Both text make to think of where I stand in society today. In Johnson's piece he talks about "the diversity wheel" (17) and he tells us to sit and take the time too see where we fall in it. If i put myself in the wheel, I am female, French-Canadian, white, twenty years old, heterosexual, and physically able. In the outer part of the wheel I am single, have no children, I'm middle-class, and a full-time student. I have a part-time job. I have lived in Massachusetts my whole life. I am Catholic, but not practicing. I am not involved in the military. As Johnson further explains "As you reflect on the results of this exercise, it might occur to you (as it did to me) that the wheel doesn't say much about the unique individual you know yourself to be, your personal history, the content of your character, what you dream and feel. It does, however, say a lot about the social reality that shapes everyone's life in powerful ways." (18) I never really took the time to think about how people judge me. People tend to judge me on face value (what they can see just from my appearance), they don't judge me really on what I believe (that is until you get to know me, then maybe people do). These are also things that society has shaped as well. I knew this while reading and Johnson states a lot that society has shaped the way that we judge people. Society says that if we aren't male, or white that we are not equal. Women still today get paid less then men do. Also, when I read this part of the text about "the diversity wheel", I didn't realize that I was privileged in a way. That I am white, and heterosexual (I'm not a male, so I don't have that privilege), and that these bring opportunities to me without me even knowing. It's not something that I ever really thought about. Johnson continues to go on and explain what would happen if one day we woke up and our "diversity wheel" shifted (this reminded me of our Thoughts on the Beginning exercise). Just little shifts in the wheel could change all the privileges that I may have. It was a lot to think about while reading the text.
When I was reading the text this morning I had the show Sunday Morning on. This piece about Ellen DeGeneres came on, and I though it related to both texts that were read for this week.
Thanks for sharing that video! Before coming out to my parents as gay I read "Dear Ellen" a memoir written by Ellen's mother Betty DeGeneres about the ups and downs of their relationship. I gave it to my own mother to read in hopes that it might help her come to some understanding. So, I knew a bit about Ellen's struggles in comedy for coming out as gay. Anyway, I think it's a very good point you make about being heterosexual not realizing it as privilege. I think that's largely the way privilege works in our society... we're blissfully unaware that we have it, because it's on blast in the media, until some have the fortune (or misfortune) to realize that they don't (for example individuals who identify as homosexual).
ReplyDeleteThe thought of the diversity wheel I did like because some people really don't know how privileged they truly are. I also liked the video you put in. It related in well with the article
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