PPD Chapter 8

In Chapter 8, Johnson discusses the many different ways people use to “get off the hook”. One of the biggest ways being viewing the problem as not theirs. With problems dealing with racism, sexism, and many other oppressed problems many individuals deny, resist, or drastically minimize the problems. Some problems have become culturally accepted while others have cause civil rights movements. When we deny the reality of oppression you also deny the reality of privilege that underlies it. People often draw on negative cultural stereotypes of each other. The result being that oppression is blamed is those experiencing it. We can’t work on solutions to a problem if the problem is going unrecognized.

Johnson talks a lot about people denying the reality of the problem. However, I believe that placing the blame on others is a bigger concern. When people find other places to blame these problems it only makes the problem that much worse. People not being willing to take responsibility for their own actions and placing the blame elsewhere only encourages these problems to persist and doesn’t allow for any positive changes. People should learn to take responsibility for actions and words they speak and not always shove it off as someone else’s problem. Deal with it and move on without taking hate out on innocent people.

While reading this chapter I thought of the many different people in my life that would fall under these ways of trying to get “off the hook.” There are so many people that try to say “oh I’m not racist” on one yet then they turn around on the other hand and say “I just don’t want my kids around black people”. I don’t believe anything gets under my skin and makes me angry then that statement. Going into the Education field I see how much influence adults have on children and how are we ever going to put a stop to racism when kids hear remarks such as that. Children learn what they live and if they live with hate they feel the other thing they know how to do is hate too. Children should especially be taught to treat everyone the same and accept everyone for all of their differences. That will be the only way we can put a stop towards the hate and violence against those in society that differ from the norm or majority.