Week Three Blog
The model of power I understood best was the one proposed by Johnson in the excerpt entitled “The Trouble We’re In.� This piece talks about power as a form of social hierarchy and was the one I understood best, especially because of the “+5 System� proposes. Johnson states that we inherit different social privileges and limitations which we are often unaware of. We then pass these privileges and limitations on to those we come in contact with. In order to make changes, we need to accept that these differences exist and become aware of what these differences really mean in our everyday lives. However, differences aren’t always a bad thing. Diversity can also be a very productive aspect of society. If we were all the same, we would all do things the same way, have the same experiences, and make the same mistakes. Because people have differing views of situations and problems, often times the most effective and efficient solution can be come up with through the collaborative effort of a diverse group of people.
Power operates through social hierarchies because it gives more social privileges and opportunities to some than others. For example, a man who has been working in some career field will more than likely make much more than a woman who has been in the same field of work for the same amount of time. This is where Johnson’s “+5 System� made everything click for me. She states that certain characteristics a person possesses entitle them to more social privileges. Things like race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and religion all play a role. A white, heterosexual, middle class, Christian man will have more social advantages than a man who is exactly the same in every way except for something like race.
Because we are all born into a different social status, we all grow up with different things expected of us by society. Men should do well in school, fly through college and then make good money and provide for their families. Women should go to school, maybe go to college and then settle down and raise children. The social privileges given to us and expectations imposed upon us at birth continue with us through our daily lives and have the potential to shape the way we interact with others, what we accomplish in life, and who we turn out to be as a person.