Stop Pretending and Start Living.

While reading “Privilege, Power, and Difference” by Allan G. Johnson there were many topics that he brings up the I not only found interesting, but I agrees up. He also brings up points that I had never thought of before. There were three quotes in particular that stood out to me.


“The bottom line is that a trouble we can’t talk about is a trouble we can’t do anything about”, exclaims Johnson. It seems like such a simple thought and yet he manages to write an entire paper about it. On the surface people might think, “yeah whatever”, but it’s more than that. We as a country have dug ourselves in a hole that right now seems almost impossible to get out of. How can we fix racism, discrimination, and the different privileges that exist if we ignore that they are there. Everyone knows about it, everyone can sense the tension in the air that surrounds it, but nobody wants to be the first to speak for change. Nobody wants to be the first voice to make a difference because everyone has in his or her mind that it can’t and wont be fix, this problem we have. Therefore, it is just as Johnson says, we can’t expect to fix or do anything about a problem we don’t talk about. Once we can admit that it exists and stop living in a world of denial, then we can move forward, until then we will keep on digging.

Another quote that I really enjoyed and got a mental picture of was when Johnson says, “Our collective house is burning down, and we’re tiptoeing around afraid to say ‘Fire’.” What an amazing quote, and it is so true. This quote is exactly about the first quote I mentioned. It is the same idea. We can see ourselves falling in the hole we dug for ourselves, but nobody wants to ask for help. It reminds me of the movie Crash with Sandra Bullock. The movie focuses on different races, white, black, asian, muslim, ect and they show how each race judges the next, sometimes subconsciously. For example, there is a part in the movie where a white woman who is walking to her car, side by side with her husband, suddenly gets closer to her husband while walking by a black man. Why? This is because she subconsciously associated him with wanting to rob her. The movie talks of racism and how it is present everywhere and simply getting worse. It is an interesting movie and also sad movie to watch because it is not a movie in the sense that our culture is one of the same. The movie is filled with tension that nobody mentions is there. It is so sad to think about.

The last example that I want to talk about is Johnson relating his discussion to an elephant. Johnson says, “All of that sits in the middle of the table like the proverbial elephant that everyone pretends not to notice.” I love this example because it is relatable. People say don’t think about a big pink elephant and everyone thinks about it but won’t admit it. It is the same thing. Everyone knows the problem exist, but nobody will admit it’s here or that they see it. It’s easier just to pretend that everything is normal and fine. People like to take the easy way out because once they admit its presence a lot of work will follow and unfortunately it seems as though nobody wants to be bothered.

Just thinking of these quotes makes me want to speak out and make a difference. Change needs to take place and I hope that others, after reading these few chapters, will also want to do the right thing and stop pretending and start living.