Chapter 3

The goal of Chapter 3 was for Johnson to identify what difference and what it means. Johnson states that we should not live in fear or act with hatred with those that are different. He says differences between people are fine until one group of people decides they are better than another. This creates a privileged group, something that encourages discrimination by classify others based on color, sex, race, or even being disabled. In this chapter Johnson assigns a point system to show what some people feel are traits that are better than others. This gave each dominant characteristic one point and the weaker gene negative one points. These traits are the very things I talked about early that people of privilege discriminate against.
Johnson believes that racism was formed when capitalism was introduced into society. This created a racism in which whites felt they were superior to blacks. The racism that was created stemmed not from the color of skin but the power of money in the hands of one race. Capitalism relies on classes and the difference between a rich upper class is far from the poverty stricken low class. With their money behind them rich, white males bullied the poor class, which happen to include most blacks. Blacks were the most obvious targets for these men because they were poor and different.
Johnson raises a very valid point when stating that it is not difference that destroys us, but when a difference is decided to be inferior is when discrimination and racism can take over. Johnson’s numbering system seemed eerie but accurate to what people of privilege see when they look at person. The points are given or taken away depending on your gender, race, sex, sexuality, or if your disabled. These traits are shallow superficial views of how people are viewed through the eyes of someone he believes they are superior to others.
I think it is very interesting that Johnson brings up the point that capitalism created a new form of racism. It is an interesting point, and accurate because with Capitalism came a wealthily upper class consisting of white, slave owning, aristocratic males who used their money to establish dominance over an entire race. This dominance allowed white males to force a race into slavery that had virtually no money. This is also a factor in why even today whites enjoy much more luxuries due to holding the amount of money that a wealthy class enjoys, and blacks still remain much more poor.