Talking Points for April 21, 09

• Author: Allan Johnson

• Title: What Can We Do?

• Argument: Johnson argues that we need to make a difference in any way that we see fit. That this difference can be small or big but that if we can open our eyes enough to see the "culture of power", the "dominance hirearchy" and the "social injustice" then we have an obligation to ourselves and society to do somehting about it, to not sit silent and allow the cycle to perpetuate.

• Quote #1: "...unless poeple work to change the system that promotes it, personal healing by itself cannot be the answer." He is saying that this is a bandaid on a broken wound, that you can give a person a blanket but that doesn't change the fact that the government can;t find the money for heat, so they are cold, get sick, clog up the hospital, the givernemnt uses more money, has less to distribute, and the cycle perpetuates. It means nothing to appologise to one person for the tyranny of a dominant group, because, as he argues, it is not an indivigual vs another, but a power group over another.

• Quote #2: even though appologies at the indivigual level and blame will not solve anything, at the individual level we have to start to make a difference. "...individuals can contribute to change: by choosing paths of greater resistance, such as when men don't take control,a nd when women refuse their own subordiation." at the individual level we can act out against the cycle and everyone that acts out against it is acting to change and deter it. By walking over to my friend who used "nigger" in cashual conversation and stopping her and asking her why the hell she though that was appropriate or accepabel, in any space, was a change moment. It makes a difference, not just with her, but with anyone that heard me go over and challenge her, and even if they didn;t agree with me they heard my argument and why it hurt me.

• Quote #3: "no individual leaf on the tree matters... but without leaves, the tree dies." there is safety in numbers. The more poeple that realise that diversity needs to be at the forefront and that the cycle of hate and dominance is occuring and should be stopped, the less are spreading it. Every person needs to be part of it, and cnage will not happen overnight or completely within our lifetime, but every little but matters. Everyone, through speaking out, silence, or not registering that what occurs is perpetuating the cycle, is participating in the cycle, or breaking it. By acting or not acting you are still involved. Welcome to society.

• My Response: I completely agree with Johnson. Everyhting we do matters and everyone needs to do their own thing to participate and become part. I had a problem with the drag show in that our only professionals were all men and that they, all except for one, were white men. I made a mental note that we need to make more of an effort to have more diversity in our events next year. In my classroom, i plan to challenge the dominant ideology not only by what im teaching (cultures across the world through the eyes of anthropology) but by the pictures around my room, the projects i present, the flag i have, the languages i use, and how i treat my students. No one is perfect, but i plan to be very aware and try to create an envirement that is safe and inclusive for everyone.