Chapter 2 of Johnson

In Chapter 2 of Johnson: “Privilege, Oppression and Difference” starts off by expressing the differences in race and gender and the problems and troubles that come with it. He states that “The trouble that surrounds difference is really about privilege and power.” It is clear that in Chapter 2 the point that wants to come across is that we must stop ignoring privileges and believing that difference itself is the problem.
In the beginning of the chapter Johnson uses a “diversity wheel” that labels social characteristics to make a point. In the “diversity wheel” there are six social characteristics including age, race, ethnicity, gender, physical ability, and qualities such as being left or right handed. On the outer side of the wheel there are several other social characteristics including religion, marital status, education, occupation, and income. Johnson answered the questions in the “diversity wheel” himself and then suggested to the reader stopping reading and do the same thing. The answers I came up with were that I am a 19 year old white male who is right handed. I believe in the Roman Catholic religion, I am single, I am unemployed and still in college. Upon answering the questions Johnson then wanted us to change one answer of ours into something opposite. After changing our answer he wanted us to think to ourselves if we would then be treated any differently by society.
Would society treat an individual different just because of one change in a social characteristic? I believe the society we live in today would treat an individual different because of a change in social characteristics. If I would wake up tomorrow and be a black homosexual male instead of a white heterosexual male, I believe people would treat me differently. If I so happened to wake up a black homosexual male tomorrow morning and put on my usual clothes and talked the same way I do now I believe I would be treated differently. Not just because of the color of my skin but because black people usually do not dress or talk the way I do now. I believe not only society would treat my different but maybe my own friends and family would as well. Opportunities that were once open to me I believe would close due to the fact that not only is society uncomfortable around homosexuals, society is still not open to blacks the way that it should be.
Chapter 2 of Johnson: “Privilege, Oppression and Difference” really made me think about the way our society is still not where it needs to be. To think that if only one social characteristic would change about me out of all of them I would be judged and treated differently makes me upset. Our society is so judgmental not only on race but on gender, physical ability, and income. Our society believes what it thinks is right and it is never right.