Oppression Essay - 1908 Words

Oppression signifies an authority over another group, disengaging that particular group from the rest of society. â€Å"The term oppression encapsulates the fusion of institutional and systemic discrimination, personal bias, bigotry, and social prejudice in a complex web of relationships and structures that shade most aspects of life in our society† (Bell, 1997). In one way or another every individual experiences some form of oppression, whether it be through race, sex, gender, religion, age, wealth and/or sexual orientation. These cultural minorities experience inequality where a dominant culture casts its authority and power through exercises of unjust and cruel methods; these methods have been experienced through the Women’s Movement, the†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"A great achievement of women’s movements worldwide has been their success in ‘breaking the silence’ about male violence against women in intimate relationships† (Vickers , 2002). Having broken the silence of violence it has also broken the silence of oppression. The ongoing battle(s) of women’s rights suggests that the silence of oppression is of the past and the future holds equality for all alike. â€Å"†¦power is the capacity to terrorize, to use self and strength to inculcate fear, fear in a whole class of persons† (Dworkin, 1981). Male dominance exhibits and practices fear toward those of different classes, its use is to gain power to which control is given. â€Å"In the male system, sex is the penis, the penis is sexual power, its use in fucking is manhood† (Dworkin, 1981). The male mind indicates that without a penis an authority of power is dismissed and overlooked. Unfortunate for society today male hierarchy continues to be the dominant practice and the penis is a visual and vital form of power. â€Å"Male sexual power is the substance of culture† (Dworkin, 1981). Although women have come a long way their o ppression and limited amount of power in society has yet to be broken and adjusted because of this visual of the male penis extracting power in society. With the Women’s Movement challenging women’s rights it did however omit African American women from the process. The Civil RightsShow MoreRelatedThe Oppression Of Women1923 Words   |  8 Pages(Beauvoir 201). In addition, men’s domination over women, places women in a state of dependence. Women are largely reliant on men for economic necessities and security. However, women’s reliance on men, leaves them vulnerable to male’s oppression on them. Male oppression places a significant burden on women yet, men do not need to take responsibility or place any concern to the fact of how oppressive their superiority is on women because it is â€Å"intended by nature† (Beauvoir 161). Nature endows men withRead MoreOppression Of Women764 Words   |  4 PagesOppression of Women Oppression is when a person is controlled or subjected to unfair treatment by a person or group who they believe have authority. Those who are the oppressors have privilege and uses is to influence to keep themselves as dominant at any necessary cost. The oppressed groups are at disadvantage since they are deprived of benefits and rights. A successful life is not achieved by many. Women are oppressed every day in their household, because their race, religion, sexual preferenceRead MoreInternalized Oppression Reflection1141 Words   |  5 PagesInternalized Oppression Since I was a child, I always knew about social class, especially when my mother would use food stamps to purchase food at the store and the dirty looks we would get. Reflecting on my background and how I have put myself down over the year because I thought I was low class or didn t make enough money to go to certain restaurants really is something eye opening. I would oppress myself in so many ways, it was unbelievable, and it just isn t a problem that I alone am sufferingRead MoreOppression Of The United States868 Words   |  4 Pages In this course we learned about many different types of oppression, from the time America was first â€Å"discovered† and the discoverers began oppressing the Indians, to slavery, to the oppression of the mentally handicapped, all the way to more â€Å"modern† times in schools were students are being oppressed. When the Europeans and Spaniards first â€Å"discovered† North America all was well. The Indians at first were truly intrigued with the white man as the brought all sorts of new stuff to trade. MatterRead MoreThe Causes And Traits Of Oppression1614 Words   |  7 Pagesand traits of oppression in America. Dynamics such as the social, historical, and psychological systems that serve as vessels of oppression will be addressed. Using academic research, the goal for this essay will be to discuss the characteristics of oppression and how those characteristics are connected to its origin. The research will develop major themes that will serve to define agents, including classism, discrimination, and the intersectionality of different types of oppression. Discussions onRead MoreDealing with Oppression in Life856 Words   |  3 PagesOppression is a matter that many people have to face daily while others are unaware of its existence. The definition of oppression by the Webster Merr iam dictionary is the unjust or cruel act of authority or power. In other works is the unjustified mistreatment of a group of people by the majority in society. This is the type of treatment that many people faced when discriminated, many times the person is exposed to cruel treatment and abused based on their color, nationality, gender orientationRead MoreThe Interpretation Of Oppression By Marilyn Frye1592 Words   |  7 PagesThe Interpretation of Oppression Women and men are born equal. However, females are receiving unequal judgement and unfair treatment in the society, and thus Marilyn Frye brings up the notion of â€Å"oppression†, claiming that women are oppressed. Throughout the essay, I will first give the definition of Frye’s oppression and then list 5 critical qualifications to be considered oppressed. After that, I will explain my appreciation on Frye’s perspective on elaborating oppression using the â€Å"bird cage†Read MoreAnalysis Of The Article Simultaneity Of Oppression 1364 Words   |  6 PagesMidterm Response Discuss and critically analyze the â€Å"simultaneity of oppression† if one group is oppressed, can anybody be free? In the schematic hierarchy of race and sex, is the dominant group â€Å"free,† at the expense of the oppressed groups, or unfree, even if materially empowered? Does it make sense to argue that â€Å"white women† are freer, or less free, than â€Å"black men†? The concept of the â€Å"simultaneity of oppression† is relatively unknown, even within today’s modern society. While there are surelyRead MoreSandra Bartky On Psychological Oppression1575 Words   |  7 Pagesindividuals and society. However, they have failed to eliminate the barriers individuals and groups face even today. By oppression, I mean, a set of forces and obstacles that are systematically related to one another, that work to restrict and restraint, and as a result prevent one’s mobility (Frye 85). One theorist, Sandra Bartky, offered her ideas in On Psychological Oppression. She argued that one can be psychologically oppressed by their thoughts and lack of self-esteem due to institutionalizedRead MoreRacial Oppression And Racial Discrimination997 Words   |  4 Pagesto ignore it. Racial oppression is a direct consequence of a superior race. Racial oppression is the act of power that causes the state of being to feel heavily exploited. There are two types of racial oppression that are not commonly well known of, institutionalized and internalized. Institutionalized oppression is expressed when a group of people based on their race has a different chance of obtaining goods, services, and societal opportunities. Internalized racial oppression is multi-situational