Oppression In History

Oppression is the state of being subjected to unjust treatment or control. People with disabilities get treated unfairly at some point in their life. They are either treated as if they do not know what they are doing, can’t do something, or are ridiculed. In many countries people with mental or physical challenges aren’t given enough treatment and are not given the respect they deserve as a human being. “Russia: Discrimination against People with Disabilities” is a YouTube video describing the pros and cons in the country. On the other hand the article “The Life of a Disabled Child, From Taunts to Hate Crimes” from the New York Times tells the story of a little girl who at one point in time was part of the cruelty towards her brother.

In this course we learned about many different types of oppression, from the time America was first “discovered” and the discoverers began oppressing the Indians, to slavery, to the oppression of the mentally handicapped, all the way to more “modern” times in schools were students are being oppressed.

Imagine living in a world that consistently devalues your existence and is heavily populated with individuals who are quick to use and abuse your resources, but are slow to share the wealth that is accumulated from those resources. How would you feel? Unfortunately, certain populations do not have to visualize the disparity that is pictured above. This is because inequity is one of the most demoralizing social issues that plague America today. The worst thing about inequity is the fact that it continues to disproportionately burden individuals who are categorize as being minority in today’s society.

The first source I will use is Andrea Ayvazian’s essay “Interrupting the Cycle of Oppression: The Role of Allies as Agents of Change”. She discusses how allies can change in a good way, our society into something better in increasing oppression and the power behind it. The author explain why it is so important to interfere and end the never ending circle of oppression, discrimination, stereotype thinking or prejudice. Oppression can be found in every group and we face it unfortunately every day, for example opportunities for those who are poor get often denied by the wealthier part of society which as we know out of the book are just a small part. Ayvazian defines the word ally and what it is to be one. Furthermore she discusses the importance

Ultimately, the narrative of systematic oppression defines black history in America, yet the systematic oppression from the past caused cultural impediments that combined with systematic oppression in today’s society affect the black community presently. Constantly, the media portrays black people through mostly negative lenses as they’re depicted as having no class, being too aggressive, or through the most typical and praised roles of being slaves or nannies to their employer’s children. Similarly, the wealth gap between black people and other races still exists as a remnant of the injustices black people faced in the past. Furthermore, police brutality continues to occur with little consequences to the officers who attack black people for

What is it that Vonnegut wants the readers to realize? That equality in general is unnatural, because Adaption to the average might mean bringing everyone down to the lowest level and therefore confirm prejudices of stupid, fat and lazy people and lead to a loss of potential, excellence and talent. The immense state control can lead to oppression and torture of citizens if people are too busy with their personal life instead of caring for the greater good. Furthermore that our modern lives can lead to a desensitization if people spend their time in front of a TV lamenting about the chances in the world rather than standing up from the couch and do something about it. That an uncontrolled medium bears the potential of misdirected utilization

What is the denotation of the term oppression? It is defined as unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power (MerriamWebster.com). Mao Zedong, a malicious and dictatorial tyrant, was a leader of China who exposed the nation to numerous forms of oppression. Through the movements known as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, Mao removed capitalistic and traditional principles from China’s society while implementing both communistic and socialistic ways. During the time period of the these movements, the civilians of China faced cultural, political, and even religious molds of repression. After the first movement, known as the Great Leap Forward, a campaign to radically conform China from agrarian standpoints to an industrialized communist society, millions of Chinese citizens died from famines and other forms of maltreatment. Deaths from hunger reached more than fifty percent in some Chinese villages and the total number of dead from 1959 to 1961 was between thirty and forty million, which is equivalent to the population of California (Edwards). After the time of the Cultural Revolution, over 1.5 million civilians died during the movement, and others were tortured, publicly humiliated, or suffered imprisonment (History.com). The memoir Red Scarf Girl by Ji Li Jiang brings to life the cultural oppression that the Chinese citizens faced during the time Mao Zedong led China.

It is a great annoyance to witness at every turn in society a great outpouring of proclaimed victimhood, where in fact very little is truly found. Whether problems or insignificant tiffs are denounced as racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, or a great many other forms of “oppression,” the people of our nation are quick to victimize themselves. Everything that ever happens to someone is a great oppressing force, though the United States is easily one of the most accepting countries in this day and age.

“The United States of America has a reputation as a beacon of freedom and diversity from the colonial period of its history” (American Freedom). Oppression is at the root of many of the most serious conflicts in the world. Before oppression could be a part of the world today, it had to be a part of history.

The terms race and ethnicity groups was created as an excuse to oppress and enslaved all those individuals that did not fall into their image of perfection. I was surprised to find out that the Irish were enslaved. It wasn’t just Africans that were enslaved, but all those individuals that were either poor or from another ethnicity group other than those in control. Irish women were used for sexual pleasure and breeding purpose. The Irish were cheaper than African slaves. Why weren’t we taught about this occurrence in schools? If we really think about it, all our ancestors have been victims of oppression and slavery. History show us that as a society, we just continue to find new ways to oppress all those individuals that don’t fall into our

Feminism means the belief that women should be treated as equals to men. In the early 20th century, women faced adversity in the sense that it was a struggle living at that time because they had a specific role to live up to, and that role was being housewives to the men. The early 20th Century was a male dominated society. Glaspell uses character names, Irony in the title, and symbolism in the play, “Trifles” to reveal the roles in which women play, and the harm it brings to women and also men in the early 20th Century.

Oppression and discrimination has plagued our society since early times. As a collective society one would think that over time oppression and discrimination would turn into acceptance and equality. Conversely, our society has taken sluggish steps towards diversity, acceptance and equality. Our society is focused on labeling people and putting them into limiting boxes. Oppression occurs across various groups of people based on gender, sex, race, religion, and disability. Members of these diverse groups are discriminated among work places, schools, and other places. Work places and schools promote diversity and non-discrimination, however little seems to be practiced. Oppression across generation leaves damaging consequences hindering society in the growth towards a more accepting environment.

This research paper will outline the causes and 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 on strategies for addressing and ending the current oppression in America and recommendations for the future will be highlighted as well.

There are many different ways to solve problems at involve practical, thought-out, systematic approaches. Of course, the more complicated the problem the more complicated the solution. The fight to stop the oppression of the unwealthy population has been a battle, often lost, since humans first walked this earth. In the early 1700s the poor in Dublin, Ireland were struggling to cloth themselves much less feed themselves and large families. Jonathan Swift recognized the problem and thought of possibility of the most unique solutions to the problem. He proposed that the poor are simply baby making machines that would raise their children until the age of one and then sell them to the rich to eat. Swift goes into great detail even proving numbers

I am stating the Five Faces of Oppression based on my understand after reading Shaw & Lee. The first face is Exploitation. Exploitation is, “A process that transfer the results of labor of one social group to benefit another.” (Shaw&Lee, p.53.) An example of exploitation is sweat shops. Children in many parts of the world are making clothing items such as Nike for pennies a day. While these children are underpaid people who aren’t sweat shop workers’ pay multiple dollars for the items made. Marginalization is the next face, Margination is described as, “The expulsion of an entire group from useful participation in social life.” (Shaw&Lee, p.53.) A group that fits this category are the homeless. Homeless people were unable to pay their bills therefore, they’re without a home. Powerlessness comes next and is described as, “lack of respectability.” (Shaw&Lee, p.53.) An example of this would be minority groups. In the media you see many videos of white people disrespecting minorities for being “different.” Cultural Imperialism is the fourth face. Cultural Imperialism is, “Recognizing the dominant group experience and culture as the norm.” (Shaw&Lee, p.53.) An example of this is white culture in America. In America it’s the norm for mothers to be stay at home moms while the husband is the sole bread winner for the family. The last face of oppression is violence. Violence is described as, “Members of a subordinate group who live with the threat of violence.” (Shaw&Lee, p.53.) Transgender individuals live with a lot of fear and violence. Many people don’t understand or support the trans community and tend to thing in order to solve the “problem” they must hurt and kill trans individuals. Iris Young said described the acts as “Using people’s labors to produce profit while not compensating them fairly.”