Alan Johnson & S.C.W.A.A.M.P

 

    The ideas in Alan Johnson's Privilege, Power, and Difference and the concept of S.C.W.A.A.M.P. (Straightness, Christianity, Whiteness, Able-bodiedness, Americanness, Maleness, and Property-ownership) both focus on recognizing which groups hold some sort of privilege in our society. Johnson emphasizes the importance of privileged individuals acknowledging their advantage, not to feel guilt or defensiveness, but to use their position to help those who are less privileged. Being defensive can prevent  progress because people in privileged groups do not think they have a role in promoting inequality. Due to the lack of action it prevents anything from actually being fixed. This gap can also create fear, discrimination, and violence, and Johnson argues that we must acknowledge our privilege to fix this.

     S.C.W.A.A.M.P outlines the dominant, idealized groups in society and helps identify the systemic advantages these groups have. Johnson's argument is that without recognizing these advantages, privileged people cannot support any sort of social change. The concept of S.C.W.A.A.M.P. aligns with Johnson’s analysis by identifying what the dominant groups in U.S. society are; such as being straight,  Christian, white, able-bodied, American, male, and owning property. I myself do recognize the privileges in my own life being straight, white, and American and have always been taught to not let being a woman become a disadvantage either, but in many cases women do not always have that choice. 

     Ultimately, both Johnson's work and S.C.W.A.A.M.P stress the importance of self-awareness for addressing inequalities in our society. It calls for people to actively support the movement toward a more equitable society. Johnson also talks about how the USA society has value to certain things such as immigrants who arrive in the USA are categorized by race, with privileges attached to whiteness. A Norwegian man and an African woman, both mentioned in the text, experienced this differently: the African woman faced discrimination due to her race, while the Norwegian man benefited because he is white. Johnson also discusses how privilege is a paradox and can be gained or lost. For example the historical treatment of Italians, who were once excluded from whiteness but later gained privileges. A personal connection to this is my own great grandfather coming to America in the 40s from Italy and needing to change his last name to sound less Italian so his business could flourish. Ultimately, Johnson’s work reveals how certain groups are positioned as the "standard" in society. This "standard" is shaping who is included or excluded from privilege and we need those with privilege to lead for equality.