CR#5 What is your oppression?

What? How do Iris Marion Young and Ada Isasi-Diaz define and explain the concept of Oppression? What does Diaz mean when she identifies herself as “oppressed and impoverished”?

Young identifies the new definition oppression not as a tyranny abused but as a democratic and systematic society “oppression designates the disadvantage and injustice some people suffer not because a tyrannical power coerces them, but because of the everyday practices of a well intentioned liberal society.” For example, with Health Hub, it is systematic and structural dilemma, the recipients are oppressed by food dessert, low income, job equality and education equity. The recipients are the people being oppressed by the democratic and liberal society we are living. What are the different of our “liberal and equality” society we are living and the tyranny society North Korean living in? Fundamentally, we can vote and elect our leaders. However, the leader we elect do not want to resolve the grassroots problems, instead they just start to put bandage on the problem and called it a day. In my opinion, we got the right to elect futile leaders, so is it count as a right?

Diaz identified herself as oppressed and impoverished because she is a woman who works in the white men world, her salary is less than her male co-worker even they have the same hierarchy in the work place “I specify the ‘the impoverished’ because I am a middle-class Latina and though I have suffered economic exploitation…” (46) It is important to the current political climate because we are living in 2018 but women are not pay the same amount as men even they are in the same position. Especially, we have a president, who publicly oppressed and dehumanize women, people of color, and immigrants. This is critical to Health Hub because the recipients are the one being oppressed at the work place because of their education, skin color, linguistic skills, and legal status. Imagine, if you are a woman, person of color, and undocumented in Marin county, what would be your situation? You will definitely be under pay because of your legal status, you will definitely get pay less because you are a woman, and you will definitely get pay less because of your skin color. So how does the woman able to provide for her children and family? It is impossible to provide for her family, unless she get external help from organization like Health Hub.

So What? What is the significance of observing and articulating of the day-to-day, what Diaz calls lo cotidiano experiences? Share a moment or seemingly mundane pattern that has larger implications of the larger structure of things. (Use textual evidence to make connection to your personal and community experiences)

Lo cotidiano literally translate to everyday life. However, what does lo cotidiano or everyday life mean to everyone? The example Diaz gave was people tried to scarified their transportation to able to provide for essentials (rent, foods, laundry…) but for other middle-class/ rich family their everyday life is taking taxi or have their personal driver and car “many times I see 2 Latinas approach the bus but only one get in. The other one wait outside until the other one use the fare card and quickly turn around to give to the other women…” As we can see, the fare of the bus is only $2.25 but it added up if they take the bus twice everyday; that would cost $135 a month. $135 a month for a public transportation is expensive because if they do not make a lot in the begining. I am fortunate enough to have things hand to me without complications but it was not the same with parents and grandparents, because they had to worried about foods, about money for laundry, money for their lo cotidiano. A lot of time, I overlook and forget to acknowledge other people everyday life because I did not have to experienced it myself and my parents and grandparents stories were generations before me.

Now What? What are 2–3 ways you could start to observe lo cotidiano experiences in the lives of people you work with in the community? Cite ideas from readings, and consider the particular context of your community partner’s program. Be concrete and specific when you list and explain the strategies — more than just “paying more

I already to started to observe lo cotidiano experiences in the volunteer’s life at Health Hub, the ways I use to observe are listening/ interpret body languages (even I don't understand Spanish), share my feeling and experiences, and lastly enjoy the experience. It is more important to me to enjoy the experience than listening and sharing because if I don’t enjoy the experience then how can I listen and share with compassion and empathy. The reason why I need to enjoy my experience is more important then listening or sharing because I want to serve the community with joy and passion not because it is something I have to do as a job or as credit for class.