Oppression, Privilege & Systems of Inequality

1. Oppression, Privilege & Systems of Inequality personal problems versus social issues

2. 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

3. Difference vs. Hierarchy Male ▲ Female

4. Difference vs. Hierarchy Male White ▲ Middle Class Female Person of Color Poor

5. The Mythical Norm White, middle class, heterosexual, abled, thin, young adult

6. A representation of a graduated, not binary gender system that reflects power and privilege as it exists in the world. The Gender Pyramid race Male Female religion Sexual Orientation Class

7. The Gender Pyramid White, Male, Middle Class: The mythical norm is really a small, elite minority Others

8. Levels of Inequality • Personal Level  Prejudice & Bigotry • Institutional Level  Discrimination • Structural Level  Oppression

9. Forms of Discrimination • Aware/Blatant • Aware/Covert • Unaware/Unintentional • Unaware/Self-righteous

10. 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

11. Types of Oppression

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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?

15. Ideology & The “Isms” Connections between discourse, culture and forms of oppression

16. 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?

17. 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

18. How ideology works • Justifies the status quo • Guides the activity and policy of a particular group • Controls without using violence or coercion through controlling symbols • Maintains the dominant position of those who are able to “name the world."

19. American Ideology: Rugged Individualism & Free Pursuit of Happiness The bootstrap myth stereotypes of the poor: • Welfare queens • Lazy bums • Immediate gratification • Immature • Irresponsible

20. Source: Thomas Hertz, American University

22. 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”

23. If things are so bad, why don’t more people complain? Tokens of success are better than nothing Oprah Hilary Clinton Jennifer Lopez

24. If things are so bad, why don’t more people complain? Going against the norms, the prevailing ideology involves great risk: Loss of identity Loss of community Loss of life