The concept of oppression is the main idea that this writer intends to tackle in this paper. The root cause of such concept is the belief of oppressors that “they have greater moral worth than others” (Hodge 89). Three main sub-points of oppression are further discussed here. First, oppression is manifested at two extremes. Second, identifying the source of power identifies where oppression begins. Finally, a person can belong to both the oppressor group and the oppressed groups.
This writer initially believed that persons can be considered victims of oppression only when they are regularly at the receiving end of violent physical acts. An example of which is black slavery in the plantations of the Southern region of the US way back in the 18th and 19th century. Slaves were brought to the Americas and they were made to work in cotton fields or sugarcane plantations under conditions that modern day Americans would consider today inhuman. The essay of Hodge explains that oppression presents itself in a relatively peaceful manner too. This kind of oppression is the one that proliferates society today. Situations resulting to “reduced access to education, job training, and political power” (Hodge 90) are examples of this other extreme. There are practices labeled as legal in our institutions today that are actually oppressive to certain groups. It is important to locate where the source of the power is so that one can determine where in society, what structures, or what groups are keeping the rest of the population at a level that is below that of the dominant group. When another group’s interests are maintained at the expense of another group, then that is oppression. In order to correct the situation, it is first imperative that the source of oppression is identified. Who or what group is controlling the power in the community? When that group’s control of certain resources results in another group’s limited or lack of access to important resources, then this is oppression.
kind that has proliferated in society today is more of the latter kind, the relatively peaceful type of oppression. Group oppression can be determined by identifying where power originates. A person can belong to both the oppressed and oppressor groups.
Another key point in the essay is the possibility of an individual belonging to the two contrasting groups at the same time (Hodge 91). The example given by Hodge is black males. Blacks are the oppressed groups in the US, but males belong to the dominant gender. Blacks as a group has been recognized as an oppressed group. In the US today, an individual Black person is being discriminated against because he or she shares similar characteristics with the other Blacks. There is already a pre-existing notion of their capacities and limitations. This perception is perpetuated by the theory on the dualism of good and evil. Hodge explains that in labeling victims as motivated by evil, then a group’s actions towards them can be justified as the good having triumphed over evil. When this perception is maintained it will not be possible to attain equality because persons would feel that their acts of oppression are rational behavior. It is therefore important to look into one’s beliefs to identify what motivates persons to act in certain ways.
Oppression is a complex concept. It manifests in different forms. It can be expressed by groups who would regularly inflict physical pain over members of another group. The clear example of this would be White Masters of plantations in the South, regularly beating their Black slaves in the guise of discipline. The other extreme is limiting another group’s access to services and rights that should be accorded to all human beings. These are education, political power, and opportunities to utilize public facilities and services. A person can belong to both an oppressor group and an oppressed group. In the case of the Black male, his oppressor group is being male while the oppressed group is being part of the Blacks. Oppression is perpetuated until the present. Oppressors believe in the dualism concept of good and evil and they feel their acts towards their victims are justified because they believe they are actually doing the morally right thing.
The belief on equality will change a person’s views. Oppression can be corrected by equality. When one believes that he or she has the same moral right as the next person, whether Black or White, he or she would realize that certain acts are unacceptable. When the concept of equality in ingrained in a person’s belief systems then he or she will not allow him or her to be a victim of oppression. How we treat others always begin with how we regard them. When people believe that other persons are their equal then there would be less acts of oppression in the present society.
Works Cited
Hodge, John L. “Equality: Beyond Dualism and Oppression.” Anatomy of Racism. Minneapolis: University of Menneapolis, 1990. 89-107. Print
