Johnson Chapter 2

In Chapter two of Privilege, Power, and Difference, Johnson shows the reader how privlege is caused in our society. Johnson's main thesis describes how special treatment given to one person or group of people causes oppresion. Johnson also points out that it is difficult to adress privilege becasue it makes those with power and privilege uncomfortable.
In this chapter Johnson tells how the privileged have gained their power through conferred dominance. Johnson defines privilege as one group that has something another group cannot because of the groups they belong to, and having no chance to gain this "something." Conferred dominance is also a source of privilege because it gives one group power over another. The monarchies and the royal family is a decent example of conferred dominance. Just by being born into a monarchy you are given the wealth and power of an entire nation. With such great wealth and power, monarchs oppress many of their own citizens through taxes and labor.
I feel Johnson does a fine job of explaining how difference and power are the cause oppression. It is difficult to pathom the thought that it is hard for people to advance just because they were born into a class no matter how hard one tries to adavance. Secondly Johnson caught my attention when stated that privilege is something that would be difficult to end. I always thought that it was possible to end privilege by sharing weatlh but the too is not the case. In this chapter, Johnson has opened my eyes to how detrimental privelege is to society.
In conclusion Johnson does a great job of showning how privilege and power are the source of oppression and how privilege and power is granted through difference.