Oppression

Oppression is a touchy subject for a lot of people. It is used to mold minorities (women, blacks, Hispanics, etc.) to where they can be controlled. A lot of people believe that since we as a society have come a long way then how things use to be that oppression is no longer a thing. In the article Oppression Marilyn Frye talks about some of the oppression's faced by woman today. Some of these we as men overlook due to the fact that we are not directly affected. For example some people have a tendency to tell women that they should smile more because they look prettier. When they say those things it’s like they are trying to conform woman into how society would like to see them almost like they don’t know what to do to their faces. They don’t take into account that she might have had a bad day or may be deep in thought. If she does smile then she is conforming but if she does not smile then she is labeled as a bitch. It’s a lose-lose situation. It might be easier if there was only one weight holding women down but there are several. Their clothing options are another form of oppression. It is frowned upon if women show too much skin because they are looked at as promiscuous, but if she doesn’t show enough then they are looked at as prudes. Even things like holding doors open for females can be viewed as a sign of oppression. That raises the question of is chivalry really dead. Personally I would say yes. It died out when women started to get equality because you can’t demand to be treated the same as men but still expect the men to pay for dinner, or hold open doors, or walk on the outside of the sidewalk. As men these are things we are taught at a young age. Men are blind to a lot of the oppression that women face because we have male privilege. Some men may argue the fact that we aren’t privilege because we have hard times too when that not always true. Peggy McIntosh describes privilege as being in a state of unearned advantage. When I apply for jobs the thought of my advantage as a man never crosses my mind. Peggy brought up the subject that at a young age those of us with privilege are taught not to recognize it. She also goes on to compare privilege to a weightless bag filled with tools such as maps, passports, and blank checks something that may make navigating through life a lot easier. After reading both articles I can say that privilege and oppression play hand and hand. Without privilege you cannot have oppression and vice versa. So does that mean we should just get rid of privilege so that no one else can fell oppressed? A simple solution to ending oppression isn’t just all people who are privilege giving up their advantages. I don’t think that it is something that can just vanish. I would hate to say it but oppression and privilege is a part of American society and cannot be gone over night. I see it that every social group has their own privileges and their own oppression. Frye states in the article that men cannot be oppressed because being a man is something we have going for us, but I would have to disagree. As men we are given an image that we have to portray. We have to be tough and not show our feelings. If we were to cry or show some type of “weaker” emotion then we are told to “man up” and looked at as less of a men.