Sociologists define oppression as the systematic exploitation, abuse or mistreatment of a group (or groups) of people by another group (or groups) of people. The oppressing group is known as the controlling or dominant group. Examples of oppressed groups are racial and ethnic minorities, women, the poor, lower classes. On the other hand, groups that benefit from oppressing others are whites, men, middle, and upper classes.
At the macro level, social oppression comes from social interactions, ideologies, representation, social institutions, and social structure. It is also important to note that values, beliefs, assumptions, worldviews, and goals that organize people’s lifestyles are dictated by the dominant groups. Social oppression also involves denying a group of people access to education.
Authoritarian oppression comes from oppressive governments that are led by dictators. Such governments are characterized by harsh punishments for “unpatriotic statements”, ruthless secret police force, prohibiting freedom of speech, assembly and the press, taking unilateral control of the economy and monetary systems, and oppressing activists because they threaten their power.
Oppression by institution involves the use of laws to create unequal treatment of a specific social identity group or groups
Economic oppression results from divisions between two classes of people. Factors that lead to such kinds of oppression were slavery, disenfranchisement, property rights, and forced displacement of livelihood. On the contrary, age oppression is an instance where minors are denied rights to vote, give sexual consent, access their inheritance, and marry. Young people are viewed as inferior.
Finally, religious persecution is a kind of oppression that involves being mistreated due to one’s religious beliefs. Hence, the different kinds of oppression all result from different factors although they all result in discrimination.
The views of Karl Marx
Karl Marx, one of the founding fathers of Sociology, was moved by the struggles of the industrial workers who had to sell their labor to survive. He believed that capitalism would give way to communism. Consequently, Marx encouraged the workers that the class struggle victory would be theirs in no time. Since the factory owners were wealthy, they oppressed workers by granting them little pay and forcing them to work in poor working environments. According to Marx, the exploitation and alienation of the industrial workers was due to the nature of the capitalist economic system. Marx saw that the solution to the social problems at the time was the communist revolution and people’s ability to align themselves with it Stevenson " Haberman, 2004).
What are the effects of oppression?
The first effect of oppression to the oppressed is that it leads to discrimination in terms of race, gender, sexuality, and class among others. It makes people feel less important and inferior. The other effects include fewer rights enjoyed by the oppressed, less access to resources including the basic needs, less political power, lower economic potential, and worse health and higher mortality rates. Additionally, oppression leads to lower overall life chances and feelings of inferiority to higher-class people and shame towards one’s social status. An example of the limitations that the oppressed go through is in terms of health services provided for them. Whenever they have health challenges, they are at a disadvantage of not being able to afford the medical treatment required. As a result, some poor people lose their lives not because there were no specialists to attend to them, but that they could not afford the cost of medication. It is also sad to note that another effect of oppression is that the poor get poorer and the rich become even richer.
On the other hand, the effects of oppression to the dominant persons or groups include heightened privileges relative to the oppressed; better quality of life compared to the oppressed, greater access to rights and resources, and overall greater life chances. With reference to the example about attending to health issues, these people can afford the best medication and as such have a better chance at living to their full lifespan. Such privileges are worth being grateful for and not used to discriminate the less fortunate in the society.
Where does privilege come from?
Privilege is the sociopolitical immunity that a group (s) of people has due to specific societal benefits received. It is a right given to some people and not to others. In most cases, privilege is the advantage that wealthy and powerful people have over other members of the society. Some of the areas that people benefit from privilege include political leadership, social privilege, moral authority, and control of property.
Privilege comes from people having better abilities than others. For instance, able-bodied and mentally stable people are privileged compared to those with mental, physical and emotional disabilities. The former have a better chance at surviving the challenges of life. People with disabilities often miss out on good education programs, job opportunities, and political positions.
Class privileges come about when some people have more access to participation in politics and opportunities such as educational and vocational opportunities.
Educational privilege occurs where people have access to better paying and lucrative jobs because they have had access to higher education.
Regarding gender, the males still hold more privileges in the society. Many political positions are occupied by men. Many men have access to education and pursue scientific, engineering, and computer courses which lead to them having better jobs than females. Men are also still paid higher wages than women in the society. Besides, women are also oppressed by men who engage in immoral behavior such as rape, sexual abuse, and forcing women into abusive marriages (Sherene 2000).
Racial privilege occurs when certain races are preferred to others and given preferential treatment. An example is the white supremacy which has dominated the world for many centuries. The Whites are often treated as more deserving and special. One of the reasons for this is that they are endowed with better technology, more resources, and better leadership than other races.
Religious privileges also take place where some religions have more advantage in certain cultural contexts than in others. For instance, the Muslim dominate most of the Middle East nations. On the other hand, Christianity is prevalent in most parts of North America and much of Europe. Consequently, these religions tend to easily influence the policies of their nations and have great influence to the societal norms.
Adam Smith’s view on Privilege
Privilege is the result of having something that other people lack. For instance, most rich people enjoy more resources in terms of wealth, political influence, and general wellbeing. On the other hand, the poor and some middle class people lack such resources. The obvious thing to do is to hate these wealthy people. However, Adam Smith thought differently. He states in his work that in a person’s quest to selfishly satisfy their own needs due to self-preservation, they end up promoting an end that they may have not originally intended. According to him, amassing wealth is key as it provides the capital needed for economic growth and development. It is as if he says that the worker will not earn a wage if the rich man does not employ him. He sees a symbiotic relationship accruing from a worker-employer relationship which is essential for economic growth.
What are the effects of privilege?
Privilege makes one more prone to provide solutions to the challenges that affect the society. It is not a position that one should use to discriminate others or to look down upon them. For instance, people who are wealthy are able to boost economic growth by engaging in development projects such as construction of roads and subsidizing health services. In so doing, the less privileged are able to enjoy quality life and the society becomes a better place for all.
Privilege leads to loss of opportunities by the less privileged to the more privileged in the society. For example, sometimes wealthy people cease opportunities meant for the poor because the poor cannot afford the payments made to access them.
Privilege leads to strife between the privileged and less privileged which results in people hating each other and living in disunity.
How do these readings change or help you understand your own identity in the world?
The first effect that the readings have had on me is to acquire critical consciousness which entails understanding the fact that power differentials will always exist in the society. Consequently, I need to develop valuable anti-oppressive perspectives which will help me to perform social work objectively (Sakamoto " Pitner, 2005). An understanding on how the society functions makes one less bitter at life and the lost opportunities. Instead, their knowledge on the privileges and oppression makes them position themselves to live a more fulfilled life.
The reading about “the language of diversity” enables me to think carefully about how I relate with people of different races and genders at school and the society at large. I have learnt that there is no lesser gender or race and that everyone is worth of my respect and concern. I hope to apply the lessons I have learnt to improve my relations and build better networks (Ahmed 2007). Additionally, I have learnt that diversity also means accommodating people of diverse genders, cultures, and religions. After 9/11, many Americans have become fearful and somewhat intolerant of the Muslims who live amidst them. The police forces also jump into conclusions that they are at fault without properly investing the cases brought against them. Consequently, Muslims-even young ones-have to undergo shameful and rigorous processes of vetting before they can satisfy most people of their innocence (Haque 2010).
References
Ahmed, S. (2007). The language of diversity. Ethnic and Racial Studies Vol. 30 No. 2 March 2007 pp. 235_256
Haque, E. (2010). Homegrown, Muslim and other: tolerance, secularism and the limits of multiculturalism. Social Identities. Vol. 16, No. 1, Routledge
Sakamoto, I. " Pitner, R. O. (2005). Use of Critical Consciousness in Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice: Disentangling Power Dynamics at Personal and Structural Levels. British Journal of Social Work 35, 435–452. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bch190
Sherene, R. (2000). Race, Space, and the Law: Unmapping a White Settler Society, edited by Sherene Razack, Between the Lines, ProQuest Ebook Central, Oxford University Press, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/york/detail.action?docID=3245004.
Stevenson, L. F. " Haberman, D. L. (2004). Ten theories of human nature.
Chapter 8: Marx-The Economic Basis of Human Nature. Oxford University Press.
