Critical Reflection 5: The Importance of Lo Contidiano
Ayanna Berg
Emily Wu
CASC
Critical Reflection 5
5 November 2019
Iris Marion Young and Ada Isasi-Diaz define and explain oppression as anything that stops, or hinders an individual from extending and or acting to their full capacity. The groups that are identified in this literary work are people of color or “minorities” (e.g Black, Hispanics, LGBTQIA+ communities.) Oppression was once described structurally as “ the exercise of tyranny by a ruling group.” (Young 50) Now, both authors explain that the new surfaced definition of oppression is injustices experienced by people not because “tyrannical power coerces them” but because of everyday interactions, and practices of a “well-intentioned liberal society.” (Young, Diaz 50) When Diaz explains that she is “oppressed and impoverished” that she is aware of the oppression she experiences and “who struggles for their liberation, taking under consideration their communities.” (Diaz 47)
The significance of observing and articulating the day-to-day lo cotidiano experiences, is because it brings to light the “embodied experiences” of all people, and the practices and traditions that we have learned as a reflection of who we are and where we come from. It’s where we realize, as “subordinates” that we are oppressed in this ever growing unequal society. When I was in middle school, I had attended a predominantly white school. Although I was already aware that as a product of who I was, I was considered the minority and was seemingly “not the same” as everybody else. It was until I attended this school, that I fully understood what oppression meant and how it is reflected in my life. I was in a geometry class, where on the very first day, not only was I seated last by my white instructor, but I also had my own individual desk in the back away from the other students, so that I was not technically integrated with them. I would raise my hand to ask questions and was never chosen, and the one time I remember being called on, my teacher at the time had told me that she was aware that “my people” have difficulties learning. After enough time, I had begun to stop my educational participation, because it had become very evident to me, that regardless of what I said or did, my instructor and my peers regarded me as “less than” and would continue to do so because those were the opinions they carried. Lo contidiano refers to the what is “reproduced or repeated in conscious manner, that which is part of the struggle for life and for liberation.” (Diaz 48) A couple of ways that I can observe lo cotidiano experiences in the lives of the RotaCare community is: Con the kind of experiences and issues that Rotacare patients may experience, observe the community interactions and circumstances. Being more productive about being intuitive about the lives and experiences of each member in the Marin community is the best way to analyze the lo cotidiano experiences. Since, the main purpose that term serves is for people to become more aware of others in their respective communities.
