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Oppression, Privilege & Systems of Inequalitypersonal problems versus social issues

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The Social Order

Categories & Identities Identities: Ways of recognizing similarities

and differences between people. Identities are always relational.

Labels & Language matter when creating and using categories and identities

Differences vs. hierarchies

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Difference vs. Hierarchy

▲Male Female

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Difference vs. Hierarchy

▲Middle Class

Male

Female

White

Person of Color

Poor

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The Mythical Norm

White, middle class, heterosexual, abled, thin, young adult

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The Gender Pyramid

A representation of a graduated, not binary gender system that reflects power and privilege as it exists in the world.

Male Female

Sexual Orientation

race

Class

religion

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The Gender Pyramid

White, Male, Middle Class: The mythical norm is really a small, elite minority

Others

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Levels of Inequality

Personal Level Prejudice & Bigotry

Institutional Level Discrimination

Structural Level Oppression

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Forms of Discrimination

Aware/Blatant Aware/Covert Unaware/Unintentional Unaware/Self-righteous

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Oppression

Those pervasive and systematic social arrangements by which members of one group are exploited and subordinated while members of another group are granted privileges

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Types of OppressionTypes of

OppressionOppressed

Group Privileged GroupSexism Women Men

Anti-Semitism Jews Christians

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Ideology & Oppression

When members of oppressing groups believe dominant messages, it is easy for them not to see their privilege and deny that others are oppressed

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Internalized Oppression

Although they can see the advantages given to the privileged groups, oppressed individuals can come to believe the dominant messages & images that refer to them as inferior

Internalized oppression is a consequence of oppression that helps maintain inequality

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Key Questions How can we tell the difference between

suffering and oppression?What are the consequences of stereotyping,

discrimination, and prejudicial behavior at the structural level?

Why is it so easy to think that oppression doesn’t exist in contemporary US society?How are inequalities justified?

Why aren’t desire and ability enough to overcome oppression?

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Ideology & The “Isms”

Connections between discourse, culture and forms of oppression

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Key Questions

How do ideologies support institutions? How do these ideologies show up in the institutions that most affect your life?

Why is it so easy to think that oppression doesn’t exist and that your privilege may be justified?

Why aren’t desire and ability enough to overcome oppression?

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Ideologies: the symbolic dimensions of power

Ideology—the taken for granted world view of the dominant group

Ideology—the messages & images that the dominant group sends out to society—works to hide oppression and privilege

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How ideology works

1. Justifies the status quo 2. Guides the activity and policy of a

particular group 3. Controls without using violence or

coercion through controlling symbols4. Maintains the dominant position of

those who are able to “name the world."

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American Ideology: Rugged Individualism & Free Pursuit of Happiness

The bootstrap myth stereotypes of the poor:

Welfare queensLazy bumsImmediate gratificationImmatureIrresponsible

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   What are your chances of reaching the…

With parents in the… Bottom quintile Middle quintile Top quintile

Top income quintile 6.3 % 16.3 % 42.3 %

Middle income quintile 17.3 % 25 % 15.3 %

Bottom income quintile 37.3 % 18.4 % 7.3 %

Source: Thomas Hertz, American University

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If things are so bad, why don’t more people complain?

Ideology works to justify inequalities & place responsibility on individual: “Everyone knows women can’t play football as well as men” “If you don’t make it, you didn’t try hard enough”

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If things are so bad, why don’t more people complain?

Tokens of success are better than nothing Oprah Hilary Clinton Jennifer Lopez

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If things are so bad, why don’t more people complain?

Going against the norms, the prevailing ideology involves great risk:Loss of identityLoss of communityLoss of life