Monday, April 18, 2011
Are there privileges to being oppressed?
We had a guest speaker in another class. She discussed feminist views and the way that oppressed groups are trying to come out of their oppression. An interesting point was discussed when thinking about the military and women. As of right now, women are not a part of the draft and women are not allowed on the front lines. A generalization, but true generalization, is that most women are not pushing for women to be allowed on the front lines or for women to be included in the draft. While women are considered an oppressed group this is one example of women being spared from negative aspects that are a part of the oppressive group (i.e. men). Another such example that was brought up was chivalry. Chivalry is a privilege that many women get to experience and that many may not realize is a privilege. This privilege is a part of being the oppressed group, in the way that it is because of their gender that they are getting this treatment. So my question that I would like to ask you all is can you think of ways that other oppressed groups may have privileges that are available to them because of their oppressed status? Also, can you think of the ways that the oppressed groups, such as women in this situation, can overcome oppression and overcome privilege? What would you say to those who want to keep the privilege and get rid of the oppression?
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For some reason this thought came to me as I was reading your post. Earlier in the semester we were taking in our race and human relations anthropology class and the privileges of whites and blacks. We talked about how blacks have the privilege to have their own TV channel designated just for them because they don't have the same privileges we have. Also because they were oppressed at one point and time, they have the privilege to do things just for their own people like the all black Miss America pageant. Whites get upset because if they did this they would be considered racist, and whites are excluded from the all black events but this is considered ok to do. I have no stance on this issue whatsoever, but for some reason thought about this idea. It goes back and forth. African Americans have the privilege to exclude whites because they have been oppressed, but there is a different situation for whites because they have never been oppressed.
ReplyDeleteI think that you are exactly right, there are privileges to being oppressed and speaking for the black community, even though they are an oppressed group, just as whites, I don't think that they would be willing to give up their privileges as a minority/oppressed group. Even as black woman at a majority white liberal arts institution I have gotten out of tickets just because I was black and in school, receiving scholarships that the majority would not be considered for, things like this I know that just as whites, blacks would not want to give up. So even for us to being to address the issue of privileges both the oppressed and non-oppressed must be willing to sacrifice their privileges and consider themselves on an equal plane as their counterparts. So it's not only one's job to see the wrongness in their unearned advantages, but the other to see sometimes how unearned their advantages are (black) from the advantages of the other (whites). I hope this last part makes sense. I tried to word it as best as I could.
ReplyDeleteYou all raise some really interesting points. I agree that oppressed groups do possess privileges that others are denied. As we discussed in class, white privilege often goes unrecognized because "whiteness" is the normative in Western society. Therefore, when comparing men and woman, are men consciously aware of "male privilege," or is it something they take for granted? Also, are oppressed groups more aware of their privileges than oppressors, given their position?
ReplyDeleteWhile I think you make a interesting point, there are a couple of issues with your the gender privileges you outline. While it may be a privilege not to be included in the draft in some countries, women are often left to bear a unequal burdens of life at home -- loss of sons, husbands, brothers, fathers, economic hardship, the responsibility of caring for ailing relatives, young children, to name just a few This is clearly a very different type of burden than being in the battlefield, but never the I'm not sure that I would call this a privilege.
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