Here's a cool thing to wrap your mind around, kiddo - there's more than one way that we can be unjust in terms of knowledge. And yes, it's just as unfair as it sounds.

You know when you try to tell your parents about that crazy TikTok trend and they just stare at you like you're speaking another language? That's a teeny tiny example of how your knowledge and experiences can be invalidated because they don't share the same context or concept as you.

Now imagine that on a global scale, where dominant cultures decide what's "legitimate" knowledge, leaving those from different backgrounds feeling misunderstood or dismissed. For instance, who said mathematics can only be taught with a chalk and board? What if it's taught through song or drawing with rice flour? Or why do we only consider written histories as valid and overlook oral ones?

Think of it this way, let's say you've invented a new game at school and you think it's fantastic. But the popular kids decide that it's not a "real" game because it doesn't have a scoreboard or teams. That's a similar kind of power dynamic. Not fun, right?

Did you know that power can influence what we view as knowledge? Let's say you tell your friends you can talk to trees. They might think you're crazy, but who are they to say you can't? They just invalidated your experience based on their lack of understanding.

To make this heavier, let's look at an example from a scholar named Fricker. She talks about a woman who experienced sexual harassment before the term even existed. Can you imagine not being able to explain something terrible that happened to you, just because the words to describe it don't exist yet? That's a major way how power and language play into knowledge.