Lowery, Knowles discuss hierarchical system of privilege
William LiuWhen addressing social inequality, it is in the interest of people on the bottom to destabilize and those at the top to stabilize the system, Brian Lowery, the Walter Kenneth Kilpatrick Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University, said.Lowery initiated the discussion with a focused analysis of the concept of hierarchy in modern society, particularly as it relates to racial issues and the concept of white privilege.According to Lowery, problems commonly addressed in psychology involve the existence of established hierarchies and why individuals at the bottom keep the status quo, rather than rise up against the establishment.Most psychological studies, however, focus on the costs to the people at the bottom tiers of society, instead of addressing the downward pressure placed upon this class.Lowery used this lens to analyze the actions that the upper classes would take, such as granting concessions and bringing others into the system to increase the costs of rejecting the system.To explain this concept, Lowery utilized the example of when members of a lower status group are admitted into the University.“Are you less likely to protest and riot against inequality?” he asked.