keep a roof over my head and enough to eat but not much room for frivolity. Due to my limited budget, I lived in a poor side of town. I was not part of the dominant group in the area. Most of the people were of Latino or Asian descent. The fact that I was white was not helpful in relating to the people around me. In the apartment building I lived in, I was the only white person. There were many instances of violence in the neighborhood and drug related issues as well. On the limited occasions I had to call the police I was told by one of the responding officers that the police would not come into my neighborhood at night. It was true. In the year that I had lived there I never witnessed a police car at night. While I was not part of the dominant group in the area, I do know that my race had nothing to do with the way I was being treated. It was because of where I lived. I was being discriminated against because I was poor and not part of the idealistic American image, or part of the acceptable socio-economic group.

In fact, I can now understand how it must feel for people who do not live in suburbia, who aren't in the dominant group. At the time I didn't really think about it, I just figured that it could happen anywhere, but it doesn't. Systems of oppression keep the wealthier people protected, while those who reside in lower class areas have been forced to believe the assumption that they must fend for themselves. The phrase of "let right be done" wouldn't apply here, because people are being ignored and deliberately excluded. Elizabeth Campbell discusses how to put ethical standards in to practice, and explains that the phrase "Let Right be done" should be common sense. (Campbell, Education Policy, 2001) It seems that just because it makes sense, its simple and seems reasonable doesn't mean that it always applies. At times systems of privilege only allow this to adhere to what seems applicable at the time. The police officers in my story obviously felt that in order to "Let right be done" the best way was to allow the residents in the poor neighborhoods to deal with the problems ourselves. In relation to practicing ethical behavior, the police officers were hypocritical in ignoring their sworn duty to uphold the law, to serve and protect regardless of socio-economic standing. It seems like a catastrophe waiting to happen when we decide that only certain types of behavior, such as ethics are acceptable for certain types of people, in specific situations. It tends to only leave room for interpretation, as opposed to "letting right be done" towards travel on the path of resistance. (Campbell, Education Policy, 2001).

At the time, I was unable to see this for what it was. Now I can identify it as racism on behalf of my non-dominant group neighbors and socio- economic discrimination. Now that I no longer live in the so-called poor side of town, I understand that it does make a difference in where you live. It makes a tremendous difference where you live in correlation with the education your children will receive, your employment opportunities and of course your civil services. (Johnson, 2006). Now that I am married and live in the typical depiction of suburbia, I realized that when I have called the police regardless of time, they do respond, and they respond without excuses. I am now participating on the other side of the system which doesn't make me feel much better, especially for those who don't have the choice or option to move to a better neighborhood to escape these discriminating systems.

My participation in the path of least resistance

Until recently, I had no idea that I had been participating in the path of least resistance. Any feelings I had about being privileged were not correlated to being part of a system. I assumed that everyone who works hard would be able to land in my same position if they worked hard like I had. The book Privilege, Power and Difference by Allan Johnson, discusses "naming" the problem in chapter one. If I had been able to "name" my problem would it have made any difference? Would "naming" the problem, given me a better understanding of what I was facing, or how to travel down the path of resistance? In class we discussed the very issue of "naming" the problem. It was brought up that if we were to name the problem, would we in fact be participating in a system of oppression by forcing the problem to take on an identity?

It is easier for me at times to see the system of oppression as a female. There are many times in which I have been passed over or even ignored when there have been males in the same vicinity as me. At times, it felt as if I did not even exist however, because it has always been this way, so I have always been more docile in the presence of men. Chapter 2, of Johnson's text discusses male privilege and its impact on women in society. Women are held to a higher standard than men in many workplaces. While I have always known this deep down, reading it was enraging. It was hurtful to acknowledge that my feelings of anxiety and inadequacy were not my imagination.

In chapter nine, of the Johnson text, there is an excerpt from Gandhi. Gandhi speaks about the importance of doing things within smaller systems to make a collective difference among the larger systems. This is also true of life. While at times it becomes frustrating to think that not many people are aware of systems of oppression, there is hope that for those of us who do, we can teach others to become aware.

I suppose that by trying to validate my feelings of self-importance I find myself associating with people who are similar to me. It is much easier to do so when you reside in a vacuum. I find that by working for my current employer I partake in systems of privilege. I am considered white by most; I am college educated, intelligent and capable of socializing well with people especially those in management.

Most people who are in the non-dominant groups such as people who are not considered white do not work in my department. There are very few non- dominant group employees who work in my department. Most of us are white, and hold college degrees. Those who are in the non-dominant groups hold positions which are lower paying such as receptionists and janitorial.

In chapter 6, Johnson discusses that "if you weren't following the path of least resistance, you would know it." An example that came to mind was being in my car during rush hour with bumper to bumper traffic, then putting your car in reverse and ramming into the car behind you. I have felt the pain associated with not following the path of least resistance on more than one occasion. It seems that it has been much easier to not fight against the path of least resistance because of the emotional drain associated with doing so.

During the class we were asked to write in the Reaction Journal. When I read chapter five of Johnson's text I had the following thoughts: "most people are oblivious to oppression and privilege." I strongly agree with that, it's as if it doesn't directly impact them it's not their concern. They tend to assume that it's someone else's problem. I am just as guilty of this as people who have not read the text or are unaware of the systems.

Until I begin to make lifestyle choices that reflect my desire to travel on the road of resistance, I have made little progress towards ending my role in systems of oppression. I also need to learn how to "connect my choices to the systems I participate in" This of course is far more complex, than just saying I will work towards ending systems of oppression, it entails taking steps to not participate in these systems and finding ways to not benefit from the oppression of others.(Johnson, p. 143). It will take all of us together to change the systems, but as Gandhi says "We can be the change that we want to see in the world." (Johnson, 2006).If we say nothing, we are no better off.

We must be seen and heard to create change, or we continue to perpetuate that "Silence = consent". (Johnson, 2006) It is apparent that when I sit by idly waiting for someone else to take accountability, I allow these systems to perpetuate and oppress others. Overall, I have learned that I need to set my own standards not abide by those that I cannot question or investigate as to why it is considered the standard for the majority of the population.

References:

Campbell, Elizabeth. Let right be done: trying to put ethical standards into practice. Journal of Education policy, Sep- Oct 2001, Vol. 16 Issue 5, p 395-411, 17p (AN 5564593).

Johnson, A. (2006). Privilege, Power and Difference (2^nd ed.) New York: McGraw Hill.

Wise, Tim. The threat of a good example. Social Justice, Summer 99, Vol. 26 Issue 2, p182, 3p. (AN 2514326).