Johnson Chapter 3

The white male is recognized as the highest paid group of all. “Capitalism” Johnson explains in chapter three is a big part of privilege in our society today. The example above is proof that Johnson shows, stating that it is a big deal in gender and race.

Johnson opens this chapter with an interesting fact that had the potential of catching every ones eye. He lets the reader know that white racism didn’t show up in society until the idea of capitalism came about. Many don’t understand what capitalism is, so Johnson explained and defined capitalism to the reader. Pretty much, in Johnson’s explanation, in capitalism money is used only to turn and make more money. Knowing this, he then makes the reader aware of how unfair capitalism is. Some may end up with a lot of money, while there is a large portion that ends up with almost none and struggling to survive on what they have. Cheap labor was a big influence in all of this. Johnson informs us about cheap labor of the Chinese on the western railroad systems. He explains how unfairly paid and worked these people were, and how the whites justified what they did. The whites used their whiteness, as superiority over other groups. Johnson explains to the reader how capitalism and privilege can be so confusing to many. Many people may be able to be in good standing socially because of the amount of money they make, yet because of the certain group they are associated with, this good standing may be thrown right out the window. Race, sexual orientation, gender, and class are all connected in that they can all determine your ability to feel privileged in today’s society.

Why can what group you belong to determine how privileged you are in society still today? I think that there is no legitimate answer to this. I believe that no matter what group you belong to, you still work just as hard as any other, or at least have the ability to work to get where you are. As we discussed in class, any person, no matter what gender, race, sexual orientation, or disability status, can be able to work just as hard as any other and accomplish just as much as any other. The answer many may give is all going to boil back down to history and privilege in history. Maybe its time to reconsider what we have thought in the past?!

I personally found this chapter to be once again, previously obtained information. I had learned in high school, about how different groups earned different amount of money than others. I don’t think that its right that people are able to do that to one another, but its part of our history. I wish it could all change and everyone could be seen as the same equality, but like many say “history just repeats itself”, and as of so far, that’s what has been proven to me throughout my life.