Privilege Power and Difference: This Book is Not for the Intelligent Minded

The book called "Privilege, Power and Difference", written by Allan Johnson is a blatant attempt to make white people feel poorly about themselves. I would like to mention that Allan Johnson is a white male. This book was required reading for my Masters program, an ethics class of all things. I am still trying to discern how in the world pointing fingers of blame is advantageous to the learning experience.

This book had most of the people in the class feeling as if they were the most horrid people living simply because we are white. The way this book is written the author should really consider changing the name of the book to White Males and Females: The Kind of People Who Make Others Feel Badly.

This book discusses many types of discrimination that people can face, with the premise of the book on the defense of non whites, and the villainous white race. The book focuses its attacks on white people for being white. For those of us who are white, we can't help this anymore than someone can help having natural brown hair. I find it to be interesting that a white male can assume to know how a non white person would feel in any given situation. Apparently Johnson is in touch with his non white side which made me question his motives even further. Johnson is not a non white male, therefore how could he pretend to understand walking in another person's shoes, especially those of a non white person?

By the time I had finished reading this book I felt like a piece of garbage, because according to Johnson white people in general lie and steal in order to obtain job positions that they do not deserve. Instead Johnson points out that white people are in fact taking opportunities from minorities, who are economically disadvantaged or less educated, yet are more deserving to have these jobs and opportunities. I guess I have always believed and lived by the credo that life is what you make of it, not who gives you a hand out.

Honestly, I felt ashamed after reading this book, to think that Allan Johnson felt that white people in general were racist, capitalistic, self serving and self absorbed jerks. The main target of the book is white males. If you are a white male beware, according to Johnson they are the most heinous offenders of all. If you are a non white person, Johnson warns that you should be afraid, because the white male will steal your job, and take away any thing that has meaning to you. Johnson also asserts that the white man will crush you to achieve his goals and pursuits. I say bull! Allan Johnson is wrong and his inflammatory beliefs are dangerous.

I can speak from experience that I was not the only one who was deeply offended by the insinuations made in this book. I do not feel that I as a woman have a special advantage, I have worked extremely hard to get where I am. I believe and know, for a fact that I am qualified to be in my job due to my credentials not due to my skin color. I also believe that anyone who works hard and chooses to succeed will do so. I do not feel that it is fair to generalize that one specific race of people are to blame for the failure of others. It violates all reasonable common sense.

However, I feel that Johnson must have some serious unresolved guilt about his impact on the community of non-whites. In order for him to write a book pointing his proverbial finger at the white race is absurd and insulting. I hope that a lesson can be learned from this outright negligence to consider the feelings of white people. I would feel that the same were true if he had singled out another racial group of people.

However, it appears that we are expected to feel guilt over things we have no control over. Johnson insinuates that we should feel some type of guilt for the fact that African Americans were once slaves; however I highly doubt that any actual slave owners are alive today. I think slavery was horrible and I do not support any such type of behavior; however I was never a slave owner and should not be made to feel as if I were.

I find it very sad that Allan Johnson finds the need to exploit the very people he claims he wants to protect with his book. Most people are not out to get others based upon skin color or ethnicity. I feel strongly that Johnson has some issues he should address. I do not recommend this book to anyone for the following reasons: unless you would like to feel poorly about yourself and waste a significant amount of time and money to read and purchase this book