Oppression, Privilege, Intersectionality

Oppression has become too much of a common thing in this society, to which it has become exceedingly hard for many people to the detect someone or something that is being oppressed and someone that is just simply miserable. Oppression is prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control. Our society now a day has made it a requirement for women to smile constantly and remain cheerful no matter what or they are viewed as rude, mean and bitter women. In Marilyn Frye’s article “Oppression” she stated that “we may be found “difficult” or unpleasant to work with which is enough to cost one’s livelihood; at worst, being seen as mean, bitter, angry or dangerous has been known to result in rape, arrest, beating, and murder” (Frye, 11). As I read this article I was really shocked about how the simplest thing such as smiling can cause so much danger to one’s life because they chose to express how they really felt and not hide behind a fake smile. Women are constantly being limited and restricted by their society, we are pressured into being the women that society thinks are acceptable rather then who and what we actually want to be, to think that this is how many women are feeling till this day is absolutely shocking.

In “Oppression” Frye I was truly fascinated by the example about women who are heterosexually active are perceived to be whores by society and are called ridicules names such as “loose”. on the other side is if a woman is not heterosexually active she automatically become a man-hater or perceived as sexually abnormal and even go as far as lesbianism. With this example it seems to me that women just can’t win. We are caught between a push and pull pressure when no matter what we do society will find something wrong with it. “Oppressed people is that the living of one’s life is confined and shaped by forces and barriers which are not accidental” (Frye, 12).

Frye ‘s birdcage analogy leads me to believe that if only society would willingly take a step back to look at oppression from a larger perspective rather than focusing on the little things and limiting our knowledge on what oppression truly is, we could potentially diminish oppression. As individuals we should not allow society to place limits and restrains on our lives. Oppression also includes many other things such as privilege and the conflicts along with age, race and sex.

In the article “White Privilege” written by Peggy McIntosh talked about the benefits and unearned privileges of whites. White individuals are instructed to consider themselves unbiased and typical people, characterized just by the individual that they are. White individuals never encounter racial mistreatment and are very much unaware of does that are mistreated such as those of color. What I truly loved about this article is how McIntosh listed her unearned privileges she received from her society because of the color of her skin.” Disapproving of the systems won’t be enough to change them. I was taught to think that racism could end if white individuals changed their attitudes. But a “white” skin in the United States opens many doors for whites whether or not we approve of the way dominance has been conferred on us. Individual acts can palliate, but cannot end, these problems” (McIntosh,4). What needs to be done in our society is that individuals who receive any kind of benefit or privileges, need to recognize their benefits and the mistreatment of others who are not considered the “norm” that exists in our general public. Which takes us to the discussion of Age, Race, Class, and Sex. This article tied all of the articles together and brought connections to each one. Audre Lorde stated that “As white women ignore their built-in privilege of whiteness and define woman in terms of their own experience alone, then women of Color become “other,” the outsider whose experience and tradition is too “alien” to comprehend” (Lorde,3). This made me realized that age, race and sex also plays a part on how and who is oppressed and the extent of the oppression. Our society needs to for awareness of these issues in order to bring an end to it, ignoring what is right in front of us won’t do anything but hurt us as a society.